August 11, 2009

Harry got up this morning at 3:00, and let me sleep an extra half an hour. At 3:30, we started the engine and I went to the bow with the spot light to guide us out the channel. It was difficult with all of the markers, but we made it out and we were headed to Key West. Once we had the auto pilot keeping us on course, I went back to bed, so I missed the sunrise, but needed the sleep. I got up at about 7:30 and looked out at the glassy water. You guessed it, still no wind and no seas. But although we were unable to do any sailing on this trip, it’s been a magnificent cruise. Today was amazing. I watched the water turn to a beautiful turquoise as we headed further south. I have to say that for me, the most amazing thing is water as far as you can see. No land in sight. It’s majestic, even spiritual, and I feel so at home. I sat on the deck above the cockpit for hours and just stared in amazement. Pictures can’t tell the story, you have to be there to understand, and I guess you have to love the ocean to admire its splendor. And that I do.

We marked our position every hour as we headed south, and we were right on course. The Key West sea buoy came into sight at about 4:00 p.m. Just as it did, the reason we did not want to make this run at night was all around us. The water was littered with lobster traps. Season opened August 6th and we knew they’d be everywhere…and they were. It was like a mine field. We took Gypsy Wind off auto pilot and maneuvered our way around the traps, until we were finally clear. We reached the sea buoy and headed into the channel toward Mallory Square. A cruise ship was leaving the dock so we had to wait for it to turn around before entering the harbor. We hailed the Galleon Marina, got our slip number, and pulled her in with ease (even with a broken throttle cable). We made the decision to stay here at the marina for at least a month, and then we will anchor just outside of Key West Bite. We saw several boats anchored there as we came in and it looks like a good place to be. For now, we’ll take the protection and convenience of the marina, and Harry prefers the air conditioning.

Our friends Dale and Yvonne had been in Key West for a week lobstering and fishing. So, they invited us to dinner at the Conch Republic (known to locals as the Conch Farm) for a lobster feast as a celebratory welcome to Key West dinner. Wow, what a treat. Thanks to Dale and his friends, (they pulled up 38 lobster today) a mound of lobster tails was placed in the middle of the table and we enjoyed a fabulous meal. As we left the Conch Farm and headed back to Gypsy Wind – exhausted after a long day on the water, we smiled and said, “this is our home…for now”.