Key West Sortie

Sunrise 2 Hours North of Key West

We had to delay our plans by one day, but that allowed us to find a slip at the Galleon Marina in Key West, so we threw off the lines on Friday morning around 10.30.  Our first (and only) stop was next door at the Fort Myers Yacht Basin to take on 710 gallons of diesel and a hefty dose of Stanadyne fuel treatment.  Coincidentally, while we were waiting for an opening at the fuel dock, fellow Nordy drivers Jim and Ann Crossley cruised their Nordhavn 55 Giddy-Up right past us as they headed up-river towards Stuart.

Arriving @ Key West

By noon we were tanked up and headed down-river to the Gulf of Mexico, and then due south towards Key West.  We steamed straight through the day and night, taking the helm in shifts.  Michelle took the graveyard shift from 0200 to 0600, while Rick provided the night coverage before and after.  Total trip time was 21.5 hours, although we had throttled back quite a bit so as not to arrive in Key West before our slip was available.  While the Coast Guard was issuing weather warnings for the entire west coast of Florida, all the nasty stuff stayed well north of our route, sea conditions were very tame at 1-2 feet, and the worst we had to deal with was some light fog just before sunrise.

View of Galleon from Ghost Rider's Slip

This was our first overnight voyage, and we enjoyed it….Ghost Rider purred the entire way with no new boat issues arising, while averaging about 2.3 NMPG. We were all tucked in at the Galleon well before 1000, although we spent over an hour giving the boat a much needed bath. 

Blossom Sitting Pretty Next Door

We’ll be here in Key West until Thursday, enjoying some time with friends Martin & Stephanie who are also here with their Nordhavn 60, Blossom, berthed just two slips away.  This afternoon is recovery time – Michelle is off to the pool for a nap in the warm sunshine, while Rick is heading to an air conditioned berth for his shuteye.  Then it’s Key West and NCAA basketball party time.