I feel as though I am starting to settle in now. I have found a nice comfortable bar where I can just “hang out”. Note that we still must were masks. That just adds to the mystery.

And I am taking care of my health by staying hydrated.

I’m joking, of course. Surprisingly, we have not yet made it to Mallory Square for the famous nightly Sundown Ritual, nor have we actually set foot in any of the Duval Street bars. We’ve been enjoying the prettier parts of town during the day and having a glass (bottle) of wine on the boat in the evening. If you are reading this blog, then you know me; and I know you are scoffing in disbelief. But it’s true!

We just got $250 in groceries, water and wine delivered right to the boat. I don’t mind shopping for smaller, lighter items, but having the heavy items delivered is a blessing.

PLUS, the dock master just brought me $300 worth of cigars, sent to me by my friend Larry Brotzge.

AND my Amazon order just arrived (tubing for windshield washers).

AND remember I mentioned laundry service? Here is the mark of a life well-lived:

Can you imagine how good it feels to get EVERYTHING clean again? We did some “catch-up” loads at our family stops on the way down, but this was BOW to STERN. Aaahhhh!

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We’re also making friends with some of the other boaters. Last night, we were invited to have dinner on an adjacent boat, by Steve and Jane, a couple who own a restaurant in Beach Haven NJ. “Home cooked” food. Porterhouse prime steak. Really!

They just sailed back from Panama…hmmm. Maybe that’s next?

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Guinness actually requires more settling-in and more maintenance than I do. I could probably just hang out by the pool and the beach all day. But Guinness isn’t allowed on the resort property per se, so he needs a different regimen: morning and evening walks; visits to the dog park so that he can get exercise by running with other dogs; a beach for swimming. And we are hooking him up with a vet and a groomer.

There is not a lot of grass in Key West, so we are doing a LOT of walking to address his needs. I think we can eventually get into a nice rhythm of walking to the east side of the Key for sunrise, and going to Mallory Square or to the huge park on the west side of the Key for sunset. About a 4-mile round trip each.

All things considered, Guinness may provide some much-needed structure and exercise. Here’s a shot of our little guy – all tuckered out after a morning at Dog Beach. It’s a small beach on the east side of the island, where he does not need to be leashed. When he curls up like this, he’s just 18″ long. So how come at night he takes up half the berth?

The water here in our slip is about 12′ deep, and clear down to about 5′. This morning, a beautiful tarpon materialized in the adjacent slip.which is empty.

He just hovered there, about a foot below the surface. We measured him by pacing along the dock – he was 7′ long. Yikes. Of course the photo doesn’t do him justice. He is longer than I am tall!

The white wiggles lines in the water are reflected boat masts.

We tried to get him to eat bread or kibble, but he wasn’t interested.

There is a boardwalk all around the harbor, which is called the Key West Bight, and you can see tarpon swimming by. But this guy was the biggest I’ve ever seen.

I went fishing for tarpon years ago on a trip to Florida. As they are feeding, they “roll” their backs up – rather like a dolphin does. It lets you realize how big they are. If you hook one, they put up one heck of a fight, leaping completely out of the water. It can take 45 minutes to bring them to the boat. When you bring them aboard, they look almost prehistoric, because their scales are like plates.

If you read my post last night, you know I was feeling pretty sad. My therapists told me that grief comes in waves, and that you have to step into the wave. The waves can be worse at holidays, and worse on the anniversary of a loss.

This is a double whammy! It is almost Christmas, and it’s exactly one year after Cathy’s death.

I posted last night that I was thinking about everything I wished I had done better. After I closed the post, I became sadder and sadder.

I don’t want you to misunderstand me: we had 51 great years together. But I can’t help wishing I had told her every day how much she meant to me.

I don’t pray very often, but I prayed to God and to Cathy for forgiveness. To have the weight lifted off my shoulders.

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We woke up this morning to a rainbow.

The first complete arc I have seen in years. This pano photo captured the whole arc, but it really fails to capture the beauty of the colors. They were intense.

Sorry to be mushy, but I am taking this as a response to last night’s post. It’s a sign of love and forgiveness, isn’t it? And could it be any more clear?

Today is the anniversary of Cathy’s death. I tried to get Alexa to play my special “Cathy” playlist, but Alexa “couldn’t find it”. Probably just as well; it’s pretty sentimental.

I’m grateful for what we had, and I wish she were here.

I’ve received a number of very nice notes of condolence from family, friends and Lafayette classmates. Greatly appreciated.

Guinness and I had a nice day today – walking and swimming. And we cleaned the boat thoroughly. Nice to do after the long trip.

We now have four huge mega-yachts in this tiny harbor. I’ll send some photos tomorrow.

It is a lovely evening- warm with a temperate breeze. See the videos below:

I just played the first video to test it, and Guiness jumped up and barked in return. Good times.

Sorry we haven’t posted in a while, but we have been busy orienting ourselves. Or trying to.

We are docked at the Galleon Resort, very close to the center of town. The amenities are wonderful: Fresh water pool; hot tub; salt water beach; Tiki Bar; waterfront restaurant; and even same-day laundry service! YOWZA! The marina is very dog-friendly, but the resort is not. As a consequence, I have had to learn to create a little “me time”, leaving Guinness on the boat so that I can enjoy the pool.

The weather is perfect: warm and sunny with a constant breeze.

