A detour to a little piece of paradise

Once in a while, it is good to get stopped on your planned adventure, and allow life to deliver you into a completely new and wonderful detour. In our charted course, we were supposed to be anchored out by Rodriguez Key, awaiting a great weather window to jump the stream into Bahamian waters. That was the plan, the reality however, was that our alternator was not pumping voltage into our batteries.

Now I am sure that somewhere in the world there are old salty dogs that would not care about batteries and alternators, but this sailing chik is NOT one of them! I tend to like fans and lights and refrigerated food, cold drinks and toilets that, you know, flush!! All of those wonderful things need electricity. Ray installed two solar panels which can pretty much keep up with our fridge, but the fans and lights will pull the batteries down quickly too. Our engine can more than compensate, however, we are not getting any juice to our batteries soooooooo the much needed stop in Key Largo. We found a small haven here called The Upper Keys Sailing Club which allows transients to join the club and stay on their finger dock. We gladly paid the dollar membership and the 50 dollars a night to stay in paradise. We hooked up the AC and walked up to join the Friday night happy hour at the club house. Everyone was so friendly and wanting to chat with the newbies.

I laughed when we were introduced as transients! I guess it does have a piratey ring to it?? The commodore smiled and amended her description to guest travelers. I replied that transient fit pretty well since we had not been off of the boat in five days!  We spent three hours socializing and listening to stories of fellow sailors. It was an amazing night to feel such a kinship with people that we had never met before, but are now forever written in our life book.  I wondered, as I saw the glimmer in the eyes of the older sailors as we talked about our impending trip to the Exuma islands, if they noticed the glimmer in my eyes while they talked about the years they spent sailing the world. 

Ray and I made our way back to the boat after a long day sailing and a long night listening to stories and spinning some of our own. The bunk was so inviting and we were soon sleeping to the gentle rocking of the waves on our hull. The next morning we rented a car so we could explore the island and get the parts for NuTrix that we needed. We drove around taking in the sparkling water and fighting the crazy traffic on US 1. After visiting West Marine, CVS and a laundry mat, we headed to find some yummy food. We had stopped at Islamorada Shrimp Shack back in 2013 and decided to go back for more. We were not disappointed!

The fish was so fresh that we had to smack it in the face! The service was fast and friendly and we both ate more than we should have. They even have homemade banana bread with honey butter. Heavenly day!!! We will definitely put it on our places to return! Well worth the drive and the price is spot on! We had intentions of going to John Pennekamp Park, however, the day got away from us. We came back to NuTrix and watched the sun go down over the bay. Then I got to catch up on my reading until the heat and fun of the day made my bed call so loudly that I had to go answer!! 

On Sunday, we were going to take a snorkeling trip out to the reef. The boats pick up from John Pennekamp and take you out to the reef where the snorkeling is amazing. It is 28 dollars each which is not so bad. The park does charge an admission also, but I have been wanting to go for a long time.

Before we left, we found the Theater of the Sea in some brochures. There you can see turtles and dolphins and other sea life as well as educational shows. That seemed more interesting since we would be snorkeling for free everyday in the upcoming weeks. We decided first to go have lunch somewhere and the guys sitting out on the porch of the sailing club suggested Snook on the bay, so that is where we went. We found chairs on the bar which was actually the railing around the bay. We sat down and started chatting with the couple next to us. They were down for her sister's wedding all the way from Charlotte, NC. They were a charming couple and we chatted the afternoon away sipping on rum runners and having some yummy fish. I will NEVER tire of fresh fish!!

One of the best parts of traveling, for me, is meeting all kinds of new people. Everyone has such a great story and I enjoy hearing them all. They had been to Ireland, which is where my daughter is going next month and it made me feel better to hear how friendly the people are there and how beautiful they found the country. Craig's mother is a part-time worker for Disney and so is my daughter. Small world that we inhabit!! Finally they announced they had to get going to Miami. They were flying home and had to make the flight. Interestingly enough, they both said that the pull to leave Charlotte was getting strong. Beth said that she got itchy when she stayed somewhere too long. WOW... it is cool, to me, how we happened upon two people so similar to ourselves! We said our goodbyes and Ray and I turned our attention back to the water and the upcoming plans that we hoped to keep this time! 

Back to the club, the characters had returned from a day on the water and as I sat typing, I could not help but smile at the stories and half truths that were flung around the building, permeating the walls and forming memories that would take hold here and be heard as whispers by generations to come.

I sat unseen in the corner becoming a part of the world long gone through the laughter that flowed from person to person. I love it here! I long to become part of this rag tag community of people who share the love of sailing, travel and adventure that capture the heart of Ray and I. I know, though that tomorrow, barring any other engine difficulties, Ray and I will throw off the lines and head toward Angelfish creek. We are crossing our fingers that the winds will become favorable for a Wednesday crossing. The Bahamas beckon and the wanderlust grows so that it is sometimes unbearable. I long for long days of hiking and swimming, relaxing and reading all while enjoying the company of my pirate. What a beautiful life we have.

I struggle to remember that even back home in Punta Gorda, I live a charmed life with the one who loves me so much. Our day to day lives are enriched by children and grandchildren, siblings and parents..... family!! They truly keep us grounded as we struggle to fly though our lives from adventure to adventure. It is great to have a safe landing spot because that gives us the freedom to go and explore, to live and dream. It is a big beautiful world and I hope to meet as many family members as possible before my trips around the sun are over!!!

Bahamas, here we come!!!