Talk about bad timing

Here we are in Blackstone MA and watching the reports on TS Fay. The current forecast is for Fay to hit Tampa as a Cat 1 hurricane about noon on Tuesday - exactly when we are scheduled to fly in to Tampa. Yikes! And of course the airlines wants an arm and a leg to change the reservations, and they haven't yet heard about the hurricane. So here we sit, waiting for the airline to realize that there won't be any flights into Tampa on Tuesday. Yuck.
While we wait, here are a few pics of our trip north. I've included a couple of pics of the Grand Opening of the Middletown Vet Center, of which my sister is the new team leader. (You old rockers might recognize the tall guy at the podium as John Hall from the band Orleans. He's now a Congressman.)

Barney, RIP

We have some very sad news to report. Bev and I are in MA visiting her family. (Last week we were in NY visiting my family.)
We left our bird, Barney, in the care of our friends Tim and Julie. It was Tim who rescued Barney after he was hit by an SUV last year. They continued our habit of allowing Barney some time out of his cage each day. A couple of days ago, they let him out and he seemed content to sit on top of his cage, as he usually does. Julie turned away for a moment and Barney decided to fly off his cage onto the floor. Their dog, Angel, pounced on Barney, perhaps thinking he was her squeaky toy. Unfortunately, Barney was far too delicate for Angel's rough play and his neck was broken.
Barney has been a much loved part of our crew and he will be missed.
Of course, Bev and I are second-guessing ourselves about having his wings clipped and about not taking him with us on our trip north, but it's too late for that now.
The boat will not seem like home when we get back and there's no Barney.
We don't plan on getting another bird before we get back to Marathon. We want to give ourselves time to get over losing Barney.
As a last tribute to our little pet, here's a last picture of Barney.

Venice

We're now in Venice, taking a little break in our trip. Pat and Peter, Bev's friends, are letting us stay for a couple of days in the resort condo they manage.
We've been traveling up the coast slowly because of the daily round of thunderstorms. We've decided to travel only in the morning and be safely tucked into an anchorage by the time the t-storms get started. So far, it's a plan that's working well.
After our stop in Goodland (see the pics of "Spammy Jammy") we worked our way up the coast to Boca Grande. We had a good time there on our way down to the Keys, but this time we were disappointed. Everything was closed. So we moved on to Englewood where there is a nice anchorage. We got to see fireworks on the Fourth. The fireworks were all over the place - we didn't know which way to look as the fireworks were all around us. The anchorage was also a short dinghy ride from a nice restaurant called the "White Elephant." We had a good meal and a few drinks there.
Now we are just a few more days from Julie and Tim's. We should be there by next weekend.

Confused?

OK, I know I just threw you all a curve ball.
Yes, we changed our plans. We decided that we were starting out just too late too make it to New York this year and still be back in the Keys in time for Bev to return to her job at the hospital. Our friends Julie and Tim in New Port Richie offered us their dock for the summer so we are sailing there and flying home to NY and MA. We'll have to wait until next year to complete the loop.
This gives us the opportunity to work on Tim's boat and maybe get Julie and Tim to sail south with us in the fall. Tim has no time to do the work himself and I could use the cash so it should work to everyone's advantage.
Besides, as Frank Bamma once said "The best navigators aren't sure where they're going till the get there...and even then they're not sure."

