We are officially cruising

The last few weeks have been very busy finishing our projects that needed to be done before leaving west Florida. The big project was the new bow roller for the new anchor. The boat yard finished repairing the soft spot on the deck and we cleared out the storage unit and sent the truck to Mike's dad.

We finally left Snead Island on Saturday, December 5th headed for Key West. We had a beautiful overnight downwind sail and arrived Key West Sunday evening just after dark. We anchored off Fletcher Island. Monday morning we fueled up and headed out on our trip to Ft Lauderdale.

Our trip to Marathon was beautiful. A nice downwind sail in beautiful blue-green water. Lots of time to lounge on the bow and watch southbound boats sail by. We all took turns driving to get a feel for the boat. First time I've driven in 20 knots plus. Remarkably easy driving boat. Just before arriving in Marathon harbor the winds picked up and things got a little sporting. We quickly doused the sails and maneuvered our way through the shallows into the marina. Marina stays are such a luxury and will rarely happen on our voyage as they can get really expensive and would quickly blow our budget. It was really nice to have shore power (that means AC!), water to refill our tanks and hot showers.

After a quick night we headed back out, destination Rodriguez Key off Key Largo. A fairly easy 40 mile day. Winds had shifted and we were now headed up wind. Again the boat drives really well. Fairly uneventful day to a quiet anchorage in the lee of a small mangrove island. We woke to 49 degrees. Each of us had 3 layers on trying to stay warm. We didn't think to bring winter clothing.

Next stop was No Name Harbor in Miami. A small, quiet, well protected harbor at Key Biscayne. A beautiful spot to watch the sunset and grab a quick beer at the Boater's Grill.

We have now finally made it to Ft. Lauderdale. We've anchored in Sunrise Bay off the ICW. We were surprised to find out an old yacht club friend is working at the yacht club right next our anchorage. Celia came by for a quick visit last night. We all had a great time catching up and hearing about all her adventures the past few months.

A quick update on Bullet, he's adapting to the boat surprisingly well. He loves dinghy rides and can almost do the stairs on his own. He loves just chilling in the cockpit feeling the wind blowing his ears. He is very much enjoying all the attention he's getting and having the whole family together all the time only a few feet away. I think he's probably the happiest he's ever been.

The kids have also adapted well. Mikey has set up his hammock and is in heaven. He's learned to drive the dinghy and volunteers to take trash out or take the dog for a walk many times a day. Katie, as we all knew would be the case, is in her element on the water. She's driving the boat like a champ. Both kids are enjoying family game nights which have brought lots of laughs.

Tomorrow we head to West Palm for what is hopefully our last big job before we head to the Bahamas. I am so ready for some pretty blue water and sandy beaches. After that? We really haven't decided so stay tuned to find out where the wind takes us.