On the water again

Captain's Log.........

We arrived here at Stock Island Village Marina on Dec 9th.  We have spent the week getting things settled in for the winter and trying to get an office set up for me to facilitate the classroom training via the internet.  The office is still not set up but I have not given up hope.

Missy watches from the dock as I take the boat out of the marina.

Yesterday, Saturday the 17th, it was time to take the boat back out to clean the bottom off.



Following a sailboat out of the harbor.

 When a boat sits for periods of time in salt water, barnacles start to attach themselves to the hull and props. They then cause havoc with the performance of the boat.  When it gets bad enough, one has to dive under the boat to scape the bottom.  Running the boat at full speed is a good proactive way to try to keep the hull and props clean. 

There was a little wind so Missy decided to stay ashore.  I took the boat out and cruised down to Key West Harbor.  There were two cruise ships at the dock in front of Mallory Square and one of them was about to leave.  I hung around a while to watch and noticed our neighbor at the marina was captaining the pilot boat servicing the cruise ship.  It took a long time for that sucker to get away from the dock and it is amazing how huge those things are!!!



Cruise ship turning around in the channel



the small boat on the left is a pilot boat captained by our neighbor here in the marina.



Look out, here comes the cruise ship



Off it goes into the Atlantic!

 I cruised on back and really enjoyed being out on the water again.  I miss the cruising.  Missy was ready to help me dock and a neighbor on another boat came over to so it was no big deal even though we are in a tight spot on the seawall.

Over the next 24 hours I must have had 6 or 7 people remark on my taking the boat out.  Apparently, most of the boats here never leave.  Several do not even have working motors.  People live on the boats here at the marina but never venture out.  I am differently going to be the exception around here.

Last night Missy and I went downtown to catch the activities at Mallory Square and catch the sunset.



Darrell will recognize the figure behind Missy here on Mallory Square.

 Tomorrow morning we head back to Minnesota for Christmas.  We miss the kids and will be bringing Rachael and one of her friends back with us back down to Key West after Christmas.  So we will see many of you soon.

1st Mate's Log.............

Went to Mallory Square to watch the sunset and entertainers.....oh boy!

The Merry Christmas Manatee



a captive audience member



Juggling fire on a unicycle...



the real star of the show...



and the awesome conclusion.....


Sunset from Mallory Square in Key West.



Island Time

Captain's Log...

It's beginning to look a lot like...............home.  We are enjoying the lifestyle of Key West and doing a few things to make living aboard even more like home. 

I have been trying to teach class via the internet from here but Island Time is making it difficult.  I sought out a direct high speed internet connection so I can facilitate the class properly but everyone down here takes things pretty slooooowwwwwwwwww.  Missy and I are coming back to Minnesota next week for Christmas so at least I will be able to teach a couple of classes then.  Hopefully by the time we get back ten days later I will have everything in place to get things done properly.

Every day I have a different boat project.  So far I have

1. rewired and repositioned the depth finder
2. installed a hailer
3. dove under the boat to remove some rope that entangled the props
4. solved a water leak from the water tanks that was leaking into our cabin
5. helped Missy install new blinds
6. repaired some woodwork

The next projects include:

1. replacing the faucet in the forward head
2. replacing the 1st Mate's helm chair
3. installing slides on both the Captain's and 1st Mate's helm chairs
4. fixing the anchor light
5. fixing the genset

And I am sure there will be more.

Every day we are entertained by the U. S. Navy fighter jets.  They fly out of the base right next to Stock Island on Boca Chica.  For training the run down to Marquesas Keys about  23 miles west of Key West.  There is apparently an sunken freighter there they bombing runs on.  Then they return and put on a show for us as they fly by in pairs with wings swept back, reposition their wings forward, break off after they pass the runway and then do a 360 degree approach to land.  Very cool.



This is the view we get as they make their final turn to land.

 I really miss my dad when I watch those planes.  I know he would have loved to sit here with me and gaze out over the water and watch those fighter jockeys.  He has been gone a long time but I still miss him. 

