Express Keys Tour

My daughter Kim arrived on Thursday, February 18th at 3:20 in the afternoon after driving from Miami in her snappy little rental. 

The sun was shining and the temperature was in the mid 60s.  We loaded her luggage in the dingy and motored out to "Passage".  Sue made a wonderful Mahi Mahi dinner, and we spent the evening visiting on board.

Friday brought cloudy, cool, breezy weather.  After breakfast Kim and I motored to shore with  the propane tank.  Kim drove us across the Seven Mile Bridge in her rented Toyota to a camp ground, and we refilled the tank.  This task was followed by a water run.  We filled water jugs and dingied our 21 gallons of water back to the boat.  After lunch on board, we dingied around the harbor and down Sister's Creek to the Atlantic Ocean.

Undeterred by the cold, cloudy weather, we completed our tour of the harbour and headed for the dingy dock.  We hopped into the rental car, and Kim drove us to Sombrero Beach.  Kim picked up a few shells as we strolled on the ocean's edge.  Kim was then able to experience the thrill of showering in Boot Key Harbour City Marina's new shower building.  Fortunately we had warm water.  As Kim said, the fun part was not dropping anything on the wet floor of the little shower room!  That evening we ate at Dockside so that Kim could experience our favorite keys restaurant and enjoy the music of John Bartus.  Fortunately, we were able to get a table under a propane heater.  As usual the food was great.  On the way back to "Passage" in the dark, we watched the Florida Marine Patrol ticketing boats who failed to display an anchor light.

Saturday we awoke to clear skies and warming temperatures, perfect for our day in Key West.  We hopped into the Toyota and Kim drove to Key West.  Our first stop was the marker for the southernmost point in the US.

We had to stroll on the southermost beach in the US too.  The day was perfect: sunny and warm with a nice breeze.

Then it was on to Dante's for lunch.  Kim was able to sample some stone crab claws and a huge burger.

We were forced to wait for the entertainment since Brian Roberts was late due to an accident on US 1.

Brian performed with his band, the Prime Movers.  They were pretty good.  One of us seemed to enjoy the show more than the others.

After lunch we spent the afternoon strolling down Duval Street and doing a little shopping.  We viewed the city from the top of the La Concha Hotel.  Then we went to Mallory Square to see some entertainment.  Kim was able to enjoy the zany entertainment of the Key West Cat man.

While the Cat Man performed, Sue's photos show Kim in the audience wondering if his behavior is an act or if he really is bonkers.  I think the jury may be out on that one.

Of course there was the sunset to enjoy too.

All in all, it was a nearly perfect day in Key West, and a great time was had by all.

After the sun set, we enjoyed a dinner at Turtle Kraals in the Key West Bight and then drove back to Marathon.  We discovered that if one showers at 10:30 p.m., one has really hot water.   That is a rarity in a harbour with 14 showers and 225 mooring balls.

Kim left Sunday morning at 8:00 a.m.  Although it was way too short, we had a great visit and will miss her until we get home in April.

Kool in the Keys

February has been a fun month so far.  On the 6th Sue and I celebrated our 16th wedding anniversary at Dockside.

Every Saturday night Dockside has a different band.  This group was from Colorado.  They were pretty good, although unique.  Unfortunately, we cannot remember the name of the band.

On Sunday we continued our anniversary weekend celebration by attending the Pigeon Key Art Show, which was held in the park next to the marina.  There were many wonderful artists on display, and we did pick up one small work of art.  However, the real reason for going was the live entertainment.

Here you see Sue and our friend Tammy Roe from "Osprey" sitting on either side of local music legend Rocketman the Pirate.  Rocketman told us all about his neice, singer Katy Perry.  Rocketman was the emcee for the music at the stage in the park.  We were there to see Sue's favorite, Brian Roberts.

Brian played for two hours straight.  Here Rocketman joins Brian on stage to sing a duet.  After the performance Brian rushed off of the stage to say hello to Sue, who apparently must be considered a Brian Roberts groupie.