On the move again

Well, it's been an eventful few days. We left Marathon last Friday and sailed to Long Key Bight for an overnight anchorage. The next morning we headed up the "Yacht Channel" across Florida Bay to Flamingo. We should have not bothered. The marina at Flamingo (just about the only thing in the whole "town") was virtually shut down. Sure, they had plenty of slips available and would be happy to charge us to rent one for the night, but there was no electricity, no water, no fuel. So we left and anchored just outside the harbor to get an early start the next morning.
When the sun came up, we had a perfectly delightful sail (beam reach) all the way around East Cape Sable. We anchored off the beach between East Cape and Middle Cape. We had miles and miles of beach all to ourselves. Well, we did have to share it with the mosquitoes.
The next morning we sailed as far as the Little Shark River, chased by thunderstorms the whole way. We made it in safely, tried a couple of spots before we settled in to one we really liked. Just as we started to relax a huge thunderstorm hit. There were lightning strikes all around us, loud thunder, torrential rain and high winds. But our anchors held, and we had a good night once the storm abated.
BTW - we found out how the Little Shark River got its name - SHARKS! Yep, the river is teeming with sharks.
The next day T-Storms were in the forecast again, so we planned a short day. We sailed a few more miles up the coast to a spot called Turkey Key and set three anchors between two of the little Keys that dot this area of the coast, known as "Ten Thousand Islands." Not long after we settled in, a huge storm hit just north of us. The weather service issued a severe weather warning. All we got was some wind and waves. The wind was something over 35 knots (the wind generator shuts down at 35, so we could tell.) Again, the anchors held and we had a good night's sleep. The next morning the mosquitoes were so thick around the boat we could not go on deck for a moment without spraying ourselves.
We planned a fairly long crossing for yesterday and the winds were light so we motorsailed the whole way. It was a nice crossing to Gallivan Bay, but as we came into the marina, the control cables on the engine failed. I could not shift out of forward gear! We rammed the dock pretty hard, knocking Bev off her feet.
Now we are settled in for a few days' rest at Calusa Island Yacht Club. We have to stay here until the new cables arrive. Fortunately, the Yamaha dealer is only a 5 minute dinghy ride from here.
Since we have to stay anyway, we are planning to attend "Spammy-Jammy" on Saturday night. It's an annual party they have here to commemorate Hurricane Andrew. Everybody along this coast has a "ditch bag" or hurricane evacuation kit ready at all times during the season. One of the key components is a can or two of Spam. Since the kits hardly ever get used, it is necessary to replace the older cans once in a while. So...after Andrew passed by, a few of the locals went - in their PJ's - to the "Little Bar Restaurant" to compare their recipes for Spam. Now it's become a huge party with live music, cooking contests, poster contests and "mass quantities" of libations. Of course, I will be cooking up a batch of my world famous "Spambalaya."
From here, it's up the ICW to Marco Island and Naples.

Movin' on

In a few days we'll be saying goodbye to Marathon and Boot Key Harbor. Bev's last day of work (for this season) was Friday. That leaves us free to head out as soon as we get the boat ready. We're not sure if we can make it all the way to NY by our target of late July, so we may have to get as far as we can, then rent a car a drive the rest of the way. It's not what we would like to do, but with 1500 miles to go and six weeks to do it, we may simply run out of time. Don't forget, we have to sail south again and get back to Boot Key by November 1.
One evening last week, a boat broke free of it's mooring and started drifting through the harbor. Alex and Dave from "Argo" headed out to intercept the runaway boat, and I got in the dingy and motored out to help. We tied up the boat to a mooring ball and notified the marina staff. Fortunately there was no damage and no injuries. Just one more reason to never trust just one line. Always use more than one line to tie up.

They say...

if you hang out in any harbor long enough, you'll bump into someone you know. And sure enough, this morning Bev and I were having breakfast at the "Stuffed Pig" and there at the next table was Phil and his lady Wanda. Phil was our next-boat neighbor at South Pasadena. Small world.
Also, on a recent trip to West Marine via dingy, we passed our old anchorage neighbor from Key West "Aurora." Capt Jeff wasn't aboard, but his boat was tied up at the dock.
Also, we recently learned of the passing of another old neighbor, Tom from Pasadena Marina. Tom was the owner of "Spooky," the "marina cat." He was quite a character. He had sailed his boat all over the Caribbean and had written an extensive collection of short stories. He will be missed. Fair Winds, Tom.
On a happier note - we now have a refrigerator! Yep, thanks to Aunt Kay (who passed away a few months ago and left me a small trust fund) we have the means to install a compact fridge and a wind-generator to power it. Finally, no more trips to shore just to buy ice to feed the ice box. And no more paying $2 and up for a bag of ice. Wow! What luxury!
Today's picture is quest for information from all you smart folks out there. What is it? We found this critter climbing all over our hull. It looks like a really big shell-less snail, complete with small eye stalks. It looked like it was searching our hull for something to eat. Apparently he doesn't like barnacles because he could have had his fill on our hull! If you know what it is, please let us know.

So what have we been up to?

Bev's been working at the hospital while I've been busy getting the boat ready for the long haul up the coast. It's about 1500 miles from here to New York and we are planning only 5 or 6 weeks for the trip, so that's a lot of stress on the boat (and us.) So...We took the mast down to sand and varnish it (and check for leaks in the forward bulkhead) and I'm tearing the galley apart to make room for a refrigerator. Yes, we've finally gotten tired of buying (or making) ice and are biting the bullet and adding refrigeration.
It's not all work, however. We did take a break and spend some time on the beach, went snorkeling on the reef, etc. Last week we saw a live production of "Cactus Flower" and last night we went to the movies to see the new Indiana Jones picture. The movie theater here is quite different. Instead of the usual Theater seating, it was set up like a dinner theater with tables and chairs. This made it feel more like watching a movie at home - except for the HUGE screen.

