Log 98; Day 269; Feb. 14, 2009; Last Day in Key West.

Our friends Rome and Teresa have been here for the last 5 days

Relaxing time on the front of the boat.

This is the gang who came in for Annie's (first person on the left) birthday.

Here's Annie on her 60th birthday.

Here's the girls the next day as they rented a golf cart to see the area

On Rome and Teresa's last day we took a long dinghy ride...you can see how foggy it was

This was our destination in the dinghy...Hurrican Hole...great Cheesburger!

Log 98
Day 269
Saturday, February 14, 2009

6:30 AM EST
Location: A&B Marina, Key West, FL
Weather: 67 and foggy...forecasted to be 77 and sunny today

They say it NEVER gets foggy in Key West...but we have had fog the last 2 days. The temperatures are nice, and it’s not foggy all day, but it rolled in and out yesterday, and this morning it’s very foggy.

Each morning as I write the log I have the VHF radio on and listening to boat traffic. This morning I was listening to the Coast Guard talking to a vessel (Lucky Penny) and the radio calls went something like this:
“Motor vessel Lucky Penny...we have a Coast Guard vessel on the way to your location”
Motor vessel Lucky Penny...where do you intend to run your vessel aground”?
Luck Penny responds (in very broken English with a Spanish accent) “we have picked a spot where it is charted to be 1 foot”
“Motor vessel Lucky Penny...you are going very fast, when do you intend to slow your vessel down?”
“We can’t slow down...if we do the boat will fill with water very quickly”
Motor vessel Lucky Penny...we have a pump on board that will pump 250 gallons per minute...do you think that will work”?
“I am not sure we have a large hole in the boat”
“Motor vessel Luck Penny...ok...we will continue following you, and assist as necessary”
That’s the last thing I heard??????

Today is our last full day in Key West. Rome and Teresa will be leaving this morning and heading back to Miami to catch a flight this evening. We’ve had a great time with them aboard...as we always do.

The gang from home also left yesterday...driving back to Cape Coral...where some of them will be until April 1st. It was a lot of fun for all of us to be together. I don’t have the stamina to keep up with them, but watching them is certainly a lot of fun. They are the life of the party wherever they go. I am not exaggerating when I say Deb must have 200 pictures of the last few days with everyone around...I picked a few to give you a feel of our time together.

Today after Rome and Teresa leave we plan to have lunch with our friends Ron and Cindy at Willie T’s. Not sure when we will see them again, so we wanted to get together before we head out. This afternoon we will probably spend most of the time getting the boat ready to leave tomorrow morning. After being here a month, and having folks on board, you tend to use the boat like a house, instead of a boat. This is fine if the boat is not moving, but when it comes time to head out, you need to make sure everything is ship shape, and won’t hurt anything if you hit a big wave or are tossed about in someone’s wake. Deb and I have really enjoyed our time in Key West, but we are looking forward to leaving and going somewhere new. It’s only about 50 miles up to our next stop in Marathon...which is about midway in the keys. The weather for tomorrow looks perfect...light winds and 77 degrees...so it should be a great day for cruising.


I’ll keep you posted.

Bob

Log 97; Day 265; Feb. 10, 2009; Key West

This shot is looking NW from our boat and, although the picture is hard to tell, there is a cold front coming through, and it was like a tall mountain of clouds approaching us. None of us had seen anything like this before.

Another shot of the "wall of clouds" coming at us.

Rome and Teresa having dinner with us at the A&B lobster bar.

Log 97
Day 265
Tuesday, February 10, 2009

6:15AM EST
Location: A&B Marina, Key West, FL
Weather: 65 and light winds...heading for 76 today

We are finally getting back to normal Keys weather again. Today is the last windy day for a while and the temperatures are headed for the upper 70’s or lower 80’s the next few days. The humidity is also back...it’s 80% this morning.

Steve and Claudia left on Friday morning...we had a great time with them on board. I don’t have a lot of stories to tell about their time on board...we just had a great time visiting, and seeing many sights in the area. The only shame of the visit was the fact it was so windy that Steve and I could not go fishing...something we love to do. Oh well...they’ll just have to come back.

Once Steve and Claudia left, Deb and I got busy cleaning the boat, and getting ready for our next guests...Rome and Teresa...long time friends, and at one point neighbors for several years. They flew into Ft. Lauderdale on Sunday and drove to the boat...arriving at about 5:30. Just in time for cocktails. We spent the evening having dinner on the boat and catching up on old times. It was great to see them again, and have them on the boat.

Tuesday...still a little windy...but got to about 72*, so we were not complaining. Rome and I walked to breakfast at Pepe’s, and it turned out to be better than the lunch we had there last week. Rome and Teresa took a long walk in the morning, and found a place to have a bloody mary (not very hard around here...no matter what time it is) and celebrate their vacation in Key West. For lunch we met our friends Ron and Cyndy (I worked with Ron at TLC) and their friends from Cleveland...Mark and Susan. Mark and Susan also boaters, and wanted to see our boat, so after lunch we all walked back to the boat for a tour. In the afternoon Rome, Teresa, Deb, and I decided to jump in the car (what a treat to have wheels for a change) and head to a real grocery store to get some supplies for the week. It is very interesting to compare prices on different things, and see how much cheaper they are just a couple miles away from downtown Key West. If you needed very much it would be worth it to rent a car and go stock up. For dinner we decided to go up to A&B Lobster House for 1/2 price happy hour and enjoy a selection of their appetizers, and we were back at the boat by 7:30. I went to bed about 8:30...not sure when everyone else went to bed...because no one is up yet to give me a report.

Today...a gang of our friends (7) come to Key West. Les and Annie (Deb’s sister and husband); Jennie (their daughter); Darrell and Donna (friends of all of us...and the couple who share a home in Cape Coral, FL with Les and Annie for 2 months each year); and Lyle and Char (another couple from Ottawa who came down to spend time with Darrell and Donna). With all of these folks coming down, I assume the level of activity will pick up considerably. There are discussions of snorkeling; bar hopping; shots of tequila; and lots of other activities. Annie turns 60 tomorrow...so a party is planned. Based on all of this...who knows how long it will be before I am able to write another log?


I’ll keep you posted.

Bob