Time To Go!

After spending a few months here at the Marina getting all our To Do’s done and spending quality time with friends and family, it was time to go!  Our Plan this year was to head to the Florida Keys instead of the Bahamas.  No Keys had to get a new prop shaft installed this summer and this new shaft needs to be tested before heading out into the Gulf Stream and away from accessible help if required.

We delayed a few days because a nasty cold front was coming.  This front deposited a lot of snow at home in our drive way but caused a lot of mess all over the United States and even a few funnel clouds off shore (tornadoes on the water). We wanted to have better weather so it was best to wait.  That is one thing about sailing, you must have patience and pick your best opportunity to have a safe and comfortable trip.  Our first leg of the trip was from Nettles Island to Lake Worth (just before West Palm Beach). We anchored just off the ICW and enjoyed our first night out on the water since putting No Keys in the water in November.  There are a lot of large yachts to be seen on the ICW. It is hard to believe when you see this for miles that the USA is in a recession. Beautiful Boats non the less.

While traveling down the ICW, there are many bridges that need to be opened for you but there are the newer 65 ft bridges too.  Our mast is 55 ft tall.  The trick here is making up the time between each bridge and it’s scheduled time opening.  Not always easy for a sailboat.  The tide coming in and out of the various outlets to the ocean can either push you further or pull you back.  We tried a few times with our Jib Up but the wind was on our nose, so we have to motor along.

Our second stop was south of West Palm Beach, almost in Boca Raton.  We anchored in the bay and headed in via dinghy to The Key Lime House.  There you can check your email and enjoy great food.  We had a wonderful dinner with Chris’s Cousin, his wife and their kids.  Wow, they are all grown up now.  Where does the time fly?  During the night, we had quite a few visitors!  They landed on the deck, did their business and flew away once we scared them off.  The last cormorant to visit scared me more as I was not expecting him to be in the cockpit at 5:45 am.  So now you know why they call it the “poop deck”. Time to take care of “The Business” and pull up anchor.

Next stop……..Ft. Lauderdale via the ICW.  Another cold front is on it’s way and we need to be tucked in somewhere.