On Day One, we decided to take the “World Famous” Conch Train Ride to get the lay of the land. It was – without question – the most confusing orientation I’ve ever experienced, bar none. You are submersed in a tidal wave of corny jokes and worthless trivia and factoids, and the route crosses itself over and over, so that at the end of the ride, you can be pretty sure you’ve seen everything, but you have no idea how to find it again! 🙂

The area right around our marina surprised me in a very positive way…it’s authentically nautical, with three antique schooners and a LOT of pleasure boats, along with all the commercial and tourist craft you’d expect. Here’s a view of one from our slip. Nice view, huh?

And the town really is CUTE!

Pretty bungalows with lots of gingerbread trim.

And more substantial homes, as well, that remind me of Nantucket.

I think one of the oddest things about Key west is the indigenous chicken population. I’m sure there’s some interesting story behind them, and I’m sure Bob – my Conch Train Engineer – told me all about it…probably a shipwreck or Conquistadors or Aliens, or something. But anyway, these chickens are ALL through the city. On every corner, in any piece of shrubbery. Naturally, this created quite an opportunity for Guinness. He entertained everyone chasing the chickens. It was literally an EXPLOSION of squawking and flapping. But the laughter died when he actually caught one. Came trotting back to me with a dead chicken in his mouth.

Turns out they are PROTECTED.

What? They are like feral cats.

Oh well, we beat it before we got arrested. Since half the town already knows Guinness by name, I’m thinking of having him dyed a different color for anonymity.

Today he found a new sport. I took this photo just before he leapt off the dock into 30′ of water to chase a marine iguana. I’m sure I’ll find out they are protected, as well. Needless to say, poor Guinness is now experiencing a lot more time on the leash than he is used to.

Well, we’ll say good-bye for now from MILE ZERO on US Route 1. Loving it so far!

We made it!

1,250 miles. Plus the time on the Chesapeake. Say 1,400 miles!

35 days.

Here is a photo of aa exhausted but happy captain. Nothing that can’t be cured by a shave, a haircut, and a few days on land.

More to follow. We are off to explore.

We recovered from our horrible gloomy mood.

As usual. Apparently a perennial optimist.

Lunch was good. My first Lionfish sandwich. Venomous but not poisonous. How does that make sense?

Ah, well, by eating one I am helping to purge the reef of intruders. Actually, the food was excellent!

Feeling much better. But I did have two more Hurricanes. That helps. That’s 4 for the day. I once had 6 in New Orleans, and I couldn’t fid my way home.

The late afternoon went better. We met a very nice couple with a nice dog. Billie and Sharon. Had drinks and watched the sunset. Spectacular. (didn’t have my camera.) They claim they saw the Green Flash. I dispute it.

Still, quite tired. And drunk. Microwave lasagna tonight. No energy to go to the restaurant.

And now tomorrow – I have built the route – finally – for Key West.

Short trip tomorrow – maybe 3 hours to the conclusion of this amazing trip.

Fingers crossed.

Well, it’s 12:05 and I am on my second Hurricane. That should tell you what kind of a day it’s been.

It began with a decision: catch the tide or wait for the wind to lie down? We elected to leave on the tide, since there had been some VERY skinny water getting into Key Largo.

The price we paid was a choppy ride, which is fine. Nothing compared to when we first bought the boat up in Buzzard’s Bay or Nantucket Sound.

Just a 4-hour trip from Largo to Marathon, but the last two hours were riddled with lobster pots. Hundreds of them. Thousands? If I saw hundreds, there were probably thousands. The buoys are not big – about the size of a cantaloupe. Some are red or yellow or white or even black! The black ones are VERY hard to see! The problem is that if you snag one, it can wrap around your prop. I did not relish the thought of diving overboard to clear the line from the prop.

And in choppy seas, they are all VERY hard to see. So TWO HOURS of constant evasive steering. EXHAUSTING!

And – candidly – I am already cumulatively tired.

When we finally reached Marathon, they assigned me a 12′ slip for my 12′-wide boat. Because of the angle, I didn’t realize how tight it was. And I trusted my stern thruster to overcome the 12 knot wind from the west. I consider myself very good at approaching a dock “softly”. Not as good as my brother Tom, perhaps, but then no one is that good. But pretty good. Any way, I banged a piling with my swim platform. I don’t see any damage, but it really pissed me off.

Between the lobster buoys and the bumpy landing, I headed straight for the Tiki Bar.

Do not expect any further communication from me today. Ha ha!

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.

I’m not crazy about Bahia Mar. Very expensive, and not much here in terms of amenities. Not even a decent restaurant onsite.

Brian and Lexi and I enjoyed a very nice evening, however: we ordered lobster rolls and fish tacos from an excellent restaurant, and we ate on board. Very nice. Very special.

Lexi asked me what my favorite part of the trip has been, and it made me realize that it has been the chance to connect with my family.

Anyway, today was very busy, and somewhat frustrating. Lots of running around (Uber) and re-provisioning before the final section of the trip. The chart plotter is still not fixed, but I expect the part I need to be delivered around 4PM.

In the meantime, I have created a route from here to Key Largo. I took an Uber to West Marine and bought a thumb drive to update the chartplotter, so all is well.

Key Largo coming up! Humphrey Bogart/ Lauren Bacall anyone?

Rather than going through Biscayne Bay (the Inside Route), we’ll be taking the Outside Route (called Hawk’s Passage). I’m a little apprehensive, because it’s open ocean, and once you commit, it’s difficult to change your mind.

Still, I can’t wait…we’re going out the Palm Beach (Fort Worth) Inlet, sweep completely past Miami, and run down the keys to Key Largo. We’ll be just a mile or less offshore, running between the Keys on our right and the reefs on our left.

Then Marathon Key. Then Key west. So close.

Gotta run. Time to try and fix the chart plotter.