A folk singing duo called Patchouli also performed.  They were superb guitarists, and Julie Patchouli wrote all of her own music.  She was a fabulous singer. They invited Rocketman to sit in for one song to do percussion.

Then they passed noise makers so that the audience could be involved.  A fun time was had by all.

Not everyone seemed to display the same level of enthusiasm.

On Tuesday Dennis and Barbara Snelson on "Noble House" drove us to Sharkeys in Key Colony, were we enjoyed happy hour.  Happy hour consisted of chicken wings or shrimp for twenty five cents each.  It was great eating and a great deal.  Thursday we were back at Dockside with Tammy and Jerel, enjoying their rib special.  The ribs were awesome!  We were joined by Carl and Margaret from "Trust Me", whom we had met at the Glades Boat yard in November.  They are anchored right next to us.  We all enjoyed the music of Joe Mamma.  Unfortunately, I forgot the camera.  The weather turned cold, though, so we sat under the propane heater.

On Saturday the 13th we walked a mile to the bookstore, where Florida author Tim Dorsey was doing a book signing.  We got there early and purchased the first four books of his "Serge" mystery series, then met Tim, who signed them and agreed to pose for a photo with Charlie, the owner of the bookstore.

That's Charlie on the left and Tim Dorsey in the middle.

We then hiked south another mile and visited longtime friends Jim and Sharon Angel aboard their trawler "Blue Angel".  They are at the dock at Marathon Marina waiting for a mooring ball to open up.  We had a nice visit.  They are always fun.

The days have been in the low 60s and the nights are as low as 50 degrees this week, so it gets a little cold in the boat at night.  The cold air does reward us with beautiful sunsets, however.

We are currently getting ready for a long weekend visit from my daughter Kim.  We are very excited to see her, and Sue has worked hard to clear out an aft cabin for her to sleep in.  It will be colder than she had hoped for, but I am sure we will have a wonderful visit.

Feeling Keysey

Life on the mooring ball in Boot Key Harbor City Marina in Marathon is great.

The city added a new dingy dock which is located in front of the Cheekee Hut.  Finding dingy space is no longer a problem.

The new laundry and restroom and shower building is open.  With about 14 showers there is no longer any waiting, despite having 225 boats on mooring balls and many more anchored.  We have settled in to our comfortable daily routines of living in paradise.

On Saturday the 22nd of January we joined Jerel and Tammy Roe of  "Osprey" on a bus excusion to two flea markets on Pine Island.  We first visited a nautical flea market, where Sue bought a small painting by a local artist who it turns out is living on a mooring ball about 200 feet from us.  Then we enjoyed the weekly regular flea market just one mile down the road.

We then hopped on the bus for the ride back to Marathon, where we enjoyed fresh fish sandwiches at Keys Fisheries.

 

We also visited the new West Marine store.

The good news is that the store is twice as large as the old one.  The bad news is that they are no longer on the Marathon Boatyard property, so the boatyard has removed the dingy dock.  The only way to get to West Marine now is to walk the mile or so down US 1.

On Tuesday, January 26th we took the bus to Key West along with Jerel and Tammy.  The 50 mile ride is only a $1.50 for seniors.  What a great deal.  We rented bicycles and rode the long way to Sloppy Joe's, where we enjoyed lunch while being entertained by Sue's favorite singer, Brian Roberts.

Brian is a good singer and a darn fine guitar player.  I think that is what Sue likes about him.

The view from the top of the La Concha hotel in Key West was great.  We have never visited the lighthouse, so we will have to include that in our next trip.

 

We have only eaten at Dockside, our favorite waterfront restaurant, twice.  Although we usually eat fish, their prime rib was unbelievably good last Saturday night.  It also doesn't hurt that they have live entertainment seven nights a week.  We are meeting some really nice people and having a great time.  Hope that you are too.

Movin to Marathon

Fort Myers is a lovely town.  The city has renovated the downtown area, and it is quite beautiful.

They often close down some of the streets to offer entertainment events which draw nice crowds.  Thomas Edison, Harvey Firestone and Henry Ford spent winters here, so they too saw the attactiveness of the area and the climate.

