Key West 2025

  The trip from Ft. Pierce to Eau Gallie takes around 6.5 hours so we didn’t need a pre-dawn departure. Instead we walked the Farmers Market and then walked the docks looking at fish. I was taking a photo of a SCHOOL of Sheepshead fish when a pigeon photo bombed the shot. We stayed in the ICW and rocked and rolled as boat after boat passed us on both sides. That’s a weekend for you.  Debbie drove most of the day because Cat and I were chicken. We let her catch a short nap before propping her up behind the wheel again. We rolled into the Eau Gallie Yacht Basin around 3:00. The owner helped us tie the boat. Then we wasted no time hitting the pavement to our final brewery. The Intracoastal Brewery is a short walk from the marina. They have a delicious new hazy beer called “ Let It Rain.” It was pretty potent so we only had two each. And since we were out of cheese and butter for our baked potatoes, Cat ordered a pretzel appetizer and we brought the beer cheese back to the boat fo...

 For the first time in days it was calm enough to run offshore from Palm Beach to Ft. Pierce. Since the Gulf Stream is in close, we figured we could do a little fishing en route.  We passed this freighter carrying yachts. More than a dozen other fishing boats dotted the horizon. Our first fish in the boat was a Bonita. They are inedible but they pull hard and make good bait. Our second fish was also a Bonita. And the third. And the fourth. Cat caught the first three until finally Debbie stepped up to take the last one. We did have a knockdown from a sailfish. He played behind the boat with the baits but we didn’t manage to hook him up. Wasn’t an amazing day for producing fish but it was more fun than riding up the river. We got to our slip at the city marina around 3:30, cleaned everything up and walked a block up the street to the Sailfish Brewery. Our neighbors just happened to be arriving back from the Bahamas in their boat so they met us there for drinks and dinner. Back a...

  Traffic jam waiting for the bridge to open. Over dinner Wednesday night we discussed the next leg of our trip to West Palm Beach. We all agreed we could sleep in before tackling the six bridges and south Florida boat traffic. Debbie suggested departing at  7:30. I was thinking more like 8:00. So we departed promptly at 7:30! Actually, it wasn’t a problem since I had been awake since 6:20. That is when Debbie decided to wash the boat off directly above my head! The cats had a fabulous morning. Peanut was in the flybridge when some birds took exception to having cats in the marina. They chirped and dive bombed us until Debbie shooed them away before they crapped purple shit all over the boat. The cats were fascinated. We arrived at Palm Harbor Marina in Palm Beach at 2PM. Cat awarded Gaffer and Peanut with a treat before we Ubered to the Civil Society brewery! We had a blast sampling their latest brews and we carried a few back to the boat before walking to Elizabette for dinn...

  The alarm sounded at 5 AM. Debbie fed the cats and I slept in for a half hour. At 6 we had enough light to get underway. We sliced through the water and enjoyed the protection the bay afforded in 17 knot east winds. Dolphin played in our wake as we turned toward Miami. Cat made a fabulous breakfast in exchange for getting to sleep in. We all took turns showering while we crossed Biscayne Bay. We arrived in Ft. Lauderdale almost 11 hours later. It was a long day but there are few options of places to stay between Miami and Ft. Lauderdale. We rewarded ourselves by grilling burgers and swilling beers in the flybridge. Gaffer took advantage of that relaxing time to explore the center console boat next to us. We are all in time out now. On to West Palm tomorrow!

 When Debbie suggested a 7 AM departure, the crew staged a mutiny. Instead we enjoyed a relaxing morning and a 7:45 AM departure! Even Cat had to drive! This leg of our journey was just under 50 miles to Islamorada. At 18 knots sustained, the wind was every bit as fierce as yesterday so we went on the bayside for which the cats were relieved. Even on the bay we encountered 2-3 foot waves. We planned to have a fabulous lobster roll dinner so we decided a late breakfast would satisfy lunch as well. Cat whipped up eggs sandwiches while we were under way. Deb drove mostly with periodic breaks thanks to Cat and me. We arrived at Plantation Yacht Harbor at 12:30 PM.   Islamorada has two breweries we love. We started at the Florida Keys Brewing Company and then moved on to the Islamorada Brewing Company. The marina suggested the free shuttle so we got to travel everywhere for just tips!  We took it easy on the beers because we still needed to make lobster rolls for dinner. We ha...

  It was deceptively calm in the marina as we pulled out of our slip at 8:23 AM, heading to Marathon. Debbie has been watching the weather and the wind was as calm as it was going to get for several days. At 15 knots, it was doable but it wouldn’t be fun.  Cat did her workout, I had a shower and Debbie did everything else. The wind was out of the southeast so at least we could quarter the seas which is actually something catamarans do well. But the waves were steep and close together so Cattitude bucked and rolled like a deranged rocking horse.  We thought we had secured the cabin but stuff went flying in short order. Deb took green water on starboard that sprayed in the flybridge and seeped in the windshield inside. So she slowed it down and we bobbed along in the Atlantic for four hours until we could cross to the bayside. Cat and I took turns hanging out with Gaffer. We can make it under that. Right? The difference was immediate. The seas calmed, the cats came out and ...