Margaritaville

The holidays passed quickly with the k'dults aboard. After greeting them in Miami, and completing our crime scene investigation, we headed south toward Marathon. There we settled in the mooring field, taking the dink ashore for a trip to the grocery and later for Christmas Eve Dinner at the Butterfly Cafe.

The Marathon Mooring field can hold up to 200 boats, of all shapes, sizes and levels of repair (or disrepair). We would not have been surprised to see Captain Ron sailing by (don't know who Captain Ron is? Rent the movie by the same name and have a good laugh)

We spent Christmas Day motoring about the mooring field, venturing under the bridge to see the other side of the Key, sipping champagne cocktails and eating crab cakes. Christmas in paradise. The next day we turned the bow south toward Key West.

After a week "on the hook" it was great to tie up at the dock in Key West, and climb on shore. Key West is full of interesting things to see, but one of the best sights was right there on the dock at A&B Marina.Perhaps the most beautiful sport fish boats I have ever seen was tied up just across the dock: the Ann Warrick from Midlothian, VA. A sleek 62 feet, with a 20 ft. Beam, dark green hull and polished, impeccably maintained teak cockpit. She took my breath away!

Other highlights of our week in Key West: touring the home of Ernest Hemingway where he wrote his most significant works; watching the sunset on the last day of 2011 ( and running into some fellow Corinthian Yacht Club members there); joining the New Year's celebrations on Duval St.; Happy Hour with the K'dults; glorious blue skies with temperatures hovering at 80; and discovering Fish Dip.

Now it is time to say goodbye to Key West and head north up Florida's West Coast. As good as it felt to stay put for a bit, I look forward to throwing off the bow lines and seeing what adventures lie ahead.