Travels to Key West

My faithful blog follower, little sis Kathy, begged for a new entry....so I'll tear myself away from the sunshine to do a little writing. A lot has happened in the last 10 days or so. We have been marooned in paradise (specifically Bahia Honda State Park--in the Lower Keys) since Saturday the 24th--due to a northerly wind with gusts up to 30mph. The open water was no place to be...just ask sailor cat Pearl. We were enduring a rolly ride up on deck, but poor Pearl was down below howling for me to save her.

(Pearl...contemplating jumping ship in the days before our open water adventure)

You see, we tried to tell the Captain that his weather resources didn't jive with the posted weather/wave predictions we saw at the fuel dock right before leaving Marathon, FL. The Captain (we call Barry this to make him feel good:) predicted waves of 1/2 meter (20"). The pros at the fuel dock predicted waves of 2-6 feet!! Wait a minute...can we discuss this?? Sure  enough, within a short while we knew we would have to find a protected dock or we would all be sick and beat up. Luckily it was high tide (something we don't think about in St Louis) and we were able to plow our way through the narrow opening to this lovely little harbor. Let's not talk about the smell of batteries burning up or the way the Captain reached for the TowBoat US phone number--we made it. 

Barry and Jerry training to be on the Olympic rowing team.

We have visited several places as we journeyed towards Key West--including Key Largo. While there, we anchored the sailboat and dinghied through the mangroves to another state park, searching for a beach. (Did you know that sandy beaches are few and far between down here in the Keys?) We made the mistake of asking an auxilliary Coast Guard member for directions to the beach, as the GPS was wrong. He promptly asked if we all had life jackets...ummmmm, no. Note to self: even if we are traveling through water that is shallow, always carry life jackets. Speaking of shallow water--upon our return to the sailboat, we encountered very shallow water--meaning the outboard was useless, so Jerry and Barry had to be our gondoliers. Can't understand why they wouldn't sing. 

But we heard some singing in Marathon! This is the Eric Stone Band...world famous to people like Jerry who love island music. Just so happened they were playing at the dockside restaurant we chose to frequent. (Chosen because we could get there easily in our taxi--the dinghy) Great band! Good food! Marathon, FL is a parking lot for 'cruisers' who just want to stay put--not us! Although the marina offers a large laundry facility--in which I learned how to watch and pounce upon open dryers and washers. So many different skill sets to learn....

Another gorgeous sunrise over our anchorage....one of the benefits of being on the water

The above 4 pictures are of Bahia Honda State Park--our home away from home (and wind) for the last four days. Lovely beach; well-stocked gift store and concession stand; nature talks with park rangers; butterflies; manatee momma and twins; walking trails; and more.

A must-see in Key West is Sloppy Joe's--where Hemingway supposedly hung out.

Cheers from Jerry, Kak, and Barry in Sloppy Joe's.

Jerry trying to paste a River Bill (favorite website) bumper sticker on the Duval St sign.

After riding the local bus to Key West one time, we decided to break down and rent a car--so we could travel at our leisure to Key West and beyond. Pictured above is sunset at Mallory Square--where everyone gathers to watch street performers and eventually a spectacular sunset. We spent a couple of afternoons in Key West enjoying shopping, the Mel Fisher Treasure Museum, beautiful architecture, and colorful characters like the guy on a scooter in a top hat and a red velvet coat, with two little dogs perched on his knees. Could I make that up?

Just look at that sky!

Til next time....

Fort Lauderdale south to Miami

Since we last 'talked', we have found the warm weather we were searching for! We are currently in No Name Harbor, south of Miami. This is a state park, complete with walking trails, a protected harbor, a restaurant, a lighthouse, a washer/dryer, pump-out, and miles of beach. The washer/dryer and pump-out (don't ask) are most important for travelers like us--but we're enjoying everything about this place.

Our good friends Jerry and Kak joined us in Fort Lauderdale and will be with us for two weeks as we head toward Key West. They are sleeping in the V-berth--can you say 'close quarters'? But there have been no complaints!

Pearl, the sailor cat, sometimes ventures out on deck to take in the sights--but only if we are moving slowly, like when we were waiting for drawbridges to go up. She is a good little traveler--even without the kitty tranquilizers we used last year.

Backing up a bit, we celebrated my birthday at Jensen Beach--an artsy beach community that is the home to one of our favorite restaurants--Crawdaddy's-- where we can eat and drink on the patio under a massive tree festooned with lights and banners. Luckily, a trio was playing bluesy, cajun music while we ate a dinner of crab cakes--one of my favs!!

Traveling further south, we realized that there is a LOT of money in the Lauderdale/Miami area. Homes sitting on the water, scrunched together, are worth millions!

                                                                  Miami Skyline

On our way to Coconut Grove, we sailed through Key Biscayne and watched several races during which colorful spinnakers were used to boost speed. Upon arriving at Coconut Grove, we picked up a mooring balll--first time for Jerry to co-pilot while Barry loops the line through the top of the mooring ball, all done while the boat is still moving. Teamwork!

Today, Jerry and Barry are doing some repair work on the boat while Kak and I do laundry and take a walk. The beach is a short walk away, so hopefully we'll head there this afternoon to 'unlax' as Jerry says. See example below! Stay tuned....

Southward Bound 2015

Baby, it's cold down here. I'm talking 5 layers of clothes and 2 pr of socks cold. (I know...St Louis is FRIGID right now. I'll stop whining....but can someone mail gloves and long underwear please?) We left St Simon Island, GA on Mon. Jan. 5th and are slowly making it down the east coast of Florida to pick up our friends Jerry and Kak in Ft Lauderdale. That's a 300 mile trip....no biggie, right? In a car, that takes about 5 hours. In a sailboat, it will take 6 DAYS--traveling an average of 8 hours a day. Did I mention,it's cold and windy?

After a rollicking, practically sleepless night on the ocean, we dragged our tired selves into a charming marina just south of Daytona Beach. High winds were predicted, so we wanted to be tied into a dock for the night. Lucky for me, there were nature trails and lovely residential streets to roam while Barry did what he likes best--work on the boat! 

Because the waves on the ocean were predicted to be 10 footers, we stayed on the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) in FL--protected waters that run parallel to the ocean, providing a safe place to boat. Most bridges are high enough for our 55ft mast, but sometimes we get to stop traffic in order to go through a drawbridge. Just past this bridge, we found a small, protected cove with a fishing dock to tie up to. Manatee greeted us as we came in just before dark. 

We've been entertained by dolphin, diving pelicans, wayward crab pots, unexpected groundings in the channel, nesting osprey, starry nights, a delicious shrimp pasta prima vera in our galley, pine islands, and hot showers after a day on the water in 30 mph winds with temperatures in the 40s. Stay tuned...