East Southeast winds 15-22 knots. 3' seas off the starboard bow. Sylestial Star heeled 20 degrees to port under double reefed main and jib. A lumpy but fast ride at 6.8 to 7.4 mph from Marathon to Rodriguez Key, 55.4 statute miles.

This is the first leg of our return cruise north from the Florida Keys. We enjoyed our 13 days in Marathon in the heart of the keys. Last night we topped things off with a St. Party's Day party under the tiki tent dockside at Marathon Marina. Lots of boaters participated in the pot luck affair and we said goodbye to new friends, some of whom we will see again on the Chesapeake.

The solution to a recalcitrant dinghy outboard motor? Clement the mechanic. For a variety of reasons our outboard has been difficult to start. So Clement
and yours truly removed it and lay it dockside where we took apart and cleaned the carburetor. The consequence of which was a long dinghy ride tour by Sylvia and I through the Marathon Harbor, the largest in the Keys including 225 moorings and many anchored boats. We said hello to Franz and Nikki, our former traveling companions on Skybird III.

The night before we celebrated Gary and Kathy's 45th wedding anniversary at a sunset dinner in Lazydays, closing the evening with live entertainment at Salty's Club. Gary's visiting sister Jill and brother-in-law Pat joined us.

And so we are headed back to the Chesapeake, some 1,400 statute miles away. Gary and Kathy are anchored nearby on Gatsby and are heading north with us. We will be making certain planned stops along the way but otherwise have no set itinerary except arrival on the Bay by mid May. Today's long run on Hawk Channel was a good start.