The dates for the upcoming trip are April 6-16. We’ll leave right after school on Thursday the 6th, travel down to Key Largo on the 7th and then get underway on the 8th aboard the 40′ Leopard catamaran, Aurora.

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On Saturday we left Lake Panasoffkee and drove to Marianna where we stayed at Dove’s Rest RV Park. Today (Sunday) was our final day on the road. We left early and we’re taking it easy westbound on I-10. We’re all ready to be home again!

Wednesday we sailed from Rodriguez to Biscayne Bay at No Name Harbor. From there, on Thursday, we sailed back to Ft. Lauderdale. Along the way, we stopped for an ocean swim. Back at the dock, we organized gear for our return road trip.Friday, we drove up the Florida Turnpike to Lake Panasoffkee where we spent the night. We should be in the Marianna, Florida area tonight (Saturday). We have a couple of fun stops planned along the way.The crew are all doing well but eager to be home again!

Yesterday we sailed from Key West to Bahia Honda. We explored Bahia Honda State Park and went spearfishing under the bridge. We towed some of the lighter crew members on paddle boards behind the dinghy.This morning (Tuesday) we departed early to head up the island chain. We topped up fuel in Marathon, then stopped at Indian Key to swim and explore. Right now, we’re heading to our favorite anchorage, Rodriguez Key. This will position us nicely to make an easy passage to Biscayne Bay tomorrow.

Yesterday at Bahia Honda was the best day ever for the crew. Last night was a true joy to see the happy smiles, laughter and positivity.

We spent Sunday anchored in Key West. Ashore, some of our crew visited the Mel Fisher Treasure Museum; others visited the Shipwreck Treasure Museum and Tower. We picked up a wingnut for the grill (free!) at West Marine. We visited a few souvenir shops, of course.A few witnessed a ridiculous slow motion road rage incident between the driver of a Mercedes and the driver of a Maseratti. The passengers piled out to join in and a homeless guy tried to keep the peace. A couple of punches later and it was all over.The food in KW was great. Some ate at the Conch Republic Seafood Company; others at Marguaritaville. For dinner, we grilled burgers on the boat.Today (Monday) we got moving early heading east up the keys. We intend to anchor at Bahia Honda tonight.

We had a good  night in Marathon and today went to The Tackle Box to get some fishing gear. We sailed to Key West this afternoon and are now anchored off Fleming Key. We had spaghetti for dinner. We’re going to spend the day in Key West tomorrow.Our plan for Monday is to get moving early to snorkel a reef (probably Looe Key), then anchor at Bahia Honda State Park. We’ll work our way back up the Keys anchoring at Indian Key Tuesday night.

Yesterday, we took an extra day at Rodriguez Key to regroup and get some much-needed rest. We dinghied in to Key Largo where we went to the grocery store to stock up on ice and supplies, went to Diver’s Direct, and the ice cream shop. We topped up fuel for the dinghy as well. We had pulled pork sandwiches for dinner last night.This morning Maddox made French toast for everyone for breakfast. We snorkeled Hens and Chickens reef and spearfished at The Rocks. We sailed to Marathon arriving perfectly at sundown and are now tied to the dock at Marathon Marina. We had chicken alfredo for dinner.To cap off the day, we just got word that the RV is fixed. There truly are some good people in this world.Tomorrow we’ll head down to Key West.

Yesterday we sailed from No Name Harbor at Key Biscayne to Key Largo Dry Rocks where we snorkeled the reef. On the way there, Justin caught an 8 lb Little Tunny fish. At the reef, we saw all kinds of fish and coral and Christ of the Abyss, a 9′ tall 4000 lb underwater statue. We even spotted our very own mermaid. Everyone had a blast and snorkeled well. We then pushed on to Rodriguez Key, through the sunset, where we anchored along side a few other vessels. Danielle made us an excellent dinner that almost everyone got to enjoy before we had a little incident, which was handled phenomenally by a few crew members. Logan cut his hand on an open corn can lid which led to swift first aid attention, especially from Celia. She kept her cool and helped dress and wrap the wound as if she’d done this countless times before. Thanks Celia, you were a great asset! Once everything was under control, Dan and Logan hopped in the dinghy for a ride to the local E.R. where they met some outgoing yet professional Border Patrol agents and hospital staff who couldn’t have been more helpful. Logan ended up with four stitches and one heck of a story to tell the family. And did I mention that throughout this, Logan kept his usual can-do attitude and sense of humor, so kudos to him! All in all, it was a day of fun and great learning experiences.This morning we snorkeled and paddle boarded at Rodriguez. William and Jeremy spearfished in the mangroves.

Well, we made it to Key Largo finally. Our engine water pump died 7 miles from our campsite. We got a shuttle for the crew and a tow truck for the RV. RV and people are now at Paradise Island RV Park. The shuttle will take us to the boat in the morning. While we’re gone, a mechanic will replace the water pump. Aside from that, we had a good day and visited Bass Pro Shops and Diver’s Direct on the way. All in all, we’re really looking forward to tomorrow.