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COCOANUT FOG

2/28/2015

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Posted by Monty
OK, so the grass was growing under our feet.  Literally.  I could see it on the hull.  No way to get a string trimmer down there to trim it, so we decided to take the boat out and let the moving water wash some of it off.

It was time.

We left the mooring in Boot Key Harbor and headed out.  Carol was going to do some fishing, so we stopped at Berdine's on the way and bought shrimp, topped off the diesel and dinghy gas tanks, pumped the holding tank, and left for parts unknown.  Well, actually, only unknown to us.  We were going into the Gulf of Mexico.

Not very far into the Gulf, you understand, but still.  We set our sights on Cocoanut Key, a small spit of land where, we had been assured, it would be "deserted".  After the constant buzzing of dinghy engines at our mooring, I was ready for some "desert".
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These are the Seven Mile Bridges.  Both of them.  The higher of the two is active and the other one, with the section missing, dates back to the days of Mr. Flagler, who originally constructed a railroad that ran the length of the Keys, to Key West, and was later converted to automobile traffic. It was rebuilt many times and eventually replaced with the current version.  This is historically significant because this is the bridge that Jimmy Buffett used to get to Key West, about which and where he wrote much of his best music. 
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Between the two are the power cables that transmit power to the island chain, all the way to Key West.  I managed to avoid hitting them, thereby causing a national emergency when the bars in Key West lost power.  And also avoiding tons of paperwork from Homeland Security.  The thermometer looking thing on the left of the picture is the minimum height under the bridge.  Sea Bird stands 58 feet off the water, with a two foot radio antenna above that, so we should be fine.
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Clearing the fender way, we make our first foray into the Gulf of Mexico.

As soon as we cleared the channel, we started seeing buoys.  These mark the location of crab/lobster pots, depending on where in the ocean you are.  In this case, I believe they are fishing for Spiny Lobster or Stone Crab.  Either way, they are not something you want to hit, especially while motoring, as the rope can get wrapped around the propeller, causing, at the least, a bit of bother.  So I avoided them.  A lot.
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This doesn't really do justice to the amazing number of pots.  These must be some prolific creatures to even still be in existence.  This scene goes on for mile after mile.  There must be some serious stuff going on down there.
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This was our destination.  Cocoanut Key.  It was exactly where the GPS said it would be.  If Columbus had used his GPS, he wouldn't have run aground so much.  It's in the Great White Heron National Refuge.  It says so, right there on my chart.
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These are some of the refugees.

It was, as advertised, remote.  And peaceful, if you ignored the "cocktail party" sound the birds make. 
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We were the only boat around.  So we had the sunset all to ourselves.
After a steak dinner, complete with baked potato and salad, we called it an early night, and did a little stargazing.  It's amazing what light pollution robs from us at night.

The next morning we awoke to fog.  Not because of the wine from the previous evening's festivities.  I can only describe it as "dense".  Especially as we had never seen it in this area before.  It burned off around noon, so we readied the dinghy for an excursion around the island.
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The water was crystal clear.  We were anchored in seven feet and could easily follow our anchor chain down to the anchor while standing on the deck.  We motored around the island and saw Herons, Pelicans, Cormorants, and scared up a couple of rays around four feet across. 
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Carol, of course, went fishing.
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And fished, and fished, and fished.
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Until, inevitably, we watched the sun go down.  And had grilled chicken, and not grilled fish, for dinner.

As long as I can share these moments, I'll not complain about the protein. 

The next morning, amazingly, and unexpectedly, it was foggy again.
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After waiting until afternoon for it to clear, we made a run for the harbor, as the winds were forecasted to increase because of a front coming through.  We made good progress for a while, until the fog closed in again.  I turned on the radar (the first time I had used it in the fog) and slowed to below "ramming" speed.  We picked our way through crab pots, Carol on the bow as lookout, and drove around what I thought was a boat on the radar.  I had convinced myself it was a false image when Carol said, "here comes the wake from that boat".  We never laid eyes on it.
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This is the fog bank we came through.

