Foreign Affair Sailing

Rally Friends

We drove up to Boot Key/Marathon for a visit with some friends who traveled south with us on the SAIL ICW Rally.  Paul of Enough, rode up with us to meet Frank and Carol of Hakuna Matata and Stephen and Maureen of Minuet.  Our first stop was to view the Budweiser Clydedales which were in Marathon for a day.  You know these aren't ponies and are bigger in real life than what you see on the TV commercials. I hate to say this but it is all show.  The wagon they pull is not filled with beer and no free samples were provided.  It was somewhat disappointing; however, seeing these horses and the cute spotted dog were worth the trip.

We next boarded Hakuna Matata for drinks and conversation.  We saw one manatee swimming right off the stern.  Just before dinner, Frank took Dwayne and Paul on a dinghy tour of Boot Key Harbor. It was a bit choppy and only Frank was spared getting wet during the dinghy ride since Dwayne and Paul made for a good dodger.

Blue Angels Buzz Marina

The Navy's Blue Angels will be a feature attraction at the Naval Air Station Boca Chica airshow this coming weekend. They began rehearsals today and our marina is right in the flight path for many of their maneuvers. They made their first pass this morning while we were having our breakfast.  Carla spilled her coffee all over the salon when she jumped up from her seat as the roar of the jet sent shock waves through the boat. They were in the sky several times today and the road out of the marina was closed to traffic while they were in the sky.  We got a preview of their performance; however, it wasn't really a sneak preview as we knew they are there due to the noise and vibration.

Frank and Carol Visit Key West

Frank and Carol of Hakuna Matata came down to Key West from Marathon to tour the town. We agreed to meet up for the Sunset Celebration on Mallory Square and go out for drinks afterward. Dwayne and Carla worked on the boat all day - waxing and touching up dings with gelcoat.

Parking is always a problem in Key West.  So, we headed in to meet Frank and Carol around 3.  We were fortunate enough to find someone leaving a parking spot a block up from the Green Parrot.  Best of all, it was a free parking area.  Once again, the Green Parrot had a great band playing and it was Happy Hour so we had to stop in prior to meeting with Frank and Carol.  Gin and Tonics were particularly refreshing after working in the sun all day.  They were half price ($3.25) during Happy Hour so we had a few while sitting at a spot near the sidebar which gets a cool breeze when the side-door is open and a bit of A/C every once in a while.  Eventually, we had to leave for Mallory Square to meet Frank and Carol.  So, we got a gin and tonic to go and headed to our rendezvous.

Easter Sunday

We took our day of rest in Key West by watching the start of the Wreckers Race and then proceeding to Schooners Wharf for brunch.  After the race we went to the docks and took a close-up look at America 2.0 which is a modern reproduction of the schooner America after which the America's Cup Trophy is named.  The low sleek lines of America reveal why she was the fastest boat of her era. Like her predecessor, America 2.0 beat out the other schooners in their race to the island "wreck site." We heard a great band playing at the Green Parrot which was on the way to our car.  Of course, we stopped in for a while.  Eventually, we headed back to the boat and stopped for provisions along the way.  It was a pleasant day.  Back to work tomorrow.  Wax and polish.

Cleaning and Polishing - Top to Bottom

We still have several days work to do on Foreign Affair before beginning our journey north next week.  The migration has begun.  Every day boats are departing heading north as the weather warms. During the day, everyone is busy working on reducing the length of the "to do list" and in the evening, people gather to say their farewells and compare notes on marinas and anchorages along their routes north.  Today, a diver cleaned Foreign Affair's bottom and installed a new anode.  Carla and Dwayne scrubbed and waxed.  Rod and Diane, of Colonel's Lady came by for sun-downers and to hear what we had to say about exploring the Chesapeake Bay.  Their home port is Charleston, SC and this will be their first journey north.  They moved aboard their Beneteau 473 in April.

For the first time since early Fall, the Marathon harbor has a few mooring balls open.  When we passed through there a month ago, there were still over 50 boats waiting to get a mooring.  Many have left for the Bahamas and more have already started heading north.  Many of the live-aboard cruisers head to the Bahamas after most of the snow-birders have left.  Besides being less crowded, the weather is supposedly better in the Bahamas from mid-March to early May.

Paul, on Enough wants to buddy boat with us for a while.  Frank and Carol, on Hakuna Matata will buddy boat with us up to Hampton, VA.  We will leap-frog our cars as we head north.  Their home port is Hampton and were with us in the SAIL ICW Rally.  We'll link up with them in Marathon where they and some other friends of ours, Stephen and Maureen, on Minuet and Frank and Susan, on Rockhopper are still waiting to depart.  Steve and Maureen are bound for the Bahamas and Frank and Susan are headed back to the Chesapeake.  Life's pace is picking up with so much work and so many farewell get togethers.

Work and Play

Off to the Races - Gulfstream Park

We went to Gulfstream Park for the horse races and had a wonderful time despite losing $22.00. Cheap entertainment when you figure you didn't have to pay for parking or admission.  Parking alone at a NFL game is $20.00.  The entire Gulfstream complex is amazing.  Upscale restaurants with outdoor seating provide a view of the paddock.  Stadium seating around the paddock and large screen videos of the track and odds allow you to sit away from the action on the track yet be aware of what is happening on the track.  Of course, the track itself is beautifully manicured.  Overall, this is so much a better setting than any horse race tracks of the past.  The big disappointment is the lack of a grandstand packed with a rowdy crowd.  The excitement and emotional outbursts were lacking compared to those experienced when horse racing was at its height in popularity.  Still, we had a great day despite having only one winning wager.  We were close on several races but no cigar.  We will have to come back when they finish the water fountain at the Pegasus statue.  We want to see the dragon spewing fire while the water spouts dance to Ricky Martin's "Livin' La Vida Loca".

Miami Auto Museum and Carla Returns

Dwayne drove to Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood Airport to pick up Carla who was returning from Kansas.  He toured the Miami Auto Museum prior to picking up Carla.  The collection was very extensive and had several vehicles with which Dwayne was very familiar as he had family and friends who owned these now antique cars from the 1950s and 1960s.  Pictured are vehicles with ties to Wisconsin companies - the Nash Metropolitan, the Nash Healey Roadster and the Smith Motor Wheel.  The museum's European collection was especially interesting as it included vehicles from Eastern European countries.  The vehicles produced in Europe in the decade after World War II were also amazing since factories, roads and bridges had to be rebuilt following the war and few families could afford the luxury of owning a car during this period of recovery.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smith_Flyer

The Little White House - Key West

We had tickets for a schooner ride out to the Mule Keys for kayaking and to a nearby reef for snorkeling; however, the winds were in the 20s and the trip was cancelled.  As a result, we went to tