Log 92; Day 249; Jan. 25, 2009; Key West

Deb found this cool looking mosiac house on one of her walks around town

One of the sail boat races they had this week

That's me in the black shirt walking the docks...something I do on a regular basis

That's me talking to Jack...on his 65 foot fishing boat. I think this is where he asked me if I wanted to go fishing?

This boat is owned by Rick Hendrick...the famous NASCAR owner

Log 92
Day 249
Sunday, January 25, 2009

7:00 AM EST
Location: A&B Marina, Key West, FL
Weather: 63 with light winds

We are back to normal weather here now...highs in the mid 70’s and lows in the mid 60’s. It only got down to 63 overnight, and it is a beautiful morning. Our docks are still somewhat quite, but just across the harbor the charter boats are leaving their slips. The sun is not up yet, but it’s light enough to see out in the gulf, and the water looks very nice and calm. It should be a great day in Key West.

We continue to really enjoy our time here. Deb walks almost every day now and reaches her 10,000 steps most of the time. She is keeping track of the different places she visits, and has listed them on the map so we can go back when we want. She also found a craft fair on Saturday...but, as far as I know, she did not bring anything back to the boat. I have been trying to fish the last 3 days (since the wind died down) and don’t have much to show for it (I’ve caught about 6 fish), but I have really enjoyed exploring, and trying different things. When I talked to John (a fishing guide who has a slip near us) he told me to head out to Bay Key, but to be very careful because it is very shallow in most of the area around the 3 islands. It took me 3 tries, on three different days...but I finally found a channel that was deep enough at low tide to get me there. I marked it on my GPS, so I can get back without a problem. Now all I have to do is figure out where the fish are.

The marina has been very active lately...with lots of folks coming and going. I’ve met several of the new comers...and as usual every boat (owner) has a story. A 65 foot Ocean Yacht just arrived from Baltimore Maryland. Jack is the owner, and a big time fisherman. The last 5 years he has spend 4 months in the Bahamas fishing, and this year decided to come to Key West and try his luck. He asked if I was interested in going out fishing...I let about 1 second go by before answering...sure. The coolest new boat to dock here is a boat called Reel Wheels (the picture does not do it justice)...an 80 foot Hatteras. It’s owner is Rick Hendrick...no doubt the best, and most famous, NASCAR owner in the business. He has 4 cars driven by Jeff Gordon; Jimmie Johnson; Dale Earnhardt Jr.; and Mark Martin. I talked to his captain, Drew, for a while on yesterday, and we talked about all the people who he takes out and how much fun he has. He’ll be here about 2 weeks, and I’m sure several of the team will be here fishing. Drew also told me he has two 36 foot boats that travel with him to go catch the bait. Oh...and they also have a 124 foot boat, and just took delivery of a 162’ Trinity Yacht. Tough duty. Drew has not asked me to go fishing yet...but we’ll see.

Last night was the first time since we got here (2 weeks ago) that we ate dinner out. Well “dinner” might be stretching a bit (we just had hors d'oeuvres), but we have been told by folks that the restaurant at the end of our dock (about 100 foot from our boat) that we walk by several times a day, has great food, and between 4 and 6:30 all drinks, and 1/2 their menu, is 1/2 price. We tried it and it was great. The beer was cold; the food was excellent; and all for the total sum of $16. Perfect.

Today should be a nice day for a long dingy ride. We plan to take off late morning and head for Hurricane Hole...the cool spot we visited when we first got here. It’s a great outdoor bar that sits right on the water. A very casual place where you tie up your boat, step off, and eat. My kind of place.

It should be a great day.

I’ll keep you posted.

Bob