Being at a total loss of what to do next, as sailors often find themselves if they sit in limbo too long unable to progress towards their final destination, I set out in search of the place within every community you can be sure of finding some peace and quiet. The cemetery.
I've been faced with a great deal of uncertainty on many accounts since arriving in Key West a week ago, yet have felt powerless to do anything but play the waiting game.
On my way back to the waterfront I ended up on a tour of dead-end roads, which provided many pleasant surprises, including some of the most charming homes of any I've seen in Flor
ida. There's hundred of roosters that are free-range in Key West, which adds some atmosphere. They're protected; its 'unlawful' to mess with them, and one of many explanations I've heard is that this is the last place in America for cock fighting to be banned, and one day they were all just set free. Effie's unaware of state laws, and now that we've come dockside and she is roaming free, I'm half expecting to find a mangled pile of feathers on my pillow when I get home.
I've not been sharing much of my story lately because of the uncertainty and how things are changing so fast. Like the letters
you write to a friend, but never send, because they're outdated and inaccurate by the time you buy the stamps.
One of my current crew is my sister Katie. Yes, the same Katie McCrossin who, when asked in September to help me sail from Nova Scotia to Cuba responded, "That old wooden thing? She'll never make it...". The weather sure has been nice and the waters warm since she arrived in West Palm Beach.
And just to make things confusing, my other crew is my friend Katie. Together, I call them Katie-squared. Katie and I sailed on a couple of tall ships together, first on Highlander Sea (my first sailing experience) and la
ter on Eye of the Wind, where together we sailed the Caribbean, then crossed the Atlantic to Denmark.
So with Katie-squared and Muskrat Willie (my strange and usually random sister has re-named Effie), we will sail to Cuba. Eventually. Probably. More than likely. I may or may not elaborate later.
I've
been told intrigue keeps people coming back for more.
Before sunrise tomorrow, we'll be on our way. I feel the same way I did the evening I watched Nova Scotia fade astern. It's an uneasy and wonderfully exciting feeling of jumping, eyes-closed, over that ledge and trusting the Universe. Trusting that by living our lives with pure intentions, and curiosity of the unknown, and enthusiasm for the relationships we're about to form, our eyes will be opened to the unimaginable.
etime, but who really knows! I may think right now that I know how the next few months are going to pan out, but if history is any lesson, you never can tell what may intercept and change your plans or change your life.
