North

Our journey north starts tomorrow - if the weather is benign and cooperates.  The big cold norther and its winds may drop down to only really extreme.

We expect winds of 5-10 knots tomorrow, or maybe 10-15 (depending on which weatherman you believe), from the east - and that's where we are going! The Muddy Wench (Susan and John Coppedge) might join us - we could use their 40 hp motor and Macgregor to pull us off the shoals!  We plan to leave Boot Key Harbor in Marathon (Florida, if you haven''t been taking notes - or even if you have), head under the 7-mile bridge and take the "protected" inside route northeast.  Tomorrow night might see us anchoring in either Barley Basin (Islamorada) or Cowpens Anchorage. Then on to Key Largo, and Biscayne Bay, and finally Miami - in a couple of days, hopefully before the next [expletive-deleted] norther comes through.  

Laundry done including the rugs. Groceries bought and stowed. Involved bike ride for Ilona with two bags dangling on handle bars, back pack full and side bag full. New A/B [really: 1/2] battery switch in and new ammeter/battery monitoring system was installed today,  to monitor the batteries (another "$ boat unit", plus). Boat put back together...again. Dinghy and kayak attached to transom. Bikes folded and replaced in locker. Water, diesel, all that. Departure at 0700-ish and headed NORTH! OMG! NORTH! Slowly north. 

But it isn't over yet.  We plan to get as far as Stuart [200 miles] and the Ochochobee (how do you spell this anyway?) Waterway, and leave the boat on the hard for the summer.  The Indiantown Marina is hurricane-rated by BoatUS, so we don't have to pay extra for hurricane-season insurance down here, as long as our boat is not in the water from June 1 to Nov 1. - no problem there. Then back here for next winter, probably.

Temperatures in MN not really exciting yet. Blizzard warnings. We will be home when Minnesota is inhabitable again - that's in May, right?

Stay warm and safe, our northern friends and family.  Track us on our blog ...