By the time we return to the Chesapeake, we will have spent nearly 5 months living in a 260-sq-ft floating home. Freedom is 32′ long with a 12′ beam. Subtract the side decks from the beam, and the interior width is about 10′. She carries that 10′ width from the stern forward about 20′ So figure that’s 10 x 20 = 200 sq feet. The next 12′ of length narrows down to a point at the bow, so figure it’s effectively 12′ x 5′ wide on average. So another 60 sq. ft, for a total of 260 square feet. Don’t forget, you can get a look at a Legacy 32 online. www.legacy–yachts.com/models/legacy-32

I am amazed at how comfortable it is:

• The cabin – down 4 steps from the helm – is all natural cherry, with excellent joinery. Cabin sole is classic teak-and-holly.
  • Centerline queen berth in the bow, with a comfortable hybrid latex/memory foam mattress, hanging locker for jackets, and plenty of storage for clothes.
  • Galley with microwave, induction cooktop, electric freezer, refrigerator, coffee maker, and plenty of storage for food and supplies.
  • A roomy head with separate shower compartment, and a great showerhead that delivers gallons of hot water.
• Up at the helm (or cockpit), a completely enclosed helm station with a huge windshield and 360-degree visibility for docking
  • Windshield wipers with washers: essential for salt spray
  • Opening windshield and side windows; overhead hatches for additional ventilation
  • Chartplotter, radar, depth sounder, speedometer, and VHF radio.
  • Plus a separate screen for engine diagnostics
  • Bow and stern thrusters operated by joysticks
  • Adjustable pilot and navigator seats covered in cream ultra-leather
• In the salon, aft of the helm, are two facing lounges that convert to berths if desired. Also ultra-leather
• Helm and salon floor is natural teak
• Cabin, cockpit and salon are heated / air conditioned
• A comfortable after deck with two chairs
• Tables for salon and after deck
• Wide side decks and foredeck with chrome guardrails for safety
• Teak swim platform with swim ladder
• Inflatable dinghy with electric outboard (no messy gasoline or oil)
• It’s a strong boat:
  • 16,000 pounds displacement
  • A powerful 5.9 liter Cummins diesel with turbo
  • Keel with skeg to protect prop and rudder
  • 50-amp shore power with inverter for 120-volt power
  • 12-volt power from the generator
• Plenty of storage below decks. We have everything stored in clear plastic waterproof bins that are labeled. Since I am single-handling, I cannot be fumbling around looking for dock lines or anything else I might need.

Which brings us back to the fact that she is mighty, but she is still small. EVERYTHING has to be kept in its place: binoculars, sunglasses, reading glasses, phone, even cigars and lighters. Misplaced items are a nuisance when you’re docked, and dangerous underway. Boy, I wish I would actually practice what I preach!

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Sorry if this ended up reading like a sales brochure. I simply mean it to be a testament to how much comfort and utility we are enjoying in less than 300 square feet of space.

Sorry we were off the air for a few days…we went back to Captiva for a couple of days. I just love the beach there!~

We crashed at Connie’s place, and we had a great time on the beach and at several fun restaurants.

My favorite was the Mucky Duck…

It’s right on the beach in Captiva…you sit in rocking chairs and watch the surf as you eat and drink. Check out their Beach-Cam on their website, and you’ll get an idea of the view! Copy this address and load it into your browser: http://theduck.axiscam.net:8000/axis-cgi/mjpg/video.cgi?resolution=800×450&dummy=1613074492905.

Anyway, we’re back in Key West, and I cannot believe we have just 11 days left before we leave.

I’ve already started a “punch list” of everything we have to get done before we leave:

• haircut
• vet visit
• bank to stock up on quarters and $5 bills
• install new refrigerator
• re-provision
• finalize route
• make marina reservations
• etc., etc., etc.

I’ve enjoyed my time in Florida, and I am now looking forward to getting home.

Isn’t this a cute shot?

Guinness met Annie and Martha on our walk this morning. He is just a big Love Puppy!