We sailors always look forward to Thursday's farmer's market, which was well stocked even after the disasterous cold front ravaged so much of this years agriculture.  Here Sue samples some recently harvested kettlel corn.

Despite all of its positive attributes, we were more than ready to set sail for the Florida Keys when the weather finally improved.  With a three day window which would allow us to make the keys, we planned our departure for Monday, January 18th, despite the forecast of rather light winds from the northwest.  We said goodbye to our sailing friends at Legacy Harbour Marina and filled our water tanks and jerry jugs, then we were ready to go.

We left Monday morning at 7:40 a.m.  We motored the two hours down the Caloosahatchee River to the Gulf of Mexico.  There was very little wind, so we did not even uncover the mainsail.  The gulf was still recovering from yesterday's powerful westerly winds, so a 2 to 3 foot beam sea rocked the boat.  Lucy soon was seasick.  Sue tried to help her, and soon didn't feel too well either.  Full strength coca-cola helped.  On the way south we passed the Gemini catamaran "Links".  Tim called on the VHF radio and we talked about our disappointment in missing each other.  He and Jill didn't seem to be enjoying the seas either.  The admiral convinced me to enter the ICW at Naples instead of Marco Island to get out of the rough seas sooner.  We did so even though it added 30 minutes to our trip to Goodland.  The ICW is really shallow in spots, but no problem for a catamaran like "Passage".  We say many Ospreys in their nests on the day markers, including this feisty couple.

We arrived in Goodland at 5:10 p.m. and anchored in five feet of water.  It was a long day, and we were asleep pretty early.  The next day we motor sailed to the Little Shark River and anchored just inside the penninsula protecting the bay at the mouth of the river.  We grilled pork tenderloin, watched a little tv and went to bed early again.  Wednesday we motored all the way to Marathon.  The crab trap floats were unusually thick and we had to be especially vigilant at the helm.  The last two hours we could hear boats being assigned mooring balls by the Boot Key Harbor City Marina. We called upon arrival, and were the first boat to be told that no balls were available.  The anchorage was especially packed.  Fortunately, we soon heard friends Ruth and Barry  on Another Adventure being offered a place on the wall at the marina.  We called and asked for wall space too.  They moved a couple of boats, and we had a place to spend the night!  Richard, the marina manager, is a great guy and very accommodating.

We enjoyed catching up with Barry and Ruth during that evening's happy hour.

Fortunately, some mooring balls opened up the next morning.  I requested one to the east towards Dockside Lounge, and we were assigned E-9.  It is a perfect location.  It is a four minute dingy ride to the dingy dock at the marina and a four minute dingy ride to Dockside.  What could be better?  Perhaps our first sunset in the mooring field at Marathon.

Brrrrrr

Boy, has it ever been cold in Fort Myers, Florida.

No, not that cold.  Our next door neigbors in Painesville, Ohio, sent us photos of the back and front of our house.  The third photo is on their drive to work (what is that?) one morning this past week.  I guess they wanted us to feel better about the unusual cold streak we are suffering through here in Florida.  Since the first cold front on New Years Day, we have seen night time temperatures in the 30's.  Today, Jan. 11, it was exactly 30 degrees.  There was white frost on the dock despite the breeze.  We are comfortable aboard "Passage" as our reverse cycle heat runs all night.  However, sailing to our destination of Marathon in the Keys involves anchoring out for a few nights.  No heat.  I really hate waking up in the morning and seeing my breath while I lie in bed.  So we are waiting for the weather to return to "normal".  Hopefully, we will be leaving on Thursday, Jan. 14th, for Keywaydin Island near Marco Island.  Sue would like to spend a couple of nights there because of the uninhabited beach, which is great for shelling and peaceful walks.  Then, it should be on to Marathon after the weekend.  This is our fourth scheduled time of departure, so we shall see.  In the meantime, stay warm and safe.

Fitting Out in Fort Myers

After we arrived in Ft. Myers, it rained for three days.  We then spent some time cleaning and waxing, until the weather turned too hot!  With near record highs in the upper 80s, Jack decided it was time to install bilge pumps in both hulls.  Two trips to West marine and hours of snaking wires and tubes occupied the next couple of days.  The project ended successfully with two new, functioning bilge pumps.

