Key West - Walk on Duval and setting moon

Just a nice walk along a nearby avenue

There was a lot of controversy today on the best path through Fernandina Beach, the shallow area south of Fernandina. It seems that a boater ran aground and was told by TowBoatUS to take a path ignoring the new buoys the Coast Guard had just put in. After a lot of investigation, it turned out that the GPX file of the best route is still good as posted on Active Captain and Waterway Guide but if you try to eyeball the route, it's very hard to stay on course. In fact, if you just pass the buoys on the correct side, you may run into a shoal. The best strategy is just to download the GPX file into an iPad app like AquaMap ($20 total cost of the app) and follow the path displayed, easy. The buoys are so far apart that's it's difficult to follow them accurately to avoid the numerous, unmarked shoals. It promises to be an interesting season going north in the spring.

Duval Street is definitely getting more crowded

With the cooler weather, we've taken longer walks in the afternoon. As I've said many times in the past, it's like walking in a garden. I see pictures everywhere. We are getting closer to spring break and the crowds of young people are increasing. We expect a peak next week when Matthew comes down for a visit.

Moon over Key West

Despite all the crowds, it's still quiet at night on the docks and the setting moon was pretty. We are renting a car on Wednesday for exploring Key West and a day of fun, no chores on Wednesday!