Our Plans

 It has been a month and a half since I last wrote in this blog. I really don't have a good excuse. I have just been enjoying life in Boot Key Harbor. 

I really love spending time in a place with like-minded people. We talk the same language and have many of the same problems to solve. The difference between this place and many places I have been is the since of community. If someone has a problem, there is always someone there to help solve it. We communicate on our daily radio net. I have received a bunch of help from others in the past and love it when I have the opportunity to help a fellow boater. I wish the rest of the world worked this way. Boot Key Harbor is an amazing place and I will miss it when we leave. 

It is not the Bahamas, but look at that clear water. I have a small lobster in my hand, but I had to throw it back. Where else can you get up in the morning and decide to go lobster hunting today?

 

This is a great group of friends. The people that we have met are what makes Boot Key Harbor special. This was the day that Richard got baptized. He and his wife Theresa are on the left in this picture. Randy and Joni from South Dakota are in this shot also. 

Have to get this Kim on a beach shot. 

Our group in the picture above took a trip out to the north side of the Keys. An area that is referred to as the back country. We anchored off of a small Key called Tarpon Belly. We had a great time just exploring and enjoying each others company around our evening campfires. 

Sunset from the beach at Tarpon Belly Key. 

We had to bring our wood to burn, but it was a beautiful time. 

Interesting sky led to some overnight storms, but we only saw 25 knots of wind.

Richard and Theresa and their boat called "It'll be all right". Great friends and great people.  

We had an awesome sail back to Boot Key Harbor. She is a C&C Landfall 42. 

Our plan: We have been planning to sail back to Mobile Bay, Alabama and then take the Tenn-Tom waterway up to Kentucky Lake for the summer. We would like to sail our boat all summer without worrying about hurricanes. This is also about as close as we can get to our family, which would hopefully allow them to come and spend some time on the lake with us. 

The problem with this plan started in January when the lock at Demopolis, Alabama had a major structural failure. The lock is totally shut down. I am getting weekly updates, but at this point it looks like it will be at least June before it is open. We need that lock to be open to make it to Kentucky.

We have two events that we would like to attend in Missouri. The first being a friend's wedding in late April and the second being our granddaughter's graduation on May 18. We looked at lots of options before we decided what to do. We have decided to return to Gulfport, Mississippi. We first need to move the truck from the Florida Keys to Gulfport. That is a 14-hour drive. We will do that next week. We will then rent a car to get back to Marathon. Then we will watch the weather for a good window to head north. We will sail about 600 nm to Gulfport. What we can drive in 14 hours will take us about 3 weeks. Of course, we will stop along the way and check out some of our favorite places, but we will need to keep moving when the weather allows. So, that's it, Gulfport here we come. It will be a bit over 500 nm from Gulfport up the rivers to Grand Rivers, KY. 

Now we will have to begin saying goodbye to BKH. We have made so many friends here. I guess the only good news is that many of them have already left to go to the Bahamas or head back north. Some of them are still here and some even stay here in the harbor year-round. 

This is what I will miss the most. Those beautiful sunsets over BKH while sitting in our cockpit.

In my next entry, I will write about the beginning of our trip north. Come back to see how that goes.