We had an adventurous and challenging passage from Shark River inlet to the keys.  We picked up anchor at around 1000 hours  and headed out into the gulf.  The winds were forecast to be 15-20 knots out of the East right on the beam, perfect for sailing.  However, what we didn’t expect was the rough sea state.  We were moving along at 8-10 knots but getting tossed around by short-period waves coming in different directions, often described as a washing machine.  This is due to a combination of the shallow waters in the Gulf (10-12 feet in this area) and a strong current in the opposite direction of the wind.  It gave the boat a real work out and Terrapin passed with flying colors.  After an unexpected 1.5 hour delay (to be described in a separate post) we made it to Boot Key Harbor and picked up a mooring ball.