We'd read that about 12 miles south of Key Biscayne lies Elliot Key managed by the National Park Service. Nothing is there but a few campsites and supposedly some snorkeling so we raised both sails and had a nice 2 hour sail to the north anchorage of Elliot Key dropping anchor about 1/2 mile off the University Dock in about 8 feet of water. They advised swimming the anchor to make sure it is buried well in the sand as there is a lot of rock below some sands. Sarah volunteered to jump in the crystal clear water with mask and snorkel. While the anchor was set well enough, upon getting out of the water, Sarah felt a tingling at her knee, only to discover a Portuguese Man-o-War tentacle extending from her knee to the animal 10 feet downwind explaining the stinging sensation. Dr. Levinson astutely advised a paste of baking soda and salt water be applied, followed by a scraping of the skin to remove the venomous cysts. Fortunately for Sarah the jellyfish was small and so the sting was about as annoying as a bee sting and we were able to enjoy a nice beach and snorkel on Elliot Key before some mojitos on Juno. We were so glad we came to Elliot Key as it felt like the Bahamas - uninhabited key, clear water, very few other boats nearby, and a night sky filled with stars.
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