Key West

N 24 34.872
W -81 47.307

After a few days in a backwater (ie, unpopulated) key we decide it's time to go on in to the big city. We're approaching from the north side of the keys and staying out in deep water heading for the main channel into Key West when I notice a line of whitecaps a quarter mile off running across and perpendicular to my course, and a line on the plotter at about the same spot, so I ask my sweetie and navigator, Honey, what is that line? Damned if I know, she says, but there's a similar line on the paper chart. So I say, Honey, does the chart say what that line is? She says yes, it's called the east jetty. At this point we're about 300 yds away going full speed right at it. It seems the main channel has a jetty on both sides protecting it. Flat out ruined my day.

Then we have to work our way through the tight little harbor with three gigantic cruise ships, an incoming fuel tanker to service them, two tugs to service the tanker, and a Coast Guard cutter nervously zipping back and forth.

Today we're sitting here trying to keep our anchor dug in while the north wind howls. It seems we have a few feet of sand over rock and the anchor will only bite so hard. When the wind dies down we'll go back into town.

And it is charming. After wandering around for a day, we realize: it's got the the bookstores, the market with the homemade bread, the Victorian houses (each with its own work crew). It's got the restored movie theater with movies that are not family-friendly. So it's worth visiting- even when overwhelmed by cruise ships.