Off dock- finally!!!

Thursday was way more than a "three hour tour".  We finally got off the dock,
in spite of the chilly weather.  The N/NE wind abated some to just 15 knots,
which is perfect sailing conditions.  I let Marcia take the helm in my place, while
Cap'n raised the sails.  It was a mini reunion of MZWC on board Marquesa! 

Pastor Bob has really taken to the Keys life. I'm so happy for him and Marcia :)

We left the dock by 10:30am, bound for Burdines to have lunch.
This was the approach to the Seven Mile Bridge. 
I love the sun glistening off the water- so beautiful.

Nothing but blue sky overhead as we entered the chute...

No problem for the mast to clear the bridge- we have over 10 feet to spare.

As we entered the Atlantic side (technically the Straits of
Florida) for some real ocean sailing, Brian took the cat bird
seat on the bow for his best Titanic impression. You couldn't
wipe the smile off of his face.  The boy loves the water.

Before long, we were entering the channel for Sister's Creek.  A cormorant
was drying his wings atop the channel marker.

A flock of seagulls were hanging out in the mangroves...not to be confused
with the new wave 80's band A Flock of Seagulls.
(who ran so far away....)

No problem docking, and we were on our way to
Burdine's for lunch.  I was craving a Burdine's
burger, a basket of fries with pixie dust, and
the deep fried key lime pie!

Brian's ridiculous "natural" streak continued.  On his
first try, we won the dice game.  Oh. My. God.

Before long, Wendy was a winner, too :)

While we waited on our burgers, it looked like somebody was not having
a very good day.  Thank goodness for TowBoatUS. 
(Knock on wood, we've never had to call them!)

Deep fried key lime pie is sure to please everyone- YUM!

FINALLY, while waiting for our checks, I won the dice game!!!

We took a leisurely cruise as we traversed through Boot Key Harbor,
admiring all of the boats.  We saw flags from many foreign countries.
This picture is two peas in a pod.  These boys love all water and boats.



We cruised through a number of canals up through Sister's
Creek.  We ladies all picked out our favorite dream houses.
This was my dream lounge chair, perfect for sunbathing!

We cruised past Sombrero Beach, then cut Bessie and raised the sails
for the return trip home.  Brian makes a heckuva crew- he's a grinder,
rolls out the furling on the jib sail and works the sheets...

That was fine with me, I was able to enjoy taking
pictures and emailing them to myself!

It was getting late in the day, as we returned back to the Gulf side and
Banana Bay.  Seeing this look on Pastor Bob and Marcia's faces is
the very reason we love sharing Marquesa with others.  There's
nothing like the sun on your face, the wind in your hair (even
when it's chilly) and hearing the water rush by the hull of the boat.
Pure heaven on earth, if you ask me.  I'm so glad we were able
to share this day with some of our MZWC church family :)