January 11, 2010 - Everglades City, Florida

We departed Marco Island after Monarch’s month-long stay, while we visited everyone in Michigan.

Our first stop for two nights was Panther Key. We had visited here before, and enjoyed its pristine beaches known for excellent shelling.

As the weather was quite cool, we found the surrounding area deserted, and we were the lone boat at anchor. The only other sign of life was a small tent ashore, and a small boat on the beach. It was too cold for shelling!

Next up was Russell Pass, where we got out the extra blankets and watched a beautiful sunset. The clear night skies were the prelude to very cold temperatures that had been predicted for overnight.

Our recording thermometer captured the overnight low of 32. This was a near-record low.
Monarch’s heaters brought the inside temperature to a comfortable 70 in time for breakfast.

As we sipped our morning coffee, we looked out the ports at the surrounding water, where the tide was bringing hundreds of dead fish past the boat. We later learned that the low temperatures had killed catfish, snook, tarpon, jacks and all manner of fish. They sought the shallow waters to feed; when the tide receded, the plummeting temperatures in the shallow water killed them.

We headed to Everglades City, just a few miles north of our anchorage. At the entrance is the Outward Bound post where intrepid outdoors people can base their Everglades adventures. People will kayak or canoe throughout the Everglades National Park, camping among the snakes and crocodiles, along the way.

Everglades City is a sleepy town, with fishing as the prime business.

We docked at the Rod & Gun Club, built on a foundation set in 1864 by the town’s first permanent settler. By 1922, famed Florida railroad tycoon and developer Barron Collier purchased the Rod and Gun Club, operating it as a sportsman’s hideaway that catered to many famous and notable guests.

Today’s tourism can be noisy, with airboat rides a popular pastime.

To our surprise, we saw the campers from Panther Key, in their double-masted sailboat with auxiliary oar-power. They came up the Barron River, past the Rod & Gun Club, and around the bend into the Everglades.

This evening, we had dinner with friends Lynn and Larry Graham from Tobermory, Ontario, at their place just a few miles south, in Chokoloskee.