Goodbye

We say goodbye to the Trek in the car park of Motel 6 in Orlando





as Gary and Melissa prepare to drive off in their new acquisition.

There were great moments in the last two years, the Alcan, wolves in Yellowstone, tranquility in the Teons and so many more.




But now the Caribbean beckons. So it is with little regret that I say goodbye to Orlando. My vision of hell includes in part the Bluewater shopping centre so International Drive Orlando which consists of many shopping centres stitched together with tawdry souvenir shops selling the same tat is hell squared.

I am down Fort Lauderdale after stashing our "stuff" in a storage unit. The boat show is on here but it is of little interest to me as it is mainly giant gin palaces aimed at the Berie Madoffs of this world.
However I can walk along the beach with Ferraris snarling past, grannies overtaking me on skateboards and a very swish couple with matching Yorkies jogging their way to lunch in Las Olas.

But I was on my way to slip F18 Bahia Mar Marina.








I paused for a moment to think on Travis Magee whose houseboat was moored here for years and Miss Agnes his 1936 bright blue Rolls Royce pickup truck. Both of course are creatures of fiction.




































But this is running around Florida somewhere.





On my way back I was held up by that east coast phenomenon, an Intercoastal Waterway Bridge which is raised by a demand from any passing sailboat I called for many bridge openings when I sailed Carpe Diem from Miami North to Washigton DC and was indifferent to the delays caused. Now it was my turn to be delayed.



So was this skater. Another Fort Lauderdale moment.