Adventures of Dragon Lady

We left Perry Marina at 8:00 this morning under sunny skies.  A good friend that we made while here came by to bid us adieu and help untie Dragon Lady from her dock.  I had lots of mixed feelings about leaving friends who we had grown to appreciate over the past four months, but also longing to be home again with friends and family in NC. The ocean was a bit rocky-rolly with 3 foot waves and wind on the bow.  I know I could never do this for weeks on end, like crossing the Atlantic!  We made good time (averaging 6 1/2 knots) and arrived at Safe Harbor Marina in Marathon at 2:30 .  Now for a shower, a dog-walk for Suzy and then Easter dinner at Porky's restaurant.

  The past week has been very emotional for me;  the last ( lunch at —-; latte at the coffee shop; trip to doggy park; etc.).  We will probably never bring the boat back here, so I have been trying to capture precious memories.  We did our last stroll down Duval St.; our last lunch on the beach; our last swim in the on-site pool; our last good-bye to marina staff.  It is all bitter-sweet.  After four months at this marina (and another four months winter of ‘22), this place has become our second home!  I do look forward to our house and practices in Cary, but there is also trepidation about the journey over the next six weeks.  We have over a thousand miles to cover and anything can go wrong.  On the trip down here in the fall we had problems with air conditioning; engine trouble; a fresh water leak; and a deck leak!  Now we helped the Florida economy by fixing all those issues, but with a 3...