On the Move

Weather: Windy (15 – 20 knots) on the morning diminishing to 10 – 15 knots by noon then 10 knots by late afternoon; bright sunshine all day; temp range 65 to 75 degrees

Comment: It is 0700 hours and we are up and ready to go! After a hot cup of joe and cereal for breakfast, we fired up the generator to charge the batteries. We rescheduled our regular pumpout day from tomorrow to today since we will be leaving the harbor for a few days.

We waited and waited for the pumpout boat which finally arrived at 1200 hours. The captain reported that he pumped out 14 gallons. We reminded him not to come to our mooring ball (L10) tomorrow and told him we’d be back in a few days.

We slipped our lines and motored out of the harbor. Ed took the helm once we cleared the harbor and steered us into Moser Channel, through the Seven Mile Bridge, and east in Florida Bay. I took the helm when we sighted our destination and negotiated a relatively blind entrance to the harbor. To starboard, there were the remains of an old jetty. I noticed the tops of several rocks. They had apparently fallen from the jetty and were on the fringe of our approach. To port, there were three little islands with shoals around each. The harbor entrance was not marked, so we relied on our eyes and the chartplotter to pick our way through.

We made it without any problems and docked as nice as you please in the travel lift slip.

Marje took a cab to the airport where she rented the car she and Ed will use to drive back to Nettles Island. Ed and I off loaded their gear. When Marje returned, we loaded up the car.

After all was ready, we went to the Keys Fishery for the appetizer specials. We enjoyed drinks and $2.50 appetizers on the “Upper Deck.” We then went to the Island Fishery for dinner. Once again, we were not disappointed. Ed and I enjoyed the Clams in White Sauce over Linguini. I’ve eaten that dish at several excellent restaurants and have never had so many clams.

After dinner, we drove over to the Dockside Bar and Grill to hear the Eric Stone Band. Eric was there with his usual karaoke equipment and his new guitar player, Kyle, a most excellent guitarist. Eric was in fine voice and we enjoyed two sets before leaving to get back to “Sunshine.” The evening turned chilly so once aboard, it was cappuccino and/or hot chocolate all around.

This is to be Ed’s and Marje’s last night on board before heading back to Nettles Island and the Road Trek Motorhome. We certainly have enjoyed their company!