This journey has been good for both of us.  We are living a very healthy lifestyle with plenty of exercise.  Missy rides into Key West to attend a yoga class a couple times a week.  We both ride our bikes everyday and I really enjoy riding along side the ocean even though the wind has been blowing like crazy this week.  And I am sure I am getting lots of Vitamin D per doctor's orders.  Best of all, we are getting 110 more minutes of sunlight each day compared to Minnesota.  The extra daylight is wonderful.

I also really appreciate all the support we are getting.  My staff has been doing a great job of running the business.  Pat and Josh have really stepped up to the plate. Now with Darrell heading down this way they have even more to deal with but I am confident they are up to it.

We needed to ask our neighbor Joe to come to Rachael's rescue the other day.  She has finals this week and her car started running so poorly it was freaking her out.  With her schedule she did not have time to get the car to anyone during the day to look at it so I imposed on Joe to help out.  As he always does, Joe was more than willing to help out.  Rachael went over there at 9:20 PM and Joe diagnosed the problem to be a clogged throttle body.  So he took it off and cleaned all up and got Rachael back on the road relieved of all worries about the car.  What a Guy!  We're really gonna miss him as he is moving out to the west coast right after Christmas.  But it will give us an excuse to get out west to visit him as he is one of those one-in-a-million people that are worth the travel.

We will be back in Minnesota on Tuesday and can't wait to see the kids and everybody else.  Then we get to come right back for New Years.  It's a good life..........

1st Mate's Log.....................

Yo-ho-ho mateys! Key West is looking pretty good...all that sunshine sure helps. I have been enjoying the temps and biking into downtown to attend yoga class....meeting some very nice folks...many of them from MN and WI....hmmm....lots of snow escapees here. 

We did some beautification of the floating homestead.....under the watchful eyes of the local housing authorities....




Inspector Kitty




Assistant Inspector Kitty




Beautification Project 1



Getting settled in Key West

We spent Saturday getting things settled for our winter stay.  We did not have any transportation down here so we rented a car and did some shopping.  Walgreen's and Home Depot yesterday, West Marine today.  We have not ventured down to Duval Street yet.  I am sure we will see a lot of that area when Rachael and Jamie come down later this month.

Missy really started to dig in on cleaning the boat.  She has wanted to do that ever since we stepped on board.  I put up some Christmas lights on the Bimini so get in the spirit.

I got up this morning and watched the sunrise from the deck while reading Jimmy Buffet and drinking my coffee. A bunch of roosters crowed off in the distance. The marina slowly came to life as anyone that walked by the boat said a friendly Hello.   Life is Good!

Apologies from the First Mate..."Island Time" functions a tad slower than reality....but I think I can get used to it :) Here are pics of some of the latest sightings....



Our winter digs!



with a community garden....



and dog park (one for small and one for large)



many kitties are on the prowl...



Roosters Rule!!




Lots of Top Gun action going on here...



WE MADE IT TO KEY WEST!!!!

Captain's Log...............

Never have I traveled so far, so slowly!

Missy and I had no idea of the complexity of this journey before we started out. It took us 20 days.Each and every day was a unique experience with new challenges.  I am sure Melissa would not have even started if she knew ahead of time what she was in for. 

I am so proud of my wife for stepping up to the tasks I presented her with.  I needed her help and support every mile and she reached way beyond her comfort level and did all that I asked of her.  Melissa is a remarkable woman and I am so grateful to have her at my side so we could experience such an adventure.  Our relationship has strengthened throughout the voyage. The experience has enabled us to grow closer than ever and deepen our love and trust of each other.

It was a short voyage today as Bahia Honda State Park is only 35 miles from Key West.  We took our time getting out of the park since the weather was gloomy with light showers.  We motored into Safe Harbor Channel just after noon and parallel parked "Aye Sea No Snow" between another trawler and a sailboat.



Entering Safe Harbor Channel

 The marina is exactly what we were looking for.  It is very low key and unpretentious.  It is also a working harbor as 40% of the boats are commercial fishing boats.  The staff is very nice as are all our neighbors.  We must have had 12 people walk up and introduce themselves this afternoon.



Missy prepares the lines and fenders one last time!!!!!!!



The red houseboat in front of the sailboat in front of us is for rent by the week.

