My 1st Florida Keys trip via sailboat

This doesn't make sense chronologically.. Blogger is setup to read like a diary so that the most recent entry shows 1st. For a story like this it reads best in the opposite order. They won't change it.
So please go to the archives on the left & then read from the bottom of the page up.
To get the full story it should all start back in January.
 & start reading there.
Then the whole story will be laid out chronologically.
Thanks
~Cap'nMike


Jan 12th, 2009
Hi, as some of you know I'll soon embark on a trip to the Florida Keys. How I'm getting there, however, is a bit out of the ordinary. I've never been one to do things in the conventional manner so for this trip to the Keys I'll be sailing there from Norfolk Virginia.... and can't wait!!

Ty, a good friend of mine, will be along for the trip. He has made this trip before so it will be safer and I'll have someone to BS with during the trip.

Several close phriends and family have asked me to document the trip so I'll be making at least one entry/day.
... so put on a life jacket, sit down & enjoy the trip =]

Home home HOME

I saw Mikaela today, had lunch with her and Lisa.
"MO" is back on the boat!
I saw Ty last night & had burgers with him.
All's good now.
I hope you enjoyed the 2,400 mile trip.
This trip is done, stick a shrimp fork in it ;P

..a day or 2, lol more like 4 in Oriental

Well I finally left Oriental. I had to wait until the last of my funds transferred before I could restock. Now I am at the foot of the Albermarle Sound. It'll be a 20 mile crossing which I could have done today but I had already done 44 miles & weather set in. Out in the sound is not a good place to be in foul weather. So here I sit, on the edge of reception (I had none yesterday, last night nor this morning) waiting to do the final day. By tomorrow evening I will be in my home waters!
I sit 81 miles from Norfolk but tomorrow I'm stopping in Chesapeake to see my daughter, yay!
This morning was grueling. I was in a long boring canal. The only excitement was seeing a Bald Eagle & a black bear which swam across the canal in front of me.
I can't wait to get this part of the trip over with..

181.5 to go

I'm in Oriental, NC..
Not long to go now. I'll spend a day or 2 here to restock, work on the dinghy & recharge.

North Carolina =] & feelin better..

Getting closer to my sweeetie Mikaela!! I can't wait-
310 miles to go. I'll really be glad when the trip is over, I've developed a leak at the prop shaft.. Actually it's supposed to leak a bit to cool it but this leak is more then a little, lol. No biggie, I just have to keep an extra eye on one more thing!!

edit: I'm sitting here looking at the full moon having a few vodka cranberries & watching the Southport, NC lighthouse go around as I'm listening to the Jimmy Buffett concert on www.RadioMargaritaville.com..
It hit me when Son of a Son of a Sailor came on how fortunate I am... this as the last few days have been rather "trying" at best..
By the way, I'm a Son of a Daughter of a Sailor *wink*
The song playing now, "What if the Hokey Pokey is all it's about?!" puts it all in perspective LOL!!