Preparing to go Across to The Bahamas

May 7, 2009 from Coconut Grove, FL::

     May  5, 2009:  we left Marathon by 9a.m. proceeding toward Rodiquez Key.  We had good winds most of the day from the SE.  We arrived at Rodiquez Key off the south end of Key Largo about 6p.m.  There were three boats anchored but by sunset there were nine boats at anchor.  We had our cocktail hour watching the sunset.  One of the boats had a conch shell which was blown to mark the setting of the sun.  We ate a nice dinner and enjoyed the soft breezes. 

     May 6, 2009:  We left the anchorage about 8a.m. but most of the other boats had left much earlier.  Only two other were still there.  We started out sailing with good winds and good speed toward  Biscayne Bay, but as the day progressed, the winds dropped to under 10 knots so we ended up motorsailing.  we arrived at Dinner Key Marina in Coconut Grove by about 4:15 p.m.  We cleaned off the boat which was covered with lots of salt from the Atlantic Ocean.  After showers we had cocktails waiting for our friend Marilyn to arrive.  Once she arrived, we walked to "The Grove" where we ate at a Peruvian restaurant called "Jaguar".  The menu was interesting and delicious.  We walked back to the marina where Marilyn could finally unpack in the forward V-berth cabin.  

     May 7, 2009:  We all slept late and then had a leisurely breakfast.  We then checked all our e-mails.  My new AT&T air card is making getting online so much easier.  After some other chores, which included cleaning out the refrigerator, we were off to Scotty's on the Bay for lunch.  Marilyn had a conch Caesar and I had Stone Crab Claws.  YUM.                                      

Charlie was tired of fish so he had a cheeseburger. Then we continued to the grocery store,  The Fresh Market, to provision the boat.  Several of our bags on wheels help make this less of a chore.

 We will have cocktails on the boat tonight followed by dinner and get to bed early so we can arise early to start our journey to Bimini.  We can make this trip in a day during daylight from Miami.