After another successful passage through the Seven Mile Bridge, we were back in Boot Key, where Carol piloted us to another stunning mooring ball maneuver.  All were aghast at her prowess behind the wheel. 

And so we are back.  The plan is to remain here for a couple more weeks and then start meandering back north.  We want to see some of the sights that we missed on our mad dash from the cold on the way down.  At least this time, if we overrun the weather, it's a waiting game for warmth instead of a panic to outrun the cold.
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DOING NOTHING...WITH RELISH

2/18/2015

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Posted by Monty
Time for an update.  Miss me?

We are still hanging out in Boot Key Harbor, guests of the Marathon City Marina on one of their mooring balls.  The weather (which is one of the big reasons we are here) has been very good.  We have been enjoying it thoroughly.  While the rest of the country has been shivering, we are doing our morning walks in shorts, tee shirts, and sunshine.  The breeze, at times, seems cool but all you have to do is move into the sun and everything is fine.  Quite nice.

We have been doing a couple of boat projects, nothing too serious.  I changed the engine oil.  As there is no drain plug on the Yanmar (the dipstick is plumbed into the bottom of the oil pan), this is accomplished without even picking up a wrench.  I didn't even get oil on my clothes. 

We met up with some friends from Oriental who are down on vacation.  Good move on their part, as Oriental has even cancelled their Chinese New Year celebration because of the cold.  They drove down and pulled their fishing boat, which was a boon to Carol as she got to go fishing.  Not only fishing, but CATCHING!  She caught more fish in the three hours or so that we were out than she has caught in the past year.  We then took the boat to the Sunset Grill where she chowed down on some excellent sushi.  A good time was had by all.  Many thanks to the captain.

We have decided to stay here another month.  The weather pattern has been steadfastly pounding this area with front after front.  While we have weathered it well (see above), it would still be uncomfortable traveling weather, and anchoring in 30+ knots of wind, unless well protected, makes for an uncomfortable night.  AND I don't HAVE to.  So we will stay.  The plan (here we go...) is to look at what is happening mid March and if things have settled out, start our leisurely trek north.  I want to spend some time visiting places we passed up on the way down because we were fleeing the cold.  Going north, if we start to hit cooler weather we can just stay put for a few days knowing the trend is for the weather to get better, not worse (as it was doing on the way down).

Speaking of weather, the next couple of days are forecast to be some of the worst we have experienced in Boot Key Harbor.  Low of 46 tonight.  High just over 60 tomorrow.  Low of 44 tomorrow night.  Winds in the 20 mph range and gusting into the 30s.  Believe me, that has my suntanned skin's attention.  Carol broke out the blankets (remember, there is no heat on Sea Bird).  If we can make it to the weekend, temperatures are supposed to moderate (into the 80s!)

We plan to survive the siege with coffee, rum, and hot tea, with the aid of Carol's new whistling tea pot.  This was inspired by after dinner tea on a friend's boat.  Carol is starting her collection.  So far, her favorite is good old Earl Grey.

So today was Day One of The Great Freeze of 2015.  It rained last night, but was supposed to clear off around noon.  It stopped raining, but the clouds lingered.  I was going to make a trip to the store for essentials (something to cook on the grill).  But then the wind came.  Even with my jeans and a hoodie pulled over my tee shirt, it was a little cool.  For good measure, I swapped flip flops for tennis shoes.  Still not enough.

So I read a book instead, and listened to the wind.  I'm still listening as I type this.  It's a much more comfortable sound securely tied to a mooring ball rather than on anchor in a shifting current.  So really, I don't guess I did anything today.

With relish.
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ITS SAD. SAD ONLY.

2/11/2015

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Posted by Carol
Yes it’s true.  Today my wonderful husband of 24 years has been officially de-ringed.

For my family and closest friends you understand what this in fact means.  For 24 plus years Monty’s wedding band has never left his finger.  Through thick and thin, good times and bad, (even a hospital visit or two) it has remained. It has been a sign, a pledge and an ultimate test of his love for me and our commitment to each other that has kept it glued to his finger. 

