Lunch out

Lunch out

Tuesday February 23, 2021

We wanted to make a reservation for dinner somewhere with outside dining.  As it turns out there is limited opportunity for outside dining in Key West.  So in lieu of dinner we went out to lunch.  We were able to get an outside table at Santiago Bodega on Petronia Street. (I was at little concerned at the name thinking that it might be a grocery store with a couple of picnic tables). In contrast to my expectations, the terrace was shady, the tablecloths were white and starchy, the food was great.  It’s a tapas place so we had a salad to share and four small plates.

Our salad was pear and avocado with a creamy Parmesan dressing—very tasty.  This was follow by green beans with Gouda and ham with a lemon parsley sauce.  Then came the hot dishes—pork tenderloin with a raisin and onion chutney, spanakopita with hollandaise sauce and beef with a butter sauce.  It was very special.  To my mind it was like lunches out in France—relaxed and delicious.  The chickens pecking around were an extra bonus!

We have been doing things to get ready to take off tomorrow. Mike made a pork casserole for us to have on our trip.  I cleaned the heads and washed the floors.  We took a trip to the great marine hardware store to get bilge cleaner, lubricant for the sail track and an elbow latch to repair the drawer in the table (where the alcohol is stored).  These jobs were accomplished before lunch.  After lunch it seemed a bit harder to get motivated....

Mike lubricated the mainsail track, collected the bikes, re-attached part of the self-steering apparatus and pumped the rain-water out of the dinghy.  I did the square root of nothing useful—washed some dishes, repaired some masks.  I did manage to resist having a nap—only just.  I might still be able to fit in a nap before boater’s midnight.  

This will be our last post for a while (maybe a week or so). We are heading out tomorrow and plan to anchor at Boca Grande, about 12 miles to the west. On Thursday we hope to sail the remaining 50 miles to the Dry Tortugas. We will take the first decent weather window after the weekend to make our passage back. There is no cell phone reception once we leave here so we will fill you in on our adventures once we are back in the world.

Gloria

24 42.220 N, 81 06.131 W

Portrait of a rooster

Lizard peeking out from the saddle tube of a bicycle

I may have shown a similar picture previously, but this is the inside of the main electrical panel on Cotinga. Thankfully most things are well labeled but it's a little daunting nonetheless. There is an additional panel below the cockpit seat with the battery selectors, tank gauges and the breaker for the windlass. Below the cabin floor and behind the side paneling, bunches of cables run throughout the boat. Tracking what goes where is often half the battle.