Hemmingway?

So far the suggestion for naming the new bird are:
"Mist" - Mist was the name of one of the Valkyrie (Walkure).
"Signy" - Also, one of the Walkure.
"Phoenix" - as in rinsing from the ashes.
And finally "Hemmingway" as in a former Key West resident.
I'm leaning in the direction of Hemmingway, but I'm still open to suggestions. So come one folks, send in your suggestions.

Getting to know you...

We're starting to get to know the new bird. (He/She is still nameless, so come on folks, start sending some suggestions.)
We also spent some time today cleaning the barnacles off the dinghy. We will also have to do a lot of scraping on the boat to get rid of what has grown since the last cleaning in Marathon. Here are a few pictures.

A new bird

Well, we're back in the "Florida sun," such as it is today. We flew back to Tampa yesterday, picked up Chandra at the airport and took the Supershuttle to Tim & Julie's house. As we were getting settled in I noticed the birdcage had a lot of new toys in it. As I looked closer, I saw this little bird. Julie had gone to the pet store the day after Barney died and bought this little Quaker Parrot. I guess this settles the decision about getting a new bird.
We don't know the gender (a DNA test is the only way to tell) so we are searching to gender-free name. So...once again I am asking our readers to suggest a name for our new pet.

More baby pics

Bev would never forgive me if I didn't include more pics of her granddaughter, Kahlenn, so here they are.

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.