After several fun-filled months in the Florida Keys, I'm underway and headed to the semi-frozen north. I really didn't want to leave Marathon Key, Florida, and the wonderful people I met down there didn't want me to leave as well. It's a fantastic place, the weather was great, only a couple hours of rain in the four months I was there.

I learned a lot in Marathon and on the trip south. The payscale for entertainer/musicians gets lower and lower the farther south you get from the mid-Atlantic region. There were a lot of good to excellent musicians along the way that really put on a good show, but they often didn't make enough to cover gasoline expenses.

Of course, there were lots of "Have Guitar Will Travel" kind of entertainers as well. Most ranged from poor to just awful. Some knew more chords than anyone on the planet, but they either had a lousy sense of timing, or they couldn't sing. Sure, they tried to sing, but in most instances they shouldn't have.

I was among the fortunate few entertainers in Marathon that could read an audience. The vast majority of the Have Guitar Will Travel guys just played what they liked to play and figured that was all that was necessary to captivate the crowds. WRONG! They didn't provide any variety, they failed to play and sing songs that were appropriate for the audiences, and usually, after the first hour, the crowd size dropped off by 75 or more percent.

Now, I'm gonna brag! Everyplace I performed I kept the crowd loving every minute of every song. There were complements galore, and the bartenders, who were all in their late 30s to early 40s, said I was the only entertainer on the island that captivated the audiences and kept them buying long after Happy Hour ended. When you get complements like that from the bar tenders, it really makes you feel like you're doing something right.

It will probably take just over a month to get home, which will put me in the Chesapeake's upper reaches sometime around the first week in April. Then it's catchup time, time to do the income taxes, time to catch up on all the mail, and the first job of the season begins April 13th. From that point on it's just about non-stop, 5 to 6 days a week behind the keyboard and keeping the ladies happy.

The past several months have been the trip of a lifetime, something that many individuals claim they wish they would have made, but for one reason or another, never will. I feel very fortunate to have been able to do the many things I've done in my lifetime, and if my health allows, I hope to make a repeat performance in 2014.

Cheers,

Gary

PS: Some new photos will soon be posted in this thread.

Gary. Nice story...Well Done....Have a safe trip home.

Best wishes from UK.

Safe Sailing.............

Capt. Gary,

Thanks for your update, and assessment of the "Have guitar will travel" mentality down in the Keys.

Once again, I applaud your ambition.

Bien Viaje!

Ron

You have made a LOT of us JEALOUS, Gary ... ...
Safe travels on your way back ...

Watch out for pirates.
DonM

Have an awesome trip Gary!

Joe

Made it to Vero Beach today, sunny and 66 degrees at 5 p.m., not too bad, but hope to make 50 miles or more tomorrow if the weather cooperates. I hope to post some vids and new photos in the next few days.

Cheers,

Gary

What an awesome trip, hope you make it back with no hitches, you da man!

well,two more days and I should be out of Florida and headed for South Carolina, hopefully, bypassing Georgia's segment of the Intra-Coastal Waterway, which is shallow and windy. Making about 50 miles a day, some days less, some days more. Another 850 miles till I reach Norfolk, VA.

Don't have internet connection very often lately,but when I do I'll be sure to provide updates.

Cheers,

Gary

It is inspiring to hear about your travels. Maybe you can catch a Burmese Python. I tried when I was in Florida, using my mom as bait, but all we could find were alligators.

Love it!
DonM

Hi all,

What's happened to Gary? Haven't heard of his progress for awhile...

Keep well all,

Henni

Last I heard he was off the coast of North Carolina

Hope to make NC by late this evening, I'm inside the Intra-Coastal Waterway now, mainly because of the weather, which is a big nasty. With luck, I'll make it home in another two weeks. I'll try to post some new photos and vids the next time I get Internet access.

Gary

Stay safe sailor......hope you have enough Kick a Poo Joy Juice stowed away for the rest of the trip!!