Happy 2010 to You!

Last night, we walked down the other end of town to the "wild" side and boy did we see some sights! Here's a guy who was dancing outside a bar trying to get others to come in. His mother would be so proud!

Well, went to the Annual Dachshund Parade to support Jazzy's boyfriend, Sailor. I didn't know there were so many different kinds of dachshunds!

Here's a photo of Wayne and Sailor at the parade starting point.

I took some photos, then met up with Patti and we spent the day shopping. I bought a beautiful Australian Opal and diamond ring with my retirement gift money given to me by my co-workers. I saw it three days ago and just haven't seen anything close to it, so I went back and tried it on again and took the plunge. I love it. And it's something I can wear every day and think of them!

We are going to dinner around 8 p.m. to Pepe's, the oldest restaurant in Key West. Then we're off to some of the festivities in town. There's three events in town: the big red shoe drop with the drag queen parade, near Bourbon St. Pub; the Conch shell drop from Sloppy Joe's; and the wench drop from the mast of the big schooner right near our boat.

We'll join the Bumms for dinner. Wayne wants to see the Conch shell drop; Patti and I want to see the red shoe drop, but don't really feel like dealing with thousands of people; and Chuck wants to watch the wench drop with a view from our boat, so we're still trying to decide what to do. I went to bed too late last night and am tired, so will probably stay on the boat with Chuck and watch the festivities in the harbor.

Having Fun in Key West

Our hearts were with our kids and the entire Smith Family today as they attended the funeral of their grandfather, Forrest "Jerry" Smith, who passed on Christmas Eve morning. We love you guys!

We're having fun in Key West. Patti and I took Jazzy for a long walk through town yesterday and did a lot of shopping. We bought a few shirts and a pair of shorts. We found the post office and I dropped my mail in. Then we walked over the where the cruise ships dock and saw some of the entertainers.

I'm looking for a piece of jewelry to buy with my retirement gift from my co-workers. I found a gorgeous ring that I may go back and buy. I'm going to do more shopping tomorrow first to be sure.

On the way back to the boat, we saw this twisted mimosa tree.


Chuck is taking an excursion to the Dry Tortugas on Yankees Freedom II, the national park ferry tomorrow, to see Fort Jefferson. I'm going to stay behind and do some laundry and some shopping.

Yesterday, we went to Sloppy Joe's to listen to some blues. Chuck was in his glory watching the piano player in the Old Geezers Band. We even bought two of his CDs. I had a Sloppy Joe special and a couple rum runners. Chuck had a hoagie.

Today, we took Jazzy for a dinghy ride and explored around Key West. We checked out the mooring field owned by the city and the other marinas and anchorages. It was a wet ride. I'm glad I had on my rain gear!

Tonight we're going back to Sloppy Joe's to listen to the Pete and Wayne comedy show...if we can get a seat!

Look at all the birds on this boat and dinghy!

There are lots of abandoned boats anchored here.

Rough Day on the Water; At Key West Bight Marina through Jan. 3

Last night, after dinner on Bum's Rest, Chuck noticed our mast light was out. He paddled back to Sheet Music and raised our Davis light from our flag line. When we get a calm day at the marina, he'll replace it with a better LED. The bulb that blew was a Dr. LED bulb and they ended up being lousy bulbs. One went out last week in the aft cabin. Luckily, we don't have too many of those on the boat.


We had a lazy morning and left Sugarloaf Key Anchorage around 11:30 a.m. or so and sailed in Hawks Channel. Both sails were reefed. Winds were 16-20 knots with higher gusts and we were heeling way over, and had to reef again. Seas were 2-3 feet and were following at the start, but later were over our beam. Our SOG was 6.5 knots, then went down to 5.2 knots with about 1/3 of both sails out. It was very choppy and rough and I was feeling a little queasy.

I heard one of the wine glasses that hangs on the side wall crash to the floor (that's why there's no glass on the boat...it survived). The wind was directly over our beam. I noticed the paddle on the dinghy was dragging in the water. It came out of the holder, but still was attached with a pivoting pin.

