Key Largo

We left later than usual this morning – on purpose. They wind prediction app we use (Windy.com) indicated that the winds would diminish as the day went on, and that’s what happened. We started out at 9AM under Small Craft Warning, and ended up with a very pleasant ride. In addition, since the wind was out of the north, it put Hawk Channel in the lee of the keys all the way down. Good planning and good luck!

I used the extra time this morning to clean the water strainers, add some coolant, and add some oil. The engine ran 3 degrees cooler. Nice.

By the time we got to Key Largo, the seas were fairly smooth, and the water color had changed dramatically. It’s now an aqua blue, and very clear.

The chart plotter is still not working as it should. I bought a new ScanDisc card, but the chart plotter is not recognizing it. So I downloaded a marine chart app (AquaMap), and I am using that on my phone for when I need detailed visuals. (Thanks, Art, for the suggestion.)

I can, however, use the chart plotter for creating a route and covering long distances. Here’s the way it looked today:

It’s a split screen, showing the route on the left. The red line is the route I created, and you can see the cursor following the route. The view is set for 24 miles. It looks like we are headed north, but this is called a Heads-Up presentation. It’s the way the captain actually sees the path ahead. It’s the same thing the GPS in your car does. I am looking ahead, with the Keys on my starboard side, and this view mimics that. It’s a lot less confusing.

The screen on the right is called the Cross-Track Error, or XTE. It ensures that the autopilot is pointing exactly at the next waypoint. As each waypoint is reached, the next one becomes the target. As you can see, I am 1.48 miles from the next waypoint.

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So, here we are – safe and dry in Key Largo, and I love this place. To get into this marina, you have to travel a mile-long canal that is barely two boats wide. And not very deep in spots..

But I love it now that we’re here. It has a laid-back style, but the docks are first-class, there are three restaurants nearby, and they have me docked between a 55′ Prestige and a 65′ Cranchi. Of course, they can’t compare with the 250′ mega-yachts at Bahia Mar, but they’re not too shabby!

Just finished washing the boat. I have to wash it every day; it gets absolutely coated with salt.

But now I gotta go. The sun is getting low in the sky, and this blogging is cutting into my drinking time.

Adios from me and Guinness.