Settling in

Well, we're getting settled here in Marathon. Bev starts her job tomorrow. The boat is safely tied up at one of the harbor's very secure moorings. We've found the grocery store, the liquor store, the CVS, etc.
The facilities here are much closer than at Key West. It's only about a 5 minute dingy ride as opposed to 25 to 30 minutes at KW. We're starting to meet some of the other cruisers and it's starting to feel like home.
And that's the rub isn't it? There's something going around down here called "Keys disease." Many of the boaters who spend a little time in the Keys end up never leaving. I can see the temptation.
Here are a few pictures of the harbor.

"Why would I ever leave...this island?"

Well, that's the question Howard Livingston asks in his song, but it seems that sometimes the answer is...MONEY.
Bev got a temp job at the hospital in Marathon, so Sunday night we enjoyed our last sunset in Key West and on Monday morning hauled in all 3 anchors and set sail for Boot Key Harbor.
It was predicted that we'd have seas running 2 to 3 feet, but as soon as we rounded the point at the west end of Key West we were slammed with waves running 5 to 6 feet. We couldn't use the engine because the waves "hobby-horsed" the boat to the point where the propeller came up clear of the water. So we sailed on as best we could. We had about 3 hours of tough tacking back and forth into the seas and traveled about 4 miles before the seas began to subside. Once the waves backed down to predicted levels, we were able to have a very nice sail for the rest of the day. We even set the mizzen-powered self steering gear and sailed hands free for a few hours.
By sundown we still had 20 miles to go and the wind died out to zero. We started the engine which, after a finicky start ran fine till we set anchor.
The only real trouble we encountered was the old leak in the forward bulkhead. I thought I had that spot repaired, but apparently the pounding we took in the morning opened up the seam again and we started taking on water. For a while the bilge pump handled it, but then the pump burned out. We had to pump manually until the boat leveled out enough to stop leaking. Since we made anchor Monday night, no further water has come in.
We anchored outside the harbor for the night on Monday, and first thing Tuesday morning our friend Scott from "Detroit Copper" dingied out and brought us a pot of fresh coffee. Bev cooked up some bacon, eggs and bagels and we all had breakfast on deck. Then Scott guided us in to our mooring ball in Boot Key Harbor. "Thanks, Scott."
Now we're relaxing and trying to recouperate from our adventure. Tonight there's "meet and greet" at the club house and we will go and meet the other cruisers in the harbor. The boater community here is very active. There's a "cruiser's net" radio program every morning on the VHF radio. We received a nice "welcome package" from the net organizers and the local water taxi. It's a package of information, catalogs and coupons wrapped up in a nice canvas shopping bag.
For those who are "geographically challenged" Marathon is a city on Vaca Key, about half way up the Keys from Key West. It's at Mile Marker 50 on the overseas highway. We'll be here for about 6 weeks or so, depending on how long the hospital can guarantee Bev enough hours to pay the rent and still save a bit.
I've included only one picture today, but it's a humdinger. Yesterday just after our first REAL showers in 4 months we were getting in the dingy to go back out to the mooring when someone shouted "Look Up!" When we did we saw this "sundog" - a ring around the sun. It last for several hours and was visible at least as far away as Key West. Cool!

Arrrgh! Let the "bloody battle" commence!

