paying the price.................... from P

It had to happen. We had 5 or 6 perfectly gorgeous days, 80 degrees with a 10 to 15 knot trade wind. Now we are stuck between two back-to-back fronts. The first one passed through last night, blustery and wet. I checked the anemometer around 11:00 PM - it showed 23 knots. No problem, we decided to wait until today and sail on to Key West in the afternoon. That was before we saw the updated NOAA forecast: another front coming through starting in the wee hours of the morning tomorrow. This one promises to produce sustained northerly winds of 25 knots for three or four days - with gusts to 30 - so change of plans. This time of year, you gotta pay the price of the winter northerlies in order to enjoy the tropical lulls. We are currently anchored in a well protected harbor between Big Pine Key and Little Torch Key, and we are especially well protected from the North. If we sailed on to Key West there are only a few places to anchor, none of which would give us good lee protection. So we played it safe and decided to sit tight. I put our secondary anchor in the dinghy, carried it out 80 feet away from Senara, about ninety degrees from the angle of our primary anchor rode, threw it over (remembered to tie the other end to Senara first) and pulled it in tight. So now with two anchors set we are ready for the anticipated four day siege, so long as our groceries and fresh water hold up. Our boat club friends (Dave and Gail) are in a marina near Key West. I just learned that they caught a flight home and drove their car back down here! Nice to have friends with wheels! So tomorrow we will see Key West after all - just that we will arrive in the back seat of Dave and Gail's car rather than Senara's cockpit. Actually it will be nice to get a guided preview.

Ever had a $75 lunch for two? Chalk it up to another "first" for me. The great part is that it was almost worth it. On the way around the point of Big Pine Key lies the super exclusive Little Palm Island Resort. We just guided Senara up to the dock like we belonged there. We were met by an older gentleman dressed up like Captain Stubing on the Love Boat who told us we had to have reservations or be a guest, just to have lunch. Before we headed off, a very nice hostess walked down the dock and first asked if I had a shirt with a collar on board. Once I assured her I would change clothes, she said we could have lunch there if we would behave. We had an absolutely fabulous lunch in an incredibly luxurious tropical atmosphere while watching a photo shoot of professional models on the beach below us. I guess you gotta pay the price.

Shooting the shoot.

Zen Garden

"Cabana boy! Move my knight"