John Pennekamp Park

Finally on our way to John Pennekamp. It looks like it's a long narrow way into the park so we need to proceed with caution. The controlling depth, which is calculated at median low tide, is 4' so we really have no business going in there. We've called the park Dockmaster and they tell us to come in at high tide and of course be careful, but they don't discourage us from coming.

As we round the markers to enter into the long channel which leads us to the park and mooring bay, the ocean closes in and becomes a mangrove lined river. It is really beautiful and Jaxon says it may be one of his favourite parts of trip so far. It's impossible for any of the videos I took to do mangrove entrance justice. Jaxon and I are on the bow, enjoying the scenery as it passes by, but also watching the water for any shallow areas we

may happen upon. Gord, at the helm, says there's lots of water and navigates us through the mangrove path and into the mooring ball bay. This is where Holy Cow starts to stir up up the bottom. We are still registering water under the props, but it's not comfortable. We leave a tell tale sign of the path we took to get to our mooring ball. This is our first attempt at such a thing. Jaxon and I have a boat hook each. The plan is whoever is nearest, will reach down off the bow with the boat hook and hitch the rope attached to the ball and bring it back

up to the bow and cleat it. From there, we will tie two bow lines to the ball's ring and then toss the mooring ball back out and let it do its thing. As we approach, I am the closest. The whole process goes relatively smoothly. We did lose a boat hook in the water, but it was easily recovered.

Once we were moored, we drove into the park by dinghy to investigate and settle up. Pennekamp doesn't seem as impressive as Bahia Honda. The beach is small and crowded, there are no Geocaches and the grounds don't seem to offer as much to explore. There is a small aquarium that we take a stroll through. It's cute and offers some relief from the heat outside. We decide as a family the beach isn't worth coming back to, so we hop in the dinghy and take a tour of a path we find in the mangroves. Some paths are designated only for kayaks and such, this one is not.

The ride in the mangroves may be one of my favourite parts of this entire trip. It is so quiet.

We can see the bottom and in some parts it's so shallow, Gord raises the motor completely and we row the dinghy. We see lots of fish scooting under us during our exploration. We get to a spot we don't think we could even paddle the dinghy through, so we turn around and make our way back to Holy Cow and hope she's still attached to the mooring ball.

We have planned to be at John Pennekamp for three nights. Our friends from the Catamaran will be close by tomorrow. They will be anchored in the bay by Rodriguez Key so they can be hauled out for their repairs. We decide tomorrow will be a snorkeling day for us and we will also try to find the Sinclair's and spend the afternoon with them. This day comes to an end with a pretty view off our stern.

The next morning, Gord and Brooklyn take the dogs to shore. It's a fairly long drive to get them to shore here. When he returns, we are ready to get our day started. We load up the dinghy with our provisions for the day and head out to a sand bar. The kids swim and snorkel a little and then we see the Sinclair's Catamaran drive past and get ready to anchor. Just as we are ready to go visit them, a lady in the water asks if we want to see a Sand Dollar. The amazing thing is, this one is alive. It's called a sea biscuit and the little spiny things on its bottom move and feel funny when we hold it. We are amazed by it. We gently release it back into the sea and head over to see our new friends.

We have a great afternoon with them by Rodriguez Key. They will be on shore tomorrow for maintenance, so we decide that we will leave Pennekamp in the morning and come anchor

at this spot so we can spend the day together on the water again. So the next morning, we release the mooring ball and bid farewell to John Pennekamp Park. In my opinion, the best part of this park is the drive in and out through the mangroves. It's beautiful. The kids have some fun riding in the dinghy on the bow of Holy Cow.

We take Holy Cow back out to Rodriguez Key, anchor and soon the Sinclair's join us. It's a fabulous day. The kids are in the water for hours and it is the first time we've put out the Lilypad. At one point, we see a large thing bobbing on top of the water and it is floating our way. We identify it as a Man of War jellyfish. I didn't realize the body of the thing always floats above sea level so they are fairly easy to spot. We get the kids onto the Lilypad. We've read the average length of the tentacles is 30' but can extend much much further. Jaxon and Oliver head out in the dinghy to gently hook the pesky thing and take it out of our harms way. They love the task.

It's Oliver's birthday, so their family plans to go to shore for dinner and we are invited, but as dinner time approaches, everyone was having too much fun to call it a day. We called Domino's pizza and had dinner delivered to the Catamaran Dock Yard and the men took the dinghy in to pick it up. It was hot and delicious when it arrived back at Holy Cow. It was a great evening. We were really happy to be a part of Oliver's day.

As evening came, we said our goodbyes, and settled in for the night. Guess what, the wind picked up. It was not as as calm as we expected, but we knew our anchor was good and set, so we (Gord) weren't overly worried. The Storm App, and the lightning and thunder off in the distance, told us there were storms all around, but it looked as though we should be safe for the night.