Yesterday Bev and I were invited aboard "Aurora" to participate in "The Bloody Battle," an event which commemorates the famous battle between the naval and air forces of the Conch Republic and the imperial forces of the United States. In the original battle, the Conch forces surrendered after engaging the enemy for 13 minutes, then immediately applied for $1 Billion in foreign aid. (Doesn't the US always pay its defeated enemies?)
In yesterday's reenactment, the bulk of the Key West schooner fleet combined with several private vessels and 6 airplanes to attack a single Coast Guard cutter, the Farallon. Farallon and her crew received a heavy beating from repeated broadsides from the naval vessels (shooting damp bread balls and water cannon) and took 2 direct hits from aircraft (which dropped streaming rolls of toilet paper.) After only a single pass through our lines Farallon retired from the field. The victorious forces of the great Conch Republic retired to the Schooner Wharf bar to celebrate.
Here are a few pictures of the battle.
N.B. - The crew of the charter vessel "Party Cat" violated the "rules of engagement" by using "unauthorized ammunition." They threw tomatoes, eggs and other items which were dangerous to all concerned. We have received other reports of this vessel violating the marine rules of the road and generally being operated in an unsafe manner. We strongly suggest that if you are ever in Key West and want a day charter, pick any vessel other than "Party Cat."
Also, I've included a picture of the school of yellowtail that swarmed around the boat on our reef trip last week. I've also included some pics of friends we've met here in Key West.
We will be leaving Key West in the next few days so we need to say goodbye to:
Dave and Ray,
Mike and Patty,
Jeff and Helen,
Daniel,
"Portside Tom,"
Melinda from Garden of Eden,
Erica, John and Chris from Kelly's,
Sue and Kevin,
the crew at the Coffee Plantation,
Rose and Mike,
Louis and K (our newest friends, sorry can't remember the spelling),
Terri, Bob and Kevin from the Key West Bight Marina,
and others too numerous to mention.
Photo legend:
1) Capt Jeff of "Aurora" (left) and Capt Scott of "Detroit Copper."
2) Bev and I with "Commander" Howard Livingston of the Conch Republic navy. (Better known as the lead singer in the Mile Marker 24 Band.)
3) Mile Marker 24 performing at Schooner Wharf during the Conch Republic days celebration. Note the old outboard engine that has been converted to a margarita machine.
4) Our favorite bartenders Erica, John and Chris from "Kelly's Caribbean Grill."
5) Schooner "Appledore" preparing for battle.
6) Schooner "Hindu" (oldest and fastest in the fleet) preparing for the great battle.
7) Schooner "Jolly II Rover" in the battle.
8) US Coast Guard Cutter "Farallon" in the heat of battle. Note the 3 "TP bombs." 2 of the 3 TP bombs hit Farallon causing her to retire from the battle giving the victory to the naval and air forces of the Conch Republic.
9) A school of yellowtail swarming around "Aurora" during our trip to the reef.

Bev visits the reef

This Monday, Bev and I were invited aboard "Aurora" for a snorkeling trip to the reef. The wind was calm, there were few waves and the water was amazingly clear. We stopped at a different spot that my last trip and I was pleasantly surprised to see more living coral. It appears the reef is recovering, or at least not declining as fast as some would have you believe. There were dozens of species of beautiful tropical fish, including some large schools of yellowtale and blue chromis.
A fantastic day. I'm glad Bev got the chance to see the reef before we move on. Thanks Capt. Jeff.

And now, some pictures

We finally made it to the Internet Cafe with the laptop, so here are some pictures from our visit here in Key West.
From top to bottom:
1)With a storm blasting away outside, Barney and I take a break from fighting the weather and have a little chat.
2)At the "drag races" the MC leads the contestants through the obstacle course they have to run.
3)In the "pits" at the "drag races."
4,5,6) Some shots of the KW waterfront with the schooner fleet in port, and the schooner "Western Union" now returned from major repairs in Miami.
7)A spectacular evening sky over the anchorage.
8)A rainbow. The remarkable thing is that this rainbow last for over an hour. If you look closely, you will see there is a second, fainter rainbow just to the left of the bright one.
9)The sailing vessel "Legacy." She was dismasted and put hard aground during hurricane Wilma in Oct 2005. After over 2 years of fighting with authorities for permits to free her, the owner finally got her afloat a few weeks ago. She is a 158' megayacht, built in Italy by Perini Navi at a cost of over $30 million. She will now be transported back to Italy for a refit. I guess it's nice to have money.
10)Eat your hearts out folks, we get a sunset like this almost every night.

Conch Week

This week is "Conch Republic Independence Week" here in Key West.
The event marks the anniversary of the events of 1982. The US Immigration department, in their infinite wisdom, decided to put a road block up on US Rte 1 to stop the traffic in drugs and illegal immigrants. The folks in Key West (tongues firmly in cheek) said "If you treat us like a foreign country, we're going to BE a foreign country." Key West declared independence from the US, declared war, promptly surrendered and asked for $1 billion in foreign aid. A "bloody battle" ensued between the schooner fleet in Key West and the Coast Guard (ammunition consisting of water balloons and rotten veggies).
The "Conch Republic" still has its own flag, issues "passports" and conducts "foreign affairs" with the US.
This week will be marked with a number of events including a "drag race." (Contestants required to wear high heels.) There will also be a recreation of the "bloody battle." And of course, in real Conch tradition, there will be TONS of alcohol consumed along the way.
It's all in fun, and we'll be there. Wish you were here.