Winds increased to 20-23 with gusts to 27. We were motorsailing at 7.3 knots at 2800 rpms. At 1:10 p.m. it proved to be too much and I cranked in the main sail. We were still doing 6.5 knots with only 2/3 of our jib out. Ten minutes later, I noticed the paddle had flipped back into the dinghy.

We were heading to an anchorage, but it was not sheltered and didn't look like a very appealing area to be. We saw this eagle's nest atop a pole on our way into the anchorage. While exploring, between markers 5B and 7B, Bum's Rest had a grounding when the high winds blew them onto a shoal. Wayne jumped in the water with his anchor and quickly pulled himself out. He called the marina where we had reservations beginning tomorrow and asked them if we could come in a day early. They had slips available, so we are at Key West Bight Marina until Jan. 3.

There are no finger piers here, so it's a challenge climbing off the bow of the boat onto the dock. Especially with the high winds!

On our way to the marina, we saw parasailers. They went close to Bum's Rest and I snapped this photo.

As we were coming into the harbor, we saw two cruise ships docked: Holland America's Ryndam and Carnival's Freedom.

Winds were 25-27 knots going past the cruise ships and seas were choppy. We were dunking the anchor! The skipper was getting wet as the waves were splashing over the sides. The dodger protected us from getting totally drenched, but as you can see he was bundled up trying to protect himself.

I cooked dinner tonight...shrimp and grouper dredged in flour, egg and panko bread crumbs and pan-fried; fresh zucchini and baked potatoes.

Some of the many beautiful sailboats here.

Snorkeled at Looe Key Protected Reef; Anchored at Sugarloaf Key

When I woke up this morning, I looked outside and spotted Chuck with a fishing pole casting his line. I snapped this shot through the dodger without him knowing I was even awake yet.

 

We had breakfast and then pulled anchor around 10:15 a.m. and headed for the reef to snorkel. At 11:25 a.m. the water turned a beautiful blue. We were going over a reef and the depth was 16-20 ft.

 

We moored at Looe Key Management Area to snorkel the reef. Chuck and I donned our gear: lycra body suits (skins), short wet suits, fins, masks and snorkels and jumped into the water. There was a cluster of mooring balls all around the reef so you could moor your boat and jump in. And that's just what we did.

 

We couldn't believe our luck. We were in about 11 ft. of water right over a beautiful section of the reef and there were hundreds of fish swimming right under our boat. As soon as we jumped in the water and looked down, we saw that we were surrounded by hundreds of tropical fish. Very vibrant colors.

 

This photo shows how blue the water was where we were snorkeling. Isn't it pretty?

 

We swam all around our boat and then over to Bum's Rest. They were in deeper water so we didn't see as many fish there. Wayne took some photos of us in our snorkeling gear. We then swam back to our boat and Chuck climbed into our dinghy. I held onto the back and he rowed us over to Bum's Rest and asked Wayne to climb in and take us to where the water was breaking so we could see the reef over there. He was afraid we'd be too tired to swim all the way back.

 

We saw very colorful fans and coral and larger fish over there. It was like looking at an oversized aquarium. It ended up that the best place was right under our boat! So we swam back to our boat and I took some pictures with an underwater disposable camera. Won't have those until the film gets developed!

 

At one point, the fin came off my right foot and I thought I lost it. But I swam and got it. Close call.

While swimming back to the boat, we saw a three-foot Barracuda about 8 ft. away. I climbed back onto the boat and Chuck took Wayne back to his boat in the dinghy, came back and hooked the dinghy back to Sheet Music  We were starving, so I went down and made lunch.

 

After we got underway, I went down and got a quick rinse off and put my clothes back on because I was cold. Chuck took off his wet suit and left his lycra skin on and put cutoffs on top. He looked like a dancer in tights! I had to take a picture. LOL. He was taking the diving flag down.

 

At 2:45 p.m. we were motorsailing at 7 knots with 7.5 knots of wind. The main sail jammed in the track again from pulling it out under pressure. Damn. Hate it when that happens! We kept coming about to get the sail out and it finally budged.

