Post a Comment On: The Family

The boys and I had the most awesome experience this summer at Florida Sea Base, a Boy Scout high adventure base in the Florida Keys. We were among eight boys and four adults from Team 448 to sail for six days, learning about the bays and Atlantic through sea kayaking, snorkeling, sailing and other adventures. We were split into two 41-foot Morgan boats, captained by a husband and wife team, Harold and Margie Ochstein, the owners of Island Dreamer Sailing.

[Image] We flew from Austin to Ft. Laudedale and stayed at the Days Inn and Bahia Cabana. The boys were introduced to the Atlantic, while we prepared the next day for our bus ride using Davis Tours for our trip to Seea Base on Islamorada. (After a great and amusing breakfast at Bahia Cabana. Thanks, Doney, for the fun time!)

We missed our lunch stop, so once we arrived at Sea Base we went across the street to Habana, a Cuban restaurant. We were anxious to finish the meal and get on with our adventure. We finally checked in, met our mate, Bryce. He worked through our swim checks and provisioning of our two boats, before we set off in the sunset for our first night aboard our craft, Island Dreamer for us, and Morning Dance for our sister crew.

[Image] Our first adventure on day two was a kayak trip through the mangrove jungle of a key, traveling up a channel between the bay and the Atlantic. There was quite a bit of paddling involved and I would've liked to explore more, but it was also hot and lunch awaited us. Now days after the trip, I'm trying to remember our first snorkel of that afternoon on Saturday ... I think we just dived off the boat on anchor. This was after our first bout of sailing, as we were blessed with good wind on our trip.

[Image] On Sunday, we started the traveling to and anchoring offshore of the Dolphin Research Center. This was an unexpected surprise as this was the first time the Evo-Adventure cruise included DRC. We kayaked into the center and watched the dolphins play and work for the the adoration of the visitors. They really do enjoy and relish the attention of humans. This was a special treat for me as I remember watching a Jack Hanna video about the place with my boys when they were younger. We finished the day with a snorkel along a channel in the bay where we could follow a wall, seeing lobster and all matter of fish.

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On Monday we made our first trip out to the Atlantic, crossing under the 7-mile bridge to Sombrero Reef. What an excellent first dive in the Atlantic. Seas were just a little rough at 3- to 5-feet, but not enough to spoil our fun. We finished the night in a port at Marathon, docking at Pancho's and dining at Burdine's, where the boys enjoyed fried Key lime pie, among other good food.
[Image] Tuesday brought us two great dives, the first at Marker 48, where a couple coral outcroppings awaited us. The second was at Coffin Patch, but in between was a gorgeous motor sail into 100+ depths and varying shades of brilliant blue. The sail set up a fantastic, if crowded, dive, before we headed toward the bay for our anchorage. The fun didn't stop, because we also had a night dive at Jewfish Hole, we're we saw huge lobster and unfortunately some jellyfish that cut our fun short, just a bit. Everyone was OK in the end.

[Image] Wednesday we had to turn toward our final port at Sea Base, but not before one last dive on the bay side at a place called the Quarry, where workers mined limestone for the Keys railroad, back in the day. After our dive, we began cleaning up the boat before our arrival back at Sea Base, out final Luau and sleep in the dorms before heading back to Ft. Lauderdale on Thusday.

All in all, what a wonderful trip! There were many, many roses and few thorns (we didn't catch any fish) and Dad got to spend some very quality time with his boys before Father's Day. Thank you, sons!