Sad news

My sister called this morning to say that my Aunt Kay passed away last night. It was not unexpected, she was 93 and had been in poor health for a long time. The word is that she just went to sleep last night, quietly and painlessly. After a long, full life, to pass on in that way is really a blessing.
She was an artist, an avid bridge player, and a "second Mom" to my sister and I. We will miss her.
Now it will be a mad scramble to see if I can get to NY in time for the services.
(Some timing, Aunt Kay. You just HAD to go as a cold front is approaching the Keys, didn't you?)

A slight change of plan

and our 200th post to this blog!
Bev has been offered a temp job at the hospital in Marathon, about 50 miles further up the Keys. So...we will leave Key West around April 27th or so, and spend May and part of June in Marathon, then head up the coast from there. It will mean reaching NY no sooner than mid July, but that still leaves us a few weeks in NY and a few more in MA before heading back south. The hospital wants Bev back for next winter. That should work out nicely. Marathon has a really good harbor with very secure moorings. We won't have to worry about our ground tackle when the fronts come through. Not as much fun as KW, but KW is only a $1 bus ride away.
Today we saw an exhibit of John Lennon's art work. Yoko is sponsoring a tour of the exhibit to benefit AIDS research. The pieces are for sale, WAY out of my price range, but very interesting to look at.
It was fun, and we learned a bit of Beatles' trivia: Who was "Prudence" in the song "Dear Prudence" and why was she asked to "come out and play?"
Answer in our next post.
Also, the schooner "Western Union" has returned to her home port. She was built in KW to lay cable for the company she was named for. For the last four months she has been in Miami for repairs and now she has returned to reclaim her place as the flagship of Key West's fleet of tall ships. We hope to have some pictures soon.

Whew!

What a ride!
About midnight Sunday morning, a violent thunderstorm struck Key West. As the storm hit, a huge wind gust spun us around and caused one of our anchors to break loose. (Oddly it was our biggest, heaviest anchor.) The gust had the boat heeling over at about 25 degrees or so for a very long 10 or 15 seconds. Fortunately, our two other anchors held, and as the wind shifted, the big anchor reset itself. We sat up most of the night keeping watch to make sure we didn't drag and hit something (like another boat.)
We found out today that the storm produced steady winds of over 40 knots and one gust was recorded at 60!
The only damage happened when one of the bamboo curtains in the pilothouse broke free and slapped the VHF antenna, snapping the mount off at the base. This is easily repaired, and there was no other damage to contend with.
And the big news is - we didn't run aground or have to be towed. We held in place. Whew! But it was a wild ride even so.
We had thunderstorms again on Sunday night, but not as bad. Last night the storms had the decency to go around us. The next few days are expected to be quiet.
On a lighter note, when we got up this morning, we discovered the tall ship "Bounty" had anchored not far away. She was in town only to pick up a passenger and was back out on the sea, headed for Mexico, by noon.

Little by little

The computer is getting well again, little by little. By the next post I should have some new photos to share. For now, just a few words about plans.
As it looks now (subject to change at any time) we will be pulling anchor and leaving Key West around the end of April. It will all depend on favorable wind shifts. Right now we have near constant northeast winds which will make it tough going if we head north. We plan on taking the boat out a few times before then to "shake down" after 4 months of sitting at anchor. Baking in the sun is taking its toll on sail covers, varnish, paint and other vital stuff. Not using the engine also takes its toll as gunk builds up in the carb. So little by little, we start getting ready to get on the move again. It's a shame, because we would really like to stay here. But they have this little thing called hurricane season and I'd really like to follow the good old "BSE" rule - Be Somewhere Else!
So we will try this spring to complete the loop by making our way back to Kingston NY. While there we can visit my sister (who now lives in Middletown) and my son in Albany. I will also attempt to clean out my storage bay. (If you have need of a NEW 15 hp outboard, contact me.) From there we hope to spend some time on the Cape with Bev's family. After that we might just head back to the Keys for next winter.
For now, we're just content to be "livin' out the lyrics Buffett wrote." (A line from "Same Boat" by Eric Stone.)

