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Day 313 - Sunday, March 5th: After almost a full month, we left Lighthouse Cay Club marina in Marathon, Florida, and started toward mainland Florida.

Due to forecasted strong northerly winds, our plan was to head up the Hawk Channel in the Atlantic Ocean and cross over to the Florida Bay side at "Channel #5," about 25 miles east of Marathon.  Then we would cruise to Tarpon Basin, a nice anchorage off Key Largo.

The NOAA weather forecast was only slightly off.  The east, not northerly, winds were about 20 knots versus 10-15, and the seas on our nose were a tad over three feet versus 1-2 feet.  Integrity took a lot of salt spray over the bow.  But we trudged on in an otherwise nice day, passing keys with names like Boot Key, Grassy Key, Duck Key and Long Key.

We crossed under the Overseas Highway (US #1) at the cut named "Channel #5" at noon.  The water on the waterway in Florida Bay was considerably calmer, and we cruised on past more keys -- Lower and Upper Matecumbe Keys, Tea Table Key, Shell Key, and Plantation Key.  Each one has its own personality.

We finally arrived at our planned anchoring hole at Tarpon Basin, a nice protected lake-like body of water between two creeks on Key Largo.  The easterly wind was still blowing as we dropped the hook and made sure it was set well.  By sunset there were five boats anchored here.  Here are three of the other four: