(Photo: The Gang in No Name Harbor)

Sorry for the long gap between blogs: am currently in a cafe in Key Biscayne hoping I have enough battery power left to get this updated. We finally escaped Fort Lauderdale after several days of provisioning, laundry, and purchasing yet more equipment for boat repairs/upgrades. The bank account is taking a pounding, but this is sailing, right?

We are now in Key Biscayne at No Name Harbour, a delightful haven which will be our staging point for the crossing to the Bahamas. We are thankfully done with the ICW and its bridges and narrow channels, shifting shoals, and arrogant power boaters who seem to take delight in trying to roll sailboats through 60 degrees. Some days I wish I had a brass 9-pound gun on the bow....

We had a great passage from Fort Lauderdale to Miami Cut...20 miles down along the coast. The north wind blowing against the Gulf Stream built up some steep waves which we had fun surfing down, but we moved in closer to shore where the current (and waves were not as strong, and we made better speed. We had relatives from Halifax aboard for three days (John, Ryan and Michael) and it was great to share the trip with them.

It looks as though we will have our weather window on Friday. The winds are starting to clock from NE to E, and will be W and SW on Friday/Saturday, and we are good to go! The harbour is starting to fill up, and we are expecting several more Canadian boats to join us today from Fort Lauderdale, who will cross with us, and we shall all be happy to sink Florida below the horizon astern of us. I could write a long passage about the ostentatious display (and waste) of money down here, but will have to save it for later.

Yesterday we overhauled the head, specifically hauling out and replacing the tubing from the head to the holding tank and the tank to the discharge pump. NOT the kind of head space I like to be in.....ech. Anyway, the job is done, and we seem to have eliminated a rather distatsteful and odorific leak that had developed in one of the old tubes. We rewarded ourselves with a couple of cold beer, and we enjoyed a huge dinner with John, Ryan and Mike, their last dinner onboard before they continue with their vacation to points beyond...we took the opportunity of sending our Christmas presents and cards home with them to take to friends and family...they will be a liitle late, but it's the thought that counts, right?

Anyway, time to sign off for now, and our next entry will hopefull be Saturday from the Bahamas!!