 

We're anchored at Sugarloaf Key for the night.  We first tried the plow anchor, but couldn't get a good hold. So we pulled that up and dropped the Fortress Danforth and that has a good hold. Chuck dropped the claw too just in case.

Wayne took this photo of Sheet Music with the sunset.

Patti made spaghetti and meatballs for dinner with chocolate pudding and cool whip for dessert. Yum. Good thing I didn't have to cook tonight...I'm exhausted from snorkeling!

Visited Bahia Honda; Anchored in Newfound Harbor

We're safely anchored in Newfound Harbor, near Big Pine Key. We left our Marathon mooring at 8:30 a.m. and stopped at Burdine's to top off the fuel for the sailboat, gas for the dinghy, get ice and dump trash ($1 a bag!) We pulled our sails at 9:30 a.m. and turned off the motor. We were headed for an anchorage. North winds were 12 knots over our starboard rear quarter. We were averaging 5-5.5 knots SOG. Temperature was 71 degrees and we were sailing in 25 ft. of water.

Around noon, we stopped at Bahia Honda State Park. We saw a school of dolphins as we were heading toward the two bridges and needed to make a big loop to get around a shoal and a little island. We docked at Bahia Honda and walked onto the Old Bahia Honda Bridge. We took lots of photos...beautiful views (see below).

At 1:30 p.m., we left the park and 20 minutes later, pulled the job out. Winds were only 7-8 knots and speed over ground was just 3-3.5 but we were not in a hurry. It was warmer too...we were in T-shirts.

At 3 p.m., Boatpix.com circled around us in a helicopter, taking photos of us. We'll have to go online and check them out.

We arrived at our anchorage in Newfound Harbor around 4:15 p.m. I made tacos for dinner and we enjoyed Christmas cookies sent by friends and family with our coffee. Thanks to Kathie, Sandi and Mom!

We'll pull anchor around 10 a.m. We're not going far and hope to snorkel! Patti doesn't want to get in the water, so she'll watch the dogs.

Isn't this a spectacular view? I love Bahia Honda.

Notice the different colors of the water, depending on depth.

Patti, Chuck, Kathy & Jazzy

The narrow and shallow entry into Bahia Honda State Park and one of the breathtaking views from the old bridge.

Mass at San Padro RC Church; Christmas Dinner with Other Cruisers

We woke up at 7:30 a.m. and I made our traditional cinnamon rolls to go with breakfast. We took showers and got ready for mass. Just as we were getting ready to leave, it started to pour! So we put our  raingear on and it was a wet ride to the marina.

We called Dave's Island Taxi for a ride to San Padro Church. It was still pouring rain, not our idea of Christmas in the tropics.

After mass, we walked outside and the sun was bright and shining and it was a glorious day. The church and particularly the grounds were beautiful!

Notice the large fountain outside the church.

This was to the left of the main entrance.

We walked around and I took a bunch of photos. They had a coral grotto dedicated to the Blessed Mother. You could walk the rosary walkway and the prayers were on monuments. They had the stations of the cross on another pathway. There were life-size angels all around that light up at night. The trees were all decorated with lights and ornaments. The gardens were just beautiful.

After mass, we called Dave's Island Taxi and rode back to the marina. Chuck took Jazzy for a quick dinghy ride to get her some exercise, while I made a Caesar Salad for the Dockmaster's Christmas Dinner, up at the marina building.

Everyone brought their own drinks, plates and flatware from their boats. They served ham, turkey, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, stuffing and all the trimmings and everyone brought a covered dish, so there was a ton of food. I heard one guy say they made 140 lbs. of turkey!

The event was 1-4 p.m. There was at least 200 people there. It was a good time.

We wish all of our family and friends a very Merry Christmas! We miss you all!

Merry Christmas to All from Marathon!

Merry Christmas to all from Marathon! We're missing everyone, especially at the holiday season, but we're enjoying our trip of a lifetime.

We enjoyed our visit with Doreen. She looks great and it was so good to see her. See photo above with Chucfk and Doreen in dinghy.

