Channel 5 to Angelfish Creek 2/18-2/20/18

We left Channel 5  as we passed under Hwy 1 and headed back out to Hawk Channel to go east to Key Largo. Today was a little rougher than yesterday and both Debbie and Abby had their Dramamine with breakfast.  The seas were about 60 degrees to starboard off of the bow and even with stabilizers it produced a pretty good rolling motion.  Debbie often lays down when its rough and Abby will stand when she doesn't feel well.  It wasn't too long before Abby chucked her breakfast and we even saw the pretty much undissolved Dramamine tablet in the pile. Debbie made it through OK even after Abby grossed her out!

Debbie in passing the time mode.  The seas the day this picture were taken were calmer than the actual day we traveled the Hawk Channel but the results are the same.

Angelfish Creek is just northeast of the Ocean Reef Club and cuts through to the ICW.  It is supposedly one of the better passes and is used often by all sizes of boats.  We entered dead center between the outer channel markers and as we were abreast of the entrance markers we hit something and then proceeded much slower for the rest of the entrance.  This is about the 3rd time we have hit something with the props and they are still in pretty good shape.  I had almost had them changed out for the spares that we carry when I had the divers down cleaning the bottom in Marathon.  Good thing I didn't.  We worked our way into a beautiful anchorage off of Angelfish Creek and spent two nights there as there was no rush to go anywhere with the wind forecasted to be 25 knots plus for the rest of the week.  This would not be a good time to cross over to Bimini.  We might of made it but it definitely would not have been fun!

When we were anchored in Angelfish Creek I dove on the props and found the line in the picture below wrapped around the Port propeller.  Maybe what we hit in the channel was a crab pot that had been blown into the channel and I was the lucky one to find it. Anyways the boat runs much better without it and I now have two slightly damaged propellers.  They will do until we get back to Charleston or we really need to change them.  Hopefully that will not be the case.

I seem to be getting very good at picking up lines around the propellers