On the Forth Day He Rested

Today is about relaxing. I have no plans to go ashore or anything, just read, nap, eat, nap, listen to the radio, nap, snack and sleep.

The winds eventually did swing around to the east as they had been predicted to do, making this rather unprotected anchorage far more comfortable than when we first arrived late yesterday. Generally speaking, I'll take a bumpier, more exposed anchorage over a perfect "nook" requiring a long transit in and out of a harbor. It saves so much time, and often fuel, not to have to drone up some interminable channel, ALWAYS against the tide/current. It will be nice to weigh anchor before dawn tomorrow, probably without even starting the engine, and be in my "at-sea" routine 5 minutes later, sipping coffee and looking forward to a picturesque sunrise.

Barry continues to be cause for concern. I found him "huffing" (I think that's what the kids call it) an air horn this morning. I guess he figured that I wouldn't notice the ear-splitting blasts of sound that accompanied his huffs. He got two good ones in before I managed to get the horn away; whether those two huffs were enough to destroy his brain, only time will tell. So far Jessica's chaperon seems to be the one in need of being chaperoned.

As I alluded to earlier, the plan is to leave for Key West early tomorrow. The winds are forecast to be 15-20 knots out of the east and southeast, so I should be able to get to KW before too late on Wednesday. If there is too much of a southerly component to the winds I'll have to shoot straight for KW rather than hugging the coast, so it is quite likely that I will be out of cellular range all of tomorrow and most of the day on Wednesday. If they end up being pure easterlies, I'll hug the coast as long as possible to take advantage of the lee and cellular connectivity.