Travel Tips

Pulled the anchor and motored out of the channel past the defunct fueling piers early. PURPLE FOX has left, and so have their friends. FELICIDAD has left. GEMINI and the trimaran think they will wait another day.

We get to the north side of the fort and have a nice 15-20 knot wind from the SE. So we pull out all the sails and sail.

It is a marvelous sail going north of quicksand shoals. We do 49 nm, and all but the first and last hour are sailing. Bob sets the sails so they are balanced, and the autopilot keeps the helm straight, and we just sit on the high rail sailing at 7-8 knots. Bob sees a sailfish jump out of the water. He also forgets to wear a hat, and his head gets sunburned. The seas between the fort and Rebecca Shoals are about the same, but since we are heading into them, they don't bother us. We do get an occasional wave over the bow but had lots of fun.

We call GEMINI on the radio, and they say they have decided to come today after all as there is a cold front coming through tomorrow. We go north of the Marquesas today, and are doing so well Bob thinks we can make it all the way to Key West. NOT. He eventually sees that if we keep going the direction we are going, we will be anchoring in an area that says on the chart that there is unexploded ordinance there. So we stop and go in next to the north shore of the Marquesas to anchor. We try to check in with Herb the weather guy, but have too much static.

The night is calm, and we get more TV channels than we did in Key West, but very little phone coverage. I call our daughter on the bag phone, but she can hardly hear me.

The next day we go to Oceanside Marina on Stock Island and check in.