We went to the ocean side and walked on the beach and in the community park. We went out to dinner at Castaways last night. It was the best meal we've had in Marathon. I had their Best of the Island award winner of snapper with artichokes, peppers and tomatoes in a light basil cream sauce with new potatoes and mixed vegetables. Chuck had scallops and Doreen had baby back ribs. !Delicious

Patti and I walked all around town today and did some shopping. I did a load of laundry.

Patti cooked lasagna tonight with salad and cuban bread. I took some berries and Angel food cake over. Yum. Chuck wore his Mickey Santa hat and we watched our traditional National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. We put Christmas T-shirts on the dogs. Jazzy's says "Rudolph's Got Nothin' On Me" and Sailor's says, "Naughty." Cute.

Tomorrow is a dinner for the cruiser's at 1 p.m.. I'm making 3 dz. deviled eggs to take. We're going to try to catch a cab for 11 a.m. mass at San Padro's Catholic Church.

Merry Christmas to all!

Warming Up in Marathon; Looking forward to Doreen's Visit Tomorrow!

The temperature is slowly warming up in Boot Key Harbor. It was in the low 70s today. I walked to Publix and did a major food shopping. Then I called Dave's Island Taxi, who brought be back to the city marina, where Chuck met us with the dinghy. It was loaded down, let me tell you. I didn't think I was going to fit! Plus, we bought 20 lbs. of ice at the dockmaster's office for the stuff that I knew wasn't going to fit in the refrigerator.

Chuck decorated the boat with blue icicle lights along the railings and LED multi-colored globe lights on the boom and mast. We ran the generator for two hours to light them up. The boat looks pretty.

We heard the kids were concerned that we wouldn't have a Christmas tree. Rest assured, boys, that we have a little Norfolk Pine for a Christmas tree on our table (see photo). It has a silver snowflake and gold bells on it.

We're looking forward to Chuck's sister Doreen's visit tomorrow. She's driving over to spend the day and, hopefully, the night. It's a 3.5 hour drive for her from Naples. We're planning on taking her to dinner.

On Christmas Day, there's a cruiser's dinner from 1-4 p.m., hosted by the dockmaster and his wife. They are serving turkey, ham, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie. Everyone is taking a covered dish. I'm making three dozen deviled eggs. Patti is making carrot and raisin salad.
It should be a nice time. There's also a dinner at Dockside, but I don't think we're going to that.

Billy got at least one package for us, so we'll try to catch up to him tomorrow.

It was my turn to cook dinner. I tried a new recipe from the one-pan galley meals cookbook for Walnut Chicken over whole grain rice. It was pretty tasty. I cut up three large granny smith apples and added raisins, brown sugar, cinnamon, walnuts and a little butter and baked it in the toaster oven. Topped it with a little ff cool whip. It was delicious!

Overcast, Cooler in Marathon

A cold front came in last night with high winds and the high today was only 74. The cooler temperatures are expected to stay through Christmas.

We had a good day with Billy Kerstetter and his g/f Chrissy. Start in Big Pine Key at the flea market. Went back to his house. Then her house. Very nice and a beautiful view and private marina in their community (notice their "pet" Egret).

Chuck also posed with a banana tree growing in their community in someone's yard.

Got a package from my mom with cookies, candies and nuts. Thanks, Mom!

We stopped for eggs at Winn Dixie, then dinghied to the boat. Left Jazzy on the boat and dinghied to dinner at Dockside. Good band playing. Good company. Good food. Nice evening.

We're hoping to take them sailing early in the week and maybe snorkel. Wish I had taken the camera for a few pix!

Tomorrow: laundry. To those at home, be careful in the snow and have fun!

Windy, Rainy in Boot Key Harbor

We were up at 4:30 a.m. with lightning and rain. Jazzy sensed it coming before it hit and was in full panic mode. I put on her calming collar and in five minutes she calmed right down. I love that collar!

We are getting some rain this morning and winds are around 20 knots, gusting to 25. The brunt of the storm is going around us...again. We've really lucked out with weather this trip.