 It took a little time to get everything situated for our winter stay.  I had some issues with the electrical hookup but finally got that figured out.  We did a little biking around to get to know the neighborhood.  It is industrial right around us and then residential a couple of blocks away.  It will be fun to explore further.








Our new winter home!!!!!!!!!!!!!




This is a working harbor with several tugs and fishing boats.



I am looking forward to going back to work on Monday teaching class from down here.  The marina might have an office available for me and that would provide me with the perfect spot to conduct class.

Thanks for all the interest that you all have had in our trip.  It has been fun doing this blog every night and we will continue for a while as we get more immersed in the Key West life style.

First Mate's Log.............
We finally made it!! 20 days on the boat....it seemed really long and short at the same time. We have met some really wonderful folks and heard some incredible stories...Key West will be an interesting and entertaining place to spend the winter. We have a US Air Force base really close...a little Top Gun action going on...it is really fascinating! Tomorrow evening we are going to the 21st Annual Schooner Wharf Bar Lighted Boat Parade in Key West ~ there is a contest to see who displays the best Christmas lights on their boat....go figure. This is about as far removed from Minnesota as I can imagine....and believe me, I like the fantasy! I understand it was really cold in MN today...hang in there you hardy folks...we are sending many warm thoughts your way!

A day in the park!

Captain's Log...............

We only have 36 miles to go.  We stayed at Bahia Honda a day to wait for calmer winds.  It is a very tranquil park this time of year (before the holidays).

The day started cloudy, breezy and chilly but around 10:30 the sun came out and things warmed up.  Missy and I took advantage of the sunshine and rode our bikes to Pine Key about 7 miles away.

 This is the key that has the endangered species of deer, appropriately called Key Deer.


They take their deer very seriously here!



The cars on Highway 1 kill over a 100 deer a year.

We had lunch at a local spot called "Cracked Egg" and struck up a conversation with another customer that is from Key West and was heading north.  It is soooooo easy to connect with people in the Keys.  "Joyce" is an artist that displays her paintings on Mallory Square.  We exchanged phone numbers and promised to connect around the New Year.

Then we headed off to the local mall and bought a couple things at the outlet store. Grabbed a few bananas at Winn Dixie and then had a nice ride back to the park.

We spent the afternoon reading on the sun deck and then had a great meal on board for dinner.  Life is good.

Some you have asked for pictures of the inside of the boat.  Here is a sample....




The master cabin is aft (the rear of the boat)



The salon (living room).  The blue chair folds out into a bed.  Missy has ordered another to complete the salon.

 


The dining counter also serves as our computer station and navigation center.




We had this washer/dryer installed after we purchased the boat and it has been very handy to have aboard!




Galley (kitchen to you land lubbers)

 First Mate's Log..............
Today we chill for tomorrow we finally arrive at our ultimate destination point ~ Stock Island Village Marina!
I have been taking photos of trees that I thought were interesting or unique as we have traveled south from North Carolina to South Carolina to Georgia and now Florida. My photos are entitled "Trees Please" Enjoy!

saw lots of these dead trees in GA







Cypress trees



lone Cypress tree



Palm tree cluster




Palm trees at sunset...oooh, ahhh




This was the first palm tree I saw




thought these trees looked cute together



Out into the Atlantic!!

Captain's Log....
We got up early since we had 70 miles to do today. 
The winds were totally calm as we left Key Largo.

Missy REALLY loves calm water. 

On the Gulf side of the Keys there are many narrow channels

and very little water depth so we cut out into the Atlantic at Snake Creek River.  The weather forecast was for calm water on the ocean side but the water was a little rougher than on the Gulf.

I'm sure Julie remembers what it is like to dodge these little SOBs.

 We stayed on the Atlantic because it was a shorter route but had to dodge about a million lobster trap buoys.

We stayed at Bahia Honda State Park in a sailboat for 8 days last December and we were looking forward to going back.  The winds died down a little as we neared our destination and then docked in a familiar harbor.

Missy and I took a very nice bike ride around the park before the sun set. 

The weather forecast calls for stronger winds tomorrow so we are going to stay here and leave for Stock Island on Friday.


First Mate's Log...............
we had a very cute couple, Ozzie and Harriet, follow us on our voyage this morning. I really appreciated the company....