All kidding aside, this is one of the nicest things about traveling with a friendly dog like Guinness…we meet the nicest people!

This evening, I am heading back to Captiva for the weekend. But I’m not taking Freedom.

Instead, I’ll be a passenger on the Key West Express, a 170-foot-long jet-powered catamaran. At 34 feet, her beam is wider than my boat is long!

This boat completes the trip in half the time it would take me on Freedom, and it only costs $75 each way. (Plus $25 for Guinness) My fuel alone would be $100 each way, and the marina cost would add another $200. So it is too easy to “take the bus (and leave the driving to us.)”

The Express will drop me at Ft. Myers, where Connie will pick us up. We leave at 6PM; should be in Ft. Myers by 9:30. I’ve packed three new books for the trip, and I think it will be a fun experience. I hope Guinness thinks so, too; he will be wearing his Service Animal vest, but he still has to be in a crate while we’re underway.

Key West is oriented east to west (DUH). Our marina, and most of the places we’ve visited, are on the north shore.

Today, we Uber’d over to the south shore. About a 15 minute ride. Pathetic, I know, but I figured we’d ride over and walk back…and it is HOT today. About 80 degrees and humid.

Anyway, it was a home run: beautiful beaches where Guinness could swim and run off leash, plus a great lunch at Louie’s Backyard, a KW institution. We ate on the outside deck. Looking south, nothing between us and Cuba.

Grilled octopus, gorgonzola profiteroles, and a bottle of Provencale Rose’.

We stopped on the way home to say a prayer for Cathy at St Mary Star of the Sea.

Decadence and devotion. Kind of bi-polar, I admit. Kind of perfect.

Last night, we hosted a sunset cruise for all the folks who have been so kind to us in Key West: dog park friends, party friends, boating friends.

Left at 4:30; back at 6:30. Lots of food and wine (but no wine for the captain).

A beautiful night.

Not the Super Bowl game I expected, but what a shocker! TB just shut KC down!

Of course, it was fun to watch Brady, Gronk, and AB execute those familiar Boston plays, but wasn’t the TB defense astounding?  I saw a stat that said Mahomes was pressured on 52% of his dropbacks: a Super Bowl record.  

OK – the KC offensive line sucked.  But TB OWNED them, RIGHT?

I was fortunate to be invited to a SB party at Kiera and John’s house.  Steve and Jane (my Beach Haven friends) were there; also my friend Barbara, whom you met earlier; and a couple I met for the first time: John and Candy.  Her salad was awesome!  

Outdoor entertaining at its best…comfortable, covered seating on a huge patio with built-in TV, bar, etc.  Enough food for an army: Yellowtail snapper, steak, chicken, salad, multiple dips, snacks, and lots of bevs.  Everything done perfectly.  These folks are all so generous.  And so kind.

I had to leave Guinness behind; he spent the night on a neighboring boat with another Doodle named Murphy.  All went well from what I’m told.

Anyway, not as much fun as Philly/Boston, but I enjoyed it.  “The Weekend”?  Not so much.  Everyone likes his music, I guess, but he’s not much of an entertainer, is he?  I have to say that I find his music AND his performance rather ordinary.

DISCUSS…

We had a quick look at several Florida West Coast towns last month.  Certainly not exhaustive by any means: we never made it to Tampa / St. Pete, or Anna Maria Island, or Longboat Key.  Nor did we see Ft. Myers Beach. But of the towns we saw, albeit briefly, I believe Venice and Key West have a lot to praise.

Sarasota is certainly affluent, and it enjoys a great deal of support for the arts.  The plus, of course, is that it has museums and theater and music venues.  It can seem a bit like a big city, but within it are many small neighborhoods within walking distance of the water.  Very livable.

Naples struck me as flashy, with some great restaurants; it’s busy like Sarasota. 

Captiva has the most beautiful beaches, but there aren’t many restaurants or any other type of entertainment venues.  This is probably unfair, because I am essentially comparing a single resort (South Sea Island Resort) to cities.  Still, where would I buy?