Patti is cooking tonight, so it will probably be a wet dinghy ride to their boat, which is just on the next mooring ball.

I'm hoping to finish reading my book today. Chuck has a few projects to work on around the boat. I may do a little cleaning. We'll see how the hand handles it.

Tomorrow, we're planning on spending the day with Bill Kerstetter and his girlfriend and will take them to dinner. Sunday I need to replenish supplies at Publix.

Nothing exciting going on. Bought a few things at West Marine for Christmas yesterday. I made an Elf Yourself card of Chuck, me, Patti & Wayne. See link. http://elfyourself.jibjab.com/view/B3sczuyclBq9lCWl

Moored in Marathon for Christmas

We're on a mooring ball in Marathon's Boot Key Harbor City Marina. There are 225 mooring balls here; no docks except for dinghys. Nice facilities, showers, laundry, etc. but no electric except for our generator so we have to be careful with water and power usage. There's a place where you can fill your portable water tanks in your dinghy. First time we saw that...Chuck's been lifting those 6 gal. tanks every time we're moored and need water.

We left Burdine's at 10:30 a.m. It was sunny and in the 80s. Very humid. Chuck and Wayne were supposed to go fishing with Bill Kerstetter today, but we got away too late and Bill and Chuck missed each other's calls, so Bill went without them. So Chuck and I went to shore and had a picnic lunch with the lunch I had packed them.

Then we decided to explore a little bit. We walked to Home Depot and bought a few things. Then we walked to Publix to get a few things for dinner and K-Mart for Christmas decorations. I bought plastic Christmas balls in dark blue, light blue, irredescent white and gold and blue ribbons and a blue and white garland with snowflakes. My favorite is a Santa that sits on the back of the salon "sofa."

After a while of walking in the heat, Jazzy put on all four brakes every time we hit a patch of shade. So we put her in a cart in Home Depot and walked her all around the store, then to Publix. We found a K-Mart cart at Publix and switched her to that and took her to K-Mart. I didn't have my camera and didn't think to use my phone, so no pictures but it was cute. She got a lot of attention every where we went.

Chuck stopped at the barber shop and got his first haircut since we left home, while Jazzy and I waited in the shade.

We're here on the mooring ball through Christmas. I decorated the inside of the boat for Christmas (see pictures), then made salad, garlic shrimp with penne pasta, Cuban bread and biscotti for dessert.

Tomorrow we'll walk to West Marine for a few things. We'll probably leave Jazzy on the boat. It's too hot for her to walk. She needs a haircut, but my hand isn't ready for that yet. Still healing.

At Burdine's in Marathon

We are at Burdine's Waterfront Marina in Marathon. It was only about 10 miles to get here from Bahia Harbor.

We anchored front and rear in shallow water to take photos yesterday and never moved the boats back to deeper water. Overnight during low tide, the shallow alarm kept going off and it was shallower than the previous low tide.

We tried to pull the back anchor to the front of the boat figuring it would split the difference and pull us to deeper water, but it didn't get a good hold in the coral. So we pulled one anchor and left the other with a fender to mark its location. We then motored to deeper water and reanchored with the plow. Chuck took the dinghy to retrieve the other anchor and fender.

After we were settled again, we took Jazzy and the dinghy to Bahia Honda Park to .buy breakfast and a few souvenir items. The ride over was a little choppy with a following sea. On the way back, I served as the dodger and my back got soaked several times as waves splashed over the bow. Luckily, it was warm already and I was wearing a bathing suit and shorts. I rinsed my shorts out in the sink and hung them on the railing to dry. My pocketbook got drenched too and I washed it in the sink.

We went through seven-mile bridge. When we got to Burdine's in Marathon, I did laundry and tossed the pocketbook in to spin, then dried it with the laundry. I can't believe how much time and money I've spent on doing laundry this trip!

We took naps and then showered for dinner, which we ate on Burdine's upper deck.

We sat and talked for a while and came back to the boats around 9 p.m.

We plan to stay here for two nights, then move to a mooring ball through Christmas. We'll probably hit a few stores tomorrow. I need to buy Christmas decorations for the boat!