Thursday, April 21, 2016

Hi from Key West!!!

Well we made it to Key West!!!!

We woke up at 5am on Wed morning and had anchor up and underway by 5.30am for the 80 mile sail from Marco Island to KW. We had good winds which were predominately 15 to 18 knots most of the way, and arrived here 12 hours later at 5.30pm. It was a long day, a little rough at times for most of the family, but the boat went well. We had a couple of 9 to 10 knot speeds right near the end as the wind really picked up.

Here is a link to the YouTube video we posted of the sail yesterday:
Video of sail to Key West


Unfortunately along the way our radar stopped working again (its been acting up over the last month), so we decided to pull the trigger on buying a new one today. A big thank you to Mac from McRigger for giving me his direct Port Supply pricing on this big ticket item. Key West West Marine did not have it in stock, but are overnight shipping it, so we should get that tomorrow. I will wait till we are in Panama to actually fit it, once I have the help from my best friends Garrick and Adrian. They are joining us around 18th May, to do the 1st part of the Pacific crossing with us. Garrick thanks for bouncing ideas and options around today to finally decide on replacement of the radar. All considered, I think a wise choice. Poor Garrick has become my sounding board for all critical decisions over the last year ;)...but it's much appreciated and valued!!!!

The other hiccup I discovered today was that our brand new main halyard had chaffed almost completely through about 1 1/2 feet down from the top of the mast. Not sure why yet, and I will go up the mast tomorrow to cut out that small section and re-tie to the top of the mast. The big thing while up the mast is to try and figure out what caused that chafe in a 3 day sailing period???

Guds did the final arrangements today with the Galapagos agent (you need permits 1 month prior to arrival) so that is now in motion and committed. My sister is wiring funds to them for us tomorrow....thanks Kim!

Last night we walked around KW in the evening...saw a great sunset off the back of the boat. Unfortunately today it rained almost all day, so we did laundry, and many boat tasks....poor kids just want to go swimming etc, and are tired of Guds and I working on the boat all the time ;)

Lastly we all want to say a HUGE THANK YOU to everyone for their interest in our trip and leaving comments on the blog. It's always nice to get feedback, updates and hear from friends and even people we have not met, so thank you all!!!!

Given the few extra unexpected tasks we need to do, we will likely only now leave KW on Sunday and head to the Dry Tortugas. We will stay there a day or two, and then likely head straight to San Blas Islands....about a 1,000 mile trip and roughly 7 days at sea. So it is important we are rested and the boat completely ready for that segment as its just Guds and I doing the sailing.

Here are a few pictures of the trip down and in Key West:
Dave and Ben facing the elements on the KW trip
An attempt to show the choppy seas
Passing the weird tower / fog horn in the middle of nowhere
Enjoying the sunset on our first night in Key West

Another Key West sunset - Thursday evening





7 comments:

  1. Hi guys, well done on getting going and keeping us posted. We're all following you with much interest. Key West brings back happy memories from our road trip when we last saw you in the US. Enjoy your last days in the USA. Much love from all of us.

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  2. Hi there, all the best wishes to you from Germany. Best regards from the Heincke part of the family, Sabine & Andreas and Tante Christa.
    It's a pity that you don't come to Hamburg.
    Have a safe trip, keep all well, and enjoy the adventure of your life!!!

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  3. Hello, It's good to see that you got moving and sorry about the troubles you've had so far. The water sure did look rough out there. Just be safe and keep us posted. Loved the video and hope to see more. Tell the crew I said hi and thinking about you guys so be safe!

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  4. Looking forward to following the adventure. See you at n Australia.
    Brian

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  5. Wow guys! I'm blown away by this amazing & very courageous adventure. I'm a very bad sailor, not from choice, just my wonky system(can't even swing on a swing)!
    Sooo, I'll sail with you vicariously. I've watched two of your YouTube videos, Dave,& also some of a few other couples & their trips, one was showing shots taken in the Bahamas, swimming with pigs? Weird & wonderful. I look forward in anticipation to your blogs, you guys are really 'livin' the dream! By the time you get to our faraway shores, you'll never recognise us,at our age, wrinkles happen daily!!!Fairwinds & Safehavens, Colericxxx (Col & Eric)

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  6. Hi its Kayla again just watched the video it is awesome love you guys

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  7. Hi Kayla, this is Ben - I'm glad you like the video and I miss you and being able to play with you :-(

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