Our short run here from Marathon was a fine day to be at sea. Mild winds and low seas were astern giving us an occasional unwelcome whiff of diesel exhaust, but otherwise it was just a very nice day. We got underway at 0900 and were pier side here at Boca Chica by 1430.
I kept the engines at around 1500 RPM trying to save a little fuel because we had plenty of time. There was very little oil in the port engine's drip pan; so my Permatex fix on the valve cover gasket seems largely effective. It will almost be a shame to pull it of again to put the new gasket in place.
As one would expect of a military base, the marina here is well run. You might say they run a tight ship. Every rock and brick is in its place; the bathrooms are capacious and clean; the concrete piers appear new and are clean; there is plenty of water and power; the laundry room is well equipped. They even have a small bar and grill.
One of the first things we noticed as we pulled in here was the amount of air activity. There were Air Force or National Guard F-16s as well as Navy F-18s in the pattern by the bunch. I also saw a lumbering P-3 (4-engine turbo-prop patrol plane), a C-130 transport, as well as an F-5 "aggressor" jet. I imagine Key West is a magnet for every military pilot who has any excuse to drop in here. Anyway, it got a little noisy yesterday afternoon as they all came home to roost.
When we checked in last night, we were told we could stay as long as we like because there are no reservations behind us to trip the normal five-day limit for transients.
We bit the bullet last night and hauled the laundry off the boat. We got it done while enjoying dinner and a drink next door at the grill.
Now we are ready to sally forth and get our hands on the rental car! Mary says we have been leading a primitive life style sans four wheels.