During the second day of the project, the air conditioner could no longer keep the boat cool.  Fellow boaters and the marina recommended air conditioning repairmen, but the idea of paying 65 dollars just for someone to come to the boat, and then 65 dollars an hour to fix it didn't have much appeal.  Finally, we called Mermaid, the manufacturer who happens to be in Fort Myers.  They said to bring it in and they would have a look.  Sounds easy, right?

As you can see, the reverse cycle unit and electric contol box are crammed into this little box.  We had to disconnect the wiring and remove the electrical box first, followed by the unit itself, which barely squeezed through the opening .  The next morning we arrived at Mermaid at 8:30 a.m.  Dave the technician found the coolant leak in no time, and we left the machine in his capable hands.  Two hours later he called to say it was done.  He had also cleaned the raw water system with Actibrite and repainted the unit, which looked brand new. Talk about great service!  We can't say enough good things about Mermaid.  Reinstalling the unit was not too difficult once we figured out how to get it back into the little box, and now it works great.

Our other major project was to replace our standing rigging.  Our friend Captain Joe Hanko does rigging and, after inspecting the rig, stated that we could probably go another year or two; but we wanted to be proactive so that we had confidence in the rig.  The rigging job took longer than anticipated because of supplier issues, but we also learned a lot.

Here Joe is demonstrating how to assemble a Sta-Loc fitting.  The blue head covering is a new look for Joe, whose scalp was sensitive from previous sun exposure.

Joe hauled himself up and down the mast innumerable times with his 4 to 1 ratio block system and climbing harness.  When the last wire was replaced, we tuned the rig.  That too was a great learning experience.

With the rigging job completed, we could bend on the sails.  With the sails out of the way, Sue began to stock the boat in earnest for our impending departure for the Florida Keys!  One of our last jobs was to test the outboard.  Our always reliable two stroke Mercury would not start!  Fortunately, our friend Tom Nelson of North Fort Myers repairs marine engines.  Tom graciously took on the job immediately, and two hours later he had disassembled the carburetor, cleaned the jets, reassembled everything, had her purring like a kitten!  It is great to have friends like Tom and Connie.

Despite the work, we have managed to maintain an active social life too.  We enjoyed several "happy hour" discussions with Dale and Antha Koonce off the PDQ 32 Mongoose Magic before they left to visit their daughter for the holidays.

The marina sponsored a pot luck Christmas party on December 17th that was very well attended.  We hosted a shrimp boil at Craig and Helen Wilson's home in North Fort Myers that was great fun and great eating.  The arrival of John and Brenda from Sudbury, Ontario, aboard the Gemini Catamaran "Some Dream" accelerated the social activities even more. 

John and Brenda know how to have fun.  "Happy Hour" is always a very entertaining event.  We have enjoyed many of those.  John and Brenda took us to dinner on Christmas Eve at Icabod's.  Then we walked past the Edison and Ford estates and their glittering decorations and through a neighborhood where many of the residents place candles in paperbags and thus line the street each Christmas Eve.  On Christmas Day the Admiral cooked a turkey breast aboard "Passage", and we enjoyed another fun filled dinner with Brenda and John.

Phil Dolsen, a friend from home who sails "Changes" out of our yacht club on Lake Erie drove down from north of Tampa to spend one afternoon with us.  It was great getting all the news from home. 

We also enjoyed brunch in Punta Gorda with good friends Lee and Betty Booth, who met us half way between Arcadia and Fort Myers.  We savored a fine breakfast at IHOP and then checked out the boats and shops at Fisherman's Village.  It was a beautful day with clear skies and cool temperatures.  Lee and Jack especially shared many laughs after not seeing each other for over a month.

Because we are not quite ready to leave Legacy Harbour Marina, we will miss the current weather window to head for Marathon.  Our next chance looks to be around New Year's Day.  We still have quite a bit of work in order to have Passage ready to cruise.  Hopefully, all of this socializing will not disrupt this scheduled departure.

Happy New Year!