The rest of April was spent having fun in Isla Mujeres. We rented a golf cart to tour the island, went snorkeling to see the underwater statue garden, did a lot of eating out at yummy Mexican eateries, shopped at the big new grocery store (Chedraui) for boat provisions, and spent time in the new pool at the marina. We were also there to watch the boats in the St. Petersburg, FL to Isla Mujeres race arrive. Each boat had a GPS locator, so we could keep track of their position and progress in the race.
We checked out of Mexico on May 5 and headed off for the Gulf of Mexico. We had hoped to have a nice, comfortable sail to Florida, however, the weather was "too" good, and we ended up with almost no wind or waves. It made for a safe, but boring three day motor to Key West. The best part of the trip was being out on the night of the "Super Moon," when the full moon was closer to earth than in a long time. It was really a bright night--we could see almost as well as in daylight. And the interesting part was that the night before and the night after were just regular full moons.
We arrived in Key West on May 8, checked in with Customs, did a little sightseeing, and listened to Michael McLoud at Schooner Wharf. We expected to spend a few days in Key West, but there was a predicted weather front in a few days, so we opted to keep going north. We stopped in Marathon for fuel, and jumped right back in the Gulf Stream heading up the east coast of Florida. We kept possible stopping points in mind, but were making such good time and the good weather was holding out, so that we went all the way up to Palm Beach inlet before coming in to the IntraCoastal Waterway. We motored up the ICW and arrived at the Palm Coast Marina on May 15. From there, we walked the two blocks to our new condo and retrieved the car.
After several weeks of cleaning out, varnishing inside and out, and general maintenance, Mobetah is now tied in a slip at Marina Cove, the condos next to ours. (We don't have docks.) She is now up for sale with the Palm Coast Boat Brokerage.
It is with some melancholy that we watch the Fall parade of boats heading south on the ICW past our condo towards warmer cruising grounds. But we are ready for our new life as "dirt dwellers," and will forever have all our wonderful memories of the years we spent on Mobetah -- all the wonderful people we met and the exciting places we got to go.
Mobetah in St. Pete Beach Florida just prior to leaving for the Northwestern Caribbean