Marco Island has beaches, but dogs aren’t allowed! And t is essentially a planned real estate development.

Venice is smaller than Sarasota or Naples, but it has a cute downtown, restaurants, and beaches (including a great dog beach).

And of course, Key West.  The magic here is the blend of authenticity and artifice.  This island town was not created by a developer; it grew organically.  Through multiple cycles of boom and bust: pirates, wreckers, spongers, shrimpers, the Navy, the Railroad, and finally, US1.

The indigenous architecture is charming (although some of it was built more recently in the authentic style.)  

There are authentic schooners in the harbor.  Sure, they are there to carry tourists on sunset cruises, but it’s the tourist trade that keeps these beautiful old ships afloat.

There’s a pleasant rhythm to the day; the schooners and party catamarans leave at the same times every day, with the same running commentary: “Hey! How’s everybody doing on the Party Cat today?”

Each afternoon, when the fishing boats come in, the crews clean the catch at the docks, and the pelicans and a group of 4-1/2 foot tarpon gather around to be fed.

It’s amazing that 4-to-5-foot tarpon are commonplace. And we saw that manatee again, and we measured him from the dock. He is not 6-feet, he is 9-feet long. Big animal.

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Of course there’s also a lot of silliness. Like this boat.

Let’s just say that Key west has a unique identity, and that’s not true of most towns in the US.

But no matter which West Coast town you choose, they ALL have those wonderful SUNSETS!

I’m sure many of my readers have thoughts to add to this opinion piece.  I just thought I’d pass my thoughts along for what they’re worth

We had a very nice day yesterday:

First, we got a good close-up look at a manatee:

This one was about 6 feet long.

Then we went to a waterfront Farmer’s Market that is managed by Sean, a friend from the dog park. The usual stuff: jewelry, island apparel, curios, art and food. A nice diversion.

Then cocktails and wings on Sunset Pier:

• 

Today, we had to run some errands, and my friend Patricia (also a dog park friend) was kind enough to run us over to a boat supply shop and the pet food store. She is a long-time KW resident, and she gave us a tour of the entire island – much more than we have been able to see on foot – complete with a running narrative!

The weather has returned to normal: sunny with a light breeze. Very nice. Another day in paradise.

Things are gradually returning to normal in Key West: the wind is slackening and the temperature is slowly rising.

How have you all fared?

My friends from Beach Haven suffered water damage/flooding in both their restaurants, and they had to fly home to deal with it!

I finally got a haircut today – first one in 3 months. I looked like Albert Einstein on a bad hair day. Much better now.

BTW, you may recall that I was concerned about all the boats out in the Key West anchorage – it’s pretty much just a big area of open water, and they were totally exposed to the 35-mile-per-hour north winds during the gale Monday and Monday night…I talked to a marine tech down here who had his radio on Monday night, and he heard a number of distress calls to the Coast Guard and TowBoatsUS. Dragging anchors, crossed anchor lines, etc. I am so glad we were safe in our slip behind the rock jetty.

We are getting some routine maintenance done (changing the oil and the oil filter) and hoping to get the refrigerator repaired. That’s an interesting tale of self-inflicted pain…It is a drawer refrigerator, and it has a plastic pin that locks the drawer closed during heavy seas. Unfortunately, the pin was broken when I bought the boat, and I never bothered to replace it. As a consequence, the drawer opened on one of our crossings, and ice formed on the cooling plate. In my haste to break the ice away, I used an ice pick and punctured the plate, which I learned is almost paper-thin, and the freon escaped. Stupid. All I had to do was turn the unit off and let the ice melt. The unit is built in Italy by Verifrigo, so it is questionable whether I’ll be able to get the new part within the next three weeks.

Oh well, that’s the least of my problems…the freezer still works. And the drawer now has a nice new stainless steel pin.

“For want of a nail, the shoe was lost. For want of a shoe the horse was lost. Etc.”

I’ll let you know what transpires.