The sail to Marco was very pleasant, light winds so we had to motor sail most of it, but Vince seemed to enjoy it and we grabbed a good spot to anchor in Factory Bay. Diana drove down to Marco to rescue Vince and we all had a wonderful dinner at Speakeasy. We stayed and extra day in Marco to wait out a cold front. It also gave us an opportunity to visit again with Raymond and Joan for a delightful Valentines lunch and their first ever ride in a dinghy to come out to the boat.
We left Marco about 4:30 in the afternoon for an overnight to Key West on the 16th. The winds were still brisk and the seas higher than all the forecasts, but we felt getting out far enough to avoid the crab pots would be best and turning south with the wind on our stern would be a smoother ride. The projections were for the winds to die down overnight, it worked, perhaps too well, as the winds shifted and died to almost nothing. We sailed through the night to avoid crab pot collisions and didn't turn on the engine until daylight, for the last 25 miles. We arrived later than expected, both very tired and immediately went into a slip and took a nap!
Key West, wow....both of us have been here before, but it was a long time ago, and nothing like what we found. People and boats everywhere ! There is one cruise ship in port and two fast ferries arriving daily, Duval Street is wall to wall people with shops, bars and restaurants all crowded and teeming with vacationers. The dinghy dock is the largest we have ever seen, packed with tenders from the hundreds of boats anchored and on moorings outside. As you walk down the street, any street, the sounds from bands waft through your ears, one fading and one starting almost continuously. The sunset celebration at Mallory Square is one on the highlights of Key West, so we walked over to find the square packed with people, vendors, street performers and musicians. It was really exciting, seeing all the people on the square and all the boats sailing by just outside in the bay. Dinner at Rafferty's and a quick visit to Sloppy Joe's before walking back to the marina to collapse for the night.
Tomorrow will be spent getting all our permits and paperwork ready, clean the boat and check everything for the overnight passage to Havana on Sunday afternoon. We should arrive Marina Hemingway before noon on Monday and the start of our 14 day adventure in Cuba !