Day 2

Rodriquez Key to Palm Beach
N 26 46.415, W -80 02.400
111 miles, under way 17 hours

There's not a lot of places to land along the Florida east coast.  We decided to go an extra few hours and stop at Lake Worth, a nice big inlet used by barges and cruise ships.  It has a fierce current, too.  Not much fun anchoring in the dark- the running lights weren't working and the fish finder has temper fits.  And Tony cat is seasick- we're going to anchor here till he feels better.  Whew- the kind of night that makes you happy to see daytime.

Day 1

Key West to Rodriquez Key
N 25 02.070, W -80 27.271 
74 miles, under way 11.5 hours

Off to see the wizard

We are so ready to push off- actually had to crank up the air conditioner today.  We installed the old people grab bars and stanchions so we won't fall down with every swell, filled up the freezer, nailed everything down and off we go up the coast.  No idea how long it will take, but even if we swim we'll catch August on the Cape.  Hope to make RI by mid June, but you never know.

Nurse Sharks

Sometimes I see one of these guys when I go swimming off the point here- yesterday I realized that they're probably sharks (a bit slow on the uptake-) and we should look into their eating habits.  People here say they're nurse sharks, nocturnal hunters who hang about in sluggish groups during the day, smoking weed and playing games online.  They're not known for their interest in humans.

the bus is leaving Key West to Cape Cod

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Travel in style aboard a rust bucket Louisiana shrimp boat as we crawl up the Eastern Seaboard at 8 knts listening to the sweet hum of a mighty 8/71 Detroit Diesel. Many stops along the way. The thrill of a lifetime. Not to be missed.
Mostly offshore with stops at major ports, little or no ICW.
We need two more people to stand watch on the longer legs.
Trip will take about four weeks and we move only with fair weather.
Early May to mid June.

Blue Angels buzz the Eileen Farrell

They started yesterday and are practicing again today with the full show this weekend.

We're tied up about a mile from the end of the runway at the Naval Air Station, and the Key West airport is just on the other side, so we get quite a display.  The other day the 747 that carries the shuttle came in and you could hear it ten minutes before you could see it- a weird high-pitched whine that kept getting louder and louder till it went right over us at 500 ft.  On a normal day we get a dozen or so F18s doing their usual hotdog stuff.  They are amazing machines.


Adding a customized fighter jet for Alice:  it practices only on Sirius, though.

Boring our cats

Lorenzo's been doing all sorts of mundane tasks that lack good photographic evidence.  Yesterday, he attached the 'fish' to the crane, and put the flopperstopper in the water on the starboard side.  Sort of like booming out one fishing net; for reasons that evade me, a flopperstopper on one side is adequate.  

He's also built storage into the lazarette, and fixed the anchor (twice).  Tools are all over the joint:  "I'm using them again in the morning!!"  I just follow him around sweeping things up.