Hanging in the Keys

By Monday morning, March 23rd, the wind had clocked around to the east and, as a result, we lost most of our wind protection. As I mentioned previously, the islands we were anchored between run east and west so the wind was now funneling between the islands. We weren't sure how rough Biscayne Bay was going to be, but it was time to move on. We pulled anchor and left Miami Beach about 10:45 a.m. The first three hours were the worst, going south with a strong east wind, but it got better when we turned and started heading west. Forty miles and five hours later we were anchored in Barnes Sound near Steamboat Creek. The wind finally calmed down and we had a nice quiet evening at anchor.

A couple of views of downtown Miami as we were leaving. We're not in Springfield anymore!



Tuesday morning brought a little early rain and the wind was back. We left our anchorage about 10:00 a.m. and travelled the remaining 27 miles to Jack & Susan's house in Islamorada. Just before we got to their house, we stopped in at Plantation Key Yacht Harbor to top off with fuel (143 gal @ $2.35/gal).

Arriving in the Keys. The bridge ahead of us is Highway which connects the mainland to the Keys.


Susan was waiting on the dock to catch a line and we were tied up by 3:00 p.m. Jack came home from the boat yard in Key Largo a few hours later and Alina, a neighborhood friend, dropped by with some homemade salsa. That evening Susan fixed soft shell tacos for dinner and we spent the next several hours talking about the Exumas, where we met Jack & Susan last year.

"Life's2Short" tied up to the Connelly's "marina." Thank you SO much for your hospitality!


We moved "Life's2Short" to a dock across the canal from Jack & Susan's on Wednesday morning and then Todd and Jack left to run a few errands. Susan suggested we go to Loralei's for lunch where we had great mahi-mahi sandwiches overlooking the bay, and Susan and I each had a very tasty rum runner. That afternoon Todd rode with Jack to the boat yard to put "Freyja" back in the water. Jack had just finished painting the hull and they were planning to bring "Freyja" home Thursday morning.

A few shots at Loralei's after an excellent lunch!


Words can't explain this...a floating Cadillac used as a barhopping boat-limo!



Wednesday evening we went to happy hour at Zane Grey's on the second floor of the World Wide Sportsman, the Keys saltwater version of Bass Pro Shop. We were joined by Alina and husband Don and another neighbor, Co. It was a pleasantly calm evening overlooking the bay and the view from the balcony was beautiful, even though we left before the sun reached the horizon.

We all left for the boat yard at 8:30 Thursday morning to bring "Freyja" home. Since Todd had never sailed before, he accompanied Jack & Susan on the trip home and I brought the car back. Even though the ocean was pretty rough, Todd said "Freyja" handled it well and that he really enjoyed the quiet peacefulness of sailing. Something else he can check off his bucket list.

Popeye the sailor man, what a great day!


"Freyja" and crew safely back home.


Thursday afternoon we all went out to a low tide sand bar on the ocean side in Jack & Susan's skiff so Dakota, their black lab, could run and play. After we wore Dakota down, we came back to the boat, cleaned up and put some lasagna together for dinner. We then took the skiff out again about 7:00 p.m. to watch sunset while the lasagna was cooking. Another of Todd's bucket list items is to see the green flash, which apparently is a fairly common occurrence in the Keys, but it didn't happen that evening.

An afternoon in the Keys, what a life!



A small Portuguese Man-O-War that washed up on the beach at the sandbar. We saw quite a few of these while we were sailing earlier that day.


Sunset with Jack & Susan and Dakota.



Todd and Jack ran more errands early Friday afternoon while I dealt with our mail and messed around in the kitchen. Susan was tied up most of the day with various appointments and didn't get home until late afternoon. We all went out in the skiff for sunset Friday evening but it was too cloudy and we weren't able to see anything so we headed back to the boat for a quiet evening aboard "Life's2Short."

We borrowed Susan's car on Saturday and drove to Marathon to visit Bob & Stephanie aboard "September Song." I had been carrying a large bag of frozen gumbo, given to us by our good friend Fred at the Demopolis Yacht Basin earlier this year, specifically to share with Bob & Stephanie since they were so impressed by it when we had it with them at Blackbeard Island last fall. Anyway, I needed to free up the freezer space to stock for the Exumas so we decided to deliver the gumbo to them.

When we arrived early Saturday afternoon two other boating couples from a boat named "Gypsies in the Palace" were there and we spent the afternoon in animated conversation about a variety of subjects, not the least of which was the Exumas. Everyone who was there is planning to cross to the Exumas as soon as weather permits, and Bob & Stephanie and the other two couples are just itching to go! They have all been wintering in Marathon essentially since January and are ready for a change of scenery.

Bob & Stephanie on "September Song."


"Gypsies in the Palace," "September Song" & "Life's2Short" talking excitedly about getting underway!


When we returned Susan's car Saturday evening, she sent Todd back to "Life's2Short" with a number of homemade goodies: Co's fresh Tabouli (an Armenian dish), Alina's rum cake and Susan's Jezebel sauce (a secret recipe). What wonderfully generous people!

Sunday was a day of many projects aboard "Life's2Short." The Captain started early cleaning the interior of the sundeck and flybridge vinyl, then he washed the entire boat and dove under the boat to put new zincs on the shafts. While he was busy doing all of that, I managed to get a good portion of the boat's interior cleaned, although there is always more waiting to be done!

Bob & Stephanie decided to move "September Song" to Islamorada on Sunday where Jack & Susan graciously lined up yet another neighbor's dock for them to tie up to. They arrived mid-afternoon and we were all waiting at the dock to catch a line. Apparently the ocean was much rougher than had been forecast so Bob & Stephanie came inside at the Channel 5 bridge in search of calmer water. That evening we all got together for happy hour at Jack & Susan's dock and ordered pizza for dinner.

Happy Hour on "Frejya's" dock.


Today is Monday, March 30th, and Bob & Stephanie just pulled away from the dock, headed for Rodriguez Key. We will also be leaving here within the next few hours to meet up with "September Song" and a couple of other boats that are already anchored there, one being "Gypsies in the Palace." The plan is to leave Rodriguez Key early in the morning to cross the Gulf Stream and get out on the Bahama Bank where we will anchor tomorrow evening.

According to the boats that are already at Rodriguez Key, things are much calmer today than yesterday so hopefully the seas will continue to improve. We will post an update from the Exumas as soon as we are able, but it may be several days before the opportunity presents itself. We are taking a different route this year and I have no idea when we will first have access to the Internet. In the meantime, keep your fingers crossed for calm seas and a safe and pleasant journey for all of us - including Jack & Susan who may be crossing by the end of this week.