Thursday, February 16th

It is a relaxed sunny morning aboard Cutter Loose at our Rodriquez Key anchorage.  Our 11 AM departure coincides with mid tide rising at Angelfish Creek, 20 miles to the north of Rodriquez Key.  Angelfish Creek is the inlet of choice for leaving Hawk Channel and entering Card Sound.  But the channel at Angelfish is notoriously thin and must be negotiated at or near high tide. 

[caption id="attachment_3051" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Under sail in Hawk Channel en route to Angelfish Creek"][/caption]

The wind today is from the southeast.  Cutter Loose is sailing smartly in Hawk Channel with 13 knots of wind on her beam.  At 2 PM, the sails are furled prior to entering Anglefish Creek.  Water depth in the channel is more than adeqate to accommodate Cutter Loose.  As a bonus, the rising tide in the Creek pushes us east towards Card Sound.  Once in the Sound, we enter the marked channel of the Intracoastal Waterway and turn north into Biscayne Bay. 

Our destination for today is Boca Chita Key, about 15 miles south of Miami.  Boca Chita is  part of Biscayne National Park and is maintained by the National Park Service.  Other than picnic tables and primitive campsites, there are no facilities on the Island.  Cutter Loose is docked in the harbor alongside an oval-shaped seawall.  Our foursome of buddy boats are reunited once again in this unique setting.  We will relax here for a few days before sailing north to the Miami area.

[caption id="attachment_3053" align="aligncenter" width="640" caption="Cutter Loose at Boca Chita, Key Biscayne National Park"][/caption]