We arrived to Key West just in time for Valentines, which we celebrated with a romantic dinner at Raw Bar. We spent the first few nights at the Galleon Marina which was very nice with full amenities including pool, laundry, beach, tiki bar and the occasional steel drum band.

We arrived on a Monday, hoping to leave the following weekend, which didn't quite pan out. That Thursday, Chris and Dan drove back up to the Miami boat show to buy a new navigation display for the helm. As our luck goes, shipping was delayed and it would be another 10 days before it arrived. Knowing we had some time to kill, we decided to go to the Dry Tortugas, rather than doing that on the way out. It was a day sail (or actually motor) out there and we had a great couple days there exploring Fort Jefferson and relaxing. We had good winds on the way back, making for a good sail, however, Chris noticed a problem with the hydraulic backstay, which would keep us in KW even longer.

We got back and decided to anchor, but once the backstay was removed to be rebuilt, the wind and current were too much for the rig to handle, so we moved back into a slip, this time at the Key West Bight Marina??"a little grittier, but still nice and convenient. Being on dock we were able to get a lot of work done on the boat, as well as a lot of exploration of the island. It's a 8.5 mile circumference, making for a great run. We did the tourist stuff (Southernmost Point, Hemmingway House) and experienced a bit of Key West nightlife, although the allure of non-stop Spring Break has definitely worn off. We found our favorite restaurants (Raw Bar, Monty's, Old Town Mexican) and have logged more hours in the internet caf� than can be counted.

So here we are, almost three weeks after our arrival. The joke has been that until one of us returns with the book "How to Quit Your Job and Move to Key West", we're hopeful that we'll be setting sail for Panama in the next few days. We've managed to get a lot of work and improvements done on the boat, so despite the minor setback in terms of schedule, it's been a great stop. Depending on weather, we still plan to head to Puerto Moreles, Mexico and then down to Panama. We need to get through the Canal by no later than the end of March, so again, the weather will dictate our route. The winds and sea are showing favorable conditions, so we're keeping our fingers crossed for a smooth passage!!