Florida

January 27 - March 2, 2016

I met Randy in Fort Lauderdale and we were happy to have a chance to visit with our friends, Mark and Pixie Mothena, which is always a favorite stop when we are in Florida.

On February 8th the wait started for leaving Florida to cross the Gulfstream to Bimini. We knew it might be awhile but didn't expect it to be quite so long!  We spent a few days in Coconut Grove and then moved to No Name Harbour at Bill Baggs State Park in Key Biscayne. It was a beautiful protected harbor and we met quite a few other boaters. 

We stayed at Key Biscayne much longer than planned because of the wind offshore. No Name Harbor was great although a bit isolated. We used Uber several times and then met Tim and Miriam King who live in Raleigh and own Village Deli and Grill.  We enjoyed spending time with them including drinks at the Ritz Carlton one night and they were so generous to loan us their car for many of our errands. The best part is, unlike many people that you meet while cruising, we will be able to spend time together when we're at home as they have a vacation home in Beaufort.

We were having some good times but getting a little impatient with the long wait. I  was lucky that Debbie Phillips was in Key West and invited me to visit her for a few days. It was a welcome break and I had a great time with Debbie who knows Key West like a local!  We even were able to enjoy the sunset with friends from home, Lynne and Scooter Brown.

Randy, of course, met everyone for miles around and was known as the mayor of No Name Harbour!  We have several very detailed and reliable weather services that we subscribe to and were so glad when the reports were for light winds and very smooth seas to cross to Bimini. I don't know if the pictures can accurately show how beautiful the ocean really was.  The long wait was worth it and we had a perfect day leaving Florida on March 2nd!