We left Key West Wednesday morning.  The weather was a little better than the day before, but the winds were still strong and out of the north.  On our way out, we saw two monohulls on their sides in the anchorage area.  For 1 1/2 days, we rocked back and forth as we sailed straight north from Key West, with the forward deck going down in the waves and then rocking back up splashing water all over the foredeck.   By this afternoon, the waves and wind subsided, and then it was a very slow sail.  We decided we couldn’t make it to Fort Myers as planned before dark, so we stopped at a marina in Naples.  We needed a good night’s sleep without worrying about anchoring and bringing Daisy ashore in the dinghy.  It is so quiet and still here.  It doesn’t even feel like we are on a boat.  I suppose we’ll get some boat traffic tomorrow, but it’s still a pleasant change.

The photo above shows a sunset on the Gulf last night.  The second one is the Naples skyline as we entered Gordon Pass today.   Several dolphins greeted us, but my camera wasn’t quick enough to get a photo.  Now we are sitting in a very quiet marina, Naples City Dock.  What a relief after the turbulent anchorage in Key West and then the exhausting sail here are over.  We got no sleep last night.  Mark was at the helm, and I rested in the saloon in case he needed me, so he is much more tired than me. I couldn’t have handled the strength of the wind and waves but I was ready to help as needed. 

We arrived at the Naples City Dock at 5 pm. We’ll stay here two days and then begin the last leg of our journey out of Florida.   Mark’s son Eric is flying down tomorrow to help us sail to Mobile.