Key West

On the eve of February 23, we anchored in Key West near Wisteria Island. This area was abuzz with sunset cruises complete with live music. Some of the boats came very close and we felt as though we or at least Queso was part of the entertainment for the guests on board. Our favorite was the Tiki boat that looked like it could sink at any moment.

We had a relaxing evening and prepared for tomorrow’s docking in one of the town’s marina as stormy weather would be arriving.

The next day we relaxed until Gallion Marina was ready us. The boat in our slip was waiting until the last minute to check out because the rain had started. The saloon is cozy in rainstorms on the hook.

The crew was ready for the rain and we docked the well working together. The marina staff had us laughing as they bantered over the radio. They would say things like “go to slip 10. Tell the boat to move. It is checkout time. Oh do you want a hamburger?” Once we were tied up, the sun came out and we took Queso to shore to walk the streets.

Soon it was time to say goodbye to the Wagners and send them home to snowy Steamboat Springs. They were excellent guests going with the flow of changing weather and making plans according to the ocean. Sharing our days and the adventure of our sailing year is important.

The next few days consisted of as much rest for Nate as possible as he was still having flairs and pain from his Shingles. There was lots of walking and I utilized the marina gym for workouts. I made trips to the post office, grocery store and Jo and I even went to the movies to see Paddington in Peru which turned out to be a really fun film. There was lots of cleaning and laundry at the marina. We had new guests arriving in a few days. The architecture and plant life of Key West is beautiful. I even stumbled upon the sweetest lemonade stand near the marina shop because of course we needed boat parts!

There is lots of history in Key West as well.