It was a day much like any other.  The skies were sparkling, the wind a fresh breath of air and Sea Bird was gently rocking on her mooring.  There were chores to be done, groceries to be bought and bright work to be done.  While I stowed the morning’s purchases and brought order to the galley, Monty inspected the rigging.  It was during this routine event, as my back was turned, Monty’s ring finger got caught on the track for the sail slides, bringing him to his knees (slight exaggeration) and an OMG moment was had.

Dark memories surfaced (he explained to me) of days spent long ago in a machinist world.  Of a time when out of necessity a wedding band was cut from a coworker’s finger.  This time, however, the catalyst for removal was a sail slide and not a machine.        

Yes, it was time to remove the ring. 

Calling me on deck, he held out his hand.  In a solemn voice, he told me it was time.  Surprise, I’m sure, was written across my face as I realized what he meant.  And yes, he had prepared me years ago that this time would come.  It was inevitable.  But it made me sad.  You see, there are no do overs, you only get to put it on once.

From the very beginning it was a symbol commemorating our time and our commitment to one another.  It spoke to my heart and represented our life, our journey, our dream of adventure. 

So holding his hand I said, “I love you”, and he replied, “I love you too” and I slid the ring from his finger. . .

 

5 Comments

KEY WEST

2/3/2015

4 Comments

 
Posted by Monty
After threatening since we got here, and probably passing on the best opportunity on New Years Eve (we're a couple of old people now), on Friday we went to Key West.

This means we walked to the bus stop.  We didn't want to take the boat as it is about 50 miles (a day's travel for us) and there are no good anchorages when the wind is out of the north.  And the wind, lately, has been out of the north.  And usually around 20mph.  There are also rumors of a little bit of a crime problem in the area.  So we took the bus.  A day pass is $8.00 each.  Sixteen bucks for a hundred miles and somebody else drives.  I'm a player.

The bus ride was interesting but uneventful.  One guy did get on with a dog.  I kept waiting for a child with a chicken or the like.  No joy.  The trip down, with stops, took about two hours.  We arrived around noon near Mallory Square.  Carol declared it "Picture Day".
We had lunch at the famous Sloppy Joes.  Of course we had Sloppy Joes. They were pretty good, washed down with a cold beer. We then proceeded to walk the length of Duval Street.  This is the "main drag" in Key West, ending near the famous "Southernmost Point in the US".  (My understanding is that the actual southernmost point is actually on the military base next to it.  But who is picking nits?) 
We then retraced our way back to Mallory Square, with several side trips to ogle the very Key West flavor of architecture.  Carol took more pictures.
One of the most interesting things to me was the famous (I had never heard of them) Key West Chickens.  These things are everywhere, and gorgeous. Also camera shy.  Carol managed to sneak up on them and get a few good shots.  I wish I had a picture of her sneaking up on the chickens. 
A pretty place, this Key West.  But by 3:00, we were back at the bus stop, having had enough.  The bus ride back was basically the reverse of the ride down, including the guy with the dog.

Intrepid followers (or anyone who knows me) will ask: "You went to Key West and left in three hours, having had only one beer?  Were you sick?"

The answer is no.  And I am a bit puzzled myself.  I'm sure it's not the city's fault.  There were plenty of places to quench my thirst.  The problem lies not in what the place is, but rather what it is not.

I'm too late.  (A Pirate Looks at 60?)  Key West is not the frontier town I had built up in my mind.  I thought it was going to be this renegade place that had refused to change with the times and held onto it's sun bleached and non conformist roots.  Maybe it reverts to something else after the sun descends.  Probably it does.  But the tourist trap with the cruise ship parked at the edge is not what I came for.  Blame it on me, but it's just not my style.

So we landed at 5:00 back in Marathon, across the street from Boot Key Harbor, at one of our frequent haunts for beers and appetizers for dinner.  We were in bed before 10:00, as is usual.

All in all, I'm glad we went.  Been there, done that.  Passed on the tee shirt.  Back to Sea Bird and more new adventures!
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