Northbound ’19 – Travel Day 1: Key West, Fl to Marathon, Fl

Distance traveled: 37 nautical miles

Time underway: 4 hours 27 minutes*

Average Speed: 10 kts

Max Speed: 15 kts

Fuel used: 54 gallons

Our last 48 hours at Stock Island Marina Village were spent with lots and lots of sad goodbyes intermixed with final preps for our journey north and a bit of time up on OLOH’s hardtop watching the Blue Angels perform in an amazing air show out of the Naval Air Station at Boca Chica just a short distance away.  While we are excited to turn another page there’s a big part of us (we’re sure for Jasper too) that wasn’t quite ready to leave and certainly not ready to part with the friends, old and new, that have become such an important part of our conch life in Key West.
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In heated air
The smell of salted change
Hope, a journey safely made
Replayed but not the same
no never
Like goodbyes of gone not forever
easy never ever
The last look, a tell
Of smiled but sad farewell
Salted change a drop
of heart stop
Soon then another tale to share
Oh comes what next
In heated air
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Our goodbyes were topped off on our final night with a sweet evening with the Miss Norma Crew with whom we’ll share some parts of this journey, although not as simply as when we could just show up at each others’ boats to talk and laugh (and yes, even cry).  Fair winds MN.