Cudjoe Key Arrival

We left Marathon Marina after a morning filled with good byes and safe crusing wishes from our many new friends who are docked there. It's amazing how many wonderful people we've met so far in the cruising community. Both cruisers and loopers have "boat cards" with their contact information so we exchanged a few more boat cards and cast off. It felt good to be out again; the seas were calm and the skies were blue, so I took a couple more shots of the famous Seven Mile Bridge.

and here it is directly across from the opening at Moser Channel that we passed through when we arrived.

We cruised in Hawk Channel about 20 miles down the Keys and anchored in Newfound Harbor for a peaceful night.

This morning the winds kicked up and we had a very rocky ride in 3-4' seas to Cudjoe Bay where we tossed out the anchor and sent Steve in the dinghy to check out the entrance to the canal where our rental house is located. We were a little apprehensive about coming in at low tide, but wanted to get tied up at the house before the winds became even stronger. As Shingebiss approached the entrance to the canal, a fishing boat pulled up and guided us in. Here's the view as we headed down the canal, the house is couple of blocks ahead on the right.

The owner's boat is tied up at the house, so we are docked at the vacant lot next door at a brand new sea wall. This lot is for sale for $750,000 ... we're in a upscale neighborhood, but it's friendly; two neighbors across the canal have come out and welcomed us. The local marina will be moving the owners boat onto a trailer, so we can move up to the wall in front of the house. Our friends Sue and Ron are driving down the Keys towards Cudjoe for our 3 pm check in. The two other couples coming for the first week, Terie and Chuck and Cyndi and Glen are flying into Key West later today and will be arriving in their rental car. Life is good and we are filled with anticipation.

If you want to see pictures of the house, here's the web site. These pictures are much better than any I will take.

http://www.gulfcoastrentals.com/florida-9/4key-michaudJ-florida-keys.htm