Still "Livin on Key West Time"

Just a very quick update to let you know that we haven't fallen off the edge of the earth.
We're just "Livin on Key West Time" (the title of a great Howard Livingston song.)
We met Howard and his band Mile Marker 24 and have gotten to really love his music. Check him out at www.milemarker24.com. Hey, gotta love the guy, he even looks like me.
The plan so far, is to start heading north as soon as the east winds start to die down, sometime around the end of April. It should take us about 2 months to make it to NY, so look for us sometime "Junish, Julyish," whatever. Then in September, we'll head back here and winter in Key West again. We love it here. If it weren't for hurricanes, we'd just stay and watch Bananas Grow.

Just another day in paradise

Well, we're still in good old Key West.
My computer's hard drive crashed, so I'm using the library computer until I get my laptop fixed. Most critical data were backed up, but I think we may have lost some photes. Everything else is either backed up or easily rebuilt.
We are also having a bit of a glitch with our solar electic system. I think the regulator has gone haywire. It shows "charging" early in the AM, but once the sun is full on the panels, the light goes out and the batteries don't charge. If anyone has any ideas on why that would happen, let me know.
Otherwise, as long as the weather holds, we seem to be surviving "on the hook." Finally, cheap living in a great place. Our total "dockage" costs for the last 7 days amounted to a whopping $34. ($24 for the dingy permit and $10 for the pumpout boat to pay us a needed visit.)
As for weather: 75 to 80 during the day, 68 or so at night. It rains for about an hour most every night about 2 AM, otherwise mostly clear skies.
Starting Jan 21 there will be a week of sailboat racing here in KW. Everything from dingies and sunfish up to America's Cup type boats will be racing. We will try to get out to see some of the races.
Otherwise, all is well here in paradise. As the song says "The weather is here, wish you were beautiful..."

Still in Key West.

We were supposed to leave KW on the 3rd, but high winds and waves kept us here a few extra days. Aw, shucks. 3 extra days in Key West.
Actually, we will anchor out for a few days and dingy ashore. There's just too much to do here.
Yesterday, we attempted to find the "back way" to the large shopping area. We took our bikes and rode for hours. We finally found it and decided the best way is the direct way. That means fighting heavy traffic on US 1, but it's is the most efficient way of getting there. As it is, it's a half hour bike ride to the two large grocery stores. I guess that's not all that bad, in the general scheme of things.
Now...if we could just find a safe spot to keep our bikes ashore while we're anchored out...

Happy New Year!

Yesterday, we took a bike ride around the entire island. Including stops at each of the beaches it took about 2 hours. Now we know where all the "modern" stores are: Home Depot, Publix, etc. They're all clustered just north of the airport, probably a 20 minute bike ride from the marina.
We also bought an engine for the dingy. I hadn't planned on spending the money, but now we will be able to anchor out more and save marina fees. It should pay for itself.
Last night we had dinner at "Pepe's," the oldest eatery on the island. It was Hemmingway's favorite place to eat and it's still about the same as it was in his day. Then we had a few beers at Kelly's, met some great people (even some from NY and NJ) and then walked over to Schooner Wharf for the "Lowering of the Wench."
Each New Year's Eve the crew of the schooner "Liberty Clipper" dress up like pirates, winch a wench to the top of the mast then lower her to the deck in time with the final count down to the new year. It is billed as "second only to New York's Times Square." Well, that's a bit much, but it was fun.
This morning we're back at the Coffee Plantation enjoying the best coffee on the island.
The weather is expected to change today as a strong cold front approaches. They're predicting winds of 25 to 30 with gusts to gale force and temps dipping to the 40's! Just our luck - the coldest it's been here in years!

Barney's big day on the town.

Yesterday, Bev and I took Barney on an expedition to downtown Key West. At first he was apprehensive about his new travel case, but once he got out among the people, he calmed down and had a great time watching all the colorful characters that inhabit this place. (He did tell me he was jealous of the chickens that roam free all over town.) He came with us to the Pirate Soul Museum where we saw the ONLY genuine, documented pirate treasure chest in the world. He even sat at the bar with us and had a drink at Fat Tuesday's. Of course, being under age, he had to have water.
We're having a blast. So far the only problem is a minor blister on my toe from walking all over town in sandals. Yeah - to you folks up north - I said sandals. Much to warm for shoes.
For anyone who hasn't been here, but planning to come, don't miss happy hour at Kelly's. Best beer and wings on the island and the prices are great - $1.50 for a beer and wings are $4 a pound. It's located in the original headquarters of Pan Am Airlines and features a seaplane flying out of the ceiling!
Now the big question is: are we really Conchs at heart? Do we want to get a motor for the dingy, anchor out in the Cut, and stay here a while? Hmm...don't tempt me.