Freya's best sail yet!

We pulled up our anchor at 7 am on December 22 to head for the Florida Keys. We were sad to leave the Dry Tortugas but the forecast was perfect for heading east. Technically, the maximum stay in Dry Tortugas National Park is seven days and we were at day eight. Mariners need a safe forecast to make the 75 mile trip to Key West or a similar distance to Florida's west coast so likely the NPS is forgiving with that policy.

We followed Josephine out of the harbor and enjoyed a gorgeous sunrise over Fort Jefferson. Our plan was to sail to the Marquesas Keys, 20 miles west of Key West, to anchor for the night. We knew Freya couldn't make it to Key West in daylight and didn't want to navigate the busy Key West shipping channel and harbor in the dark.

Once we navigated around the shoals and reefs, we hoisted our mainsail, rolled out the genoa and enjoyed a wonderful downwind sail with NW winds at 15-20 knots, clear skies and incredible water color. We followed Josephine for miles and checked in periodically on the VHF radio. It was so fun to follow her lead, knowing she was heading for the same destination. We learned Blake and Diana saw a turtle which put us on turtle alert though spotted none. We were quite busy steering around the crab pots - the "crab pot slalom," we call it!

Eventually we started to gain ground on Josephine and got close enough for photos. It was so cool to share such an awesome sail with our friends. Surprisingly, we eventually caught and passed Josephine. My competitive side had secretly hoped it was my keen helmsmanship. Nope. We later learned Josephine had hooked a crab pot with their rudder which slowed their pace dramatically. Luckily, Blake managed to break Josephine loose from the crab pot and they started making tracks again.

Josephine and Freya arrived at the Marquesas Keys and placed our anchors. We had learned from other sailors the holding wasn't great and indeed they were they right. Each time we dropped the hook, it bounced along the hard bottom and wouldn't dig in. After we each tried three times with no luck, we decided to head across to Boca Grande Key. Luckily, we both found safe places to anchor and with our anchors secure, we settled in for the night. A quick rain squall hit, showering us with a wonderful rainbow and killer sunset. A memorable sail and fitting finale to a delightful visit at the Dry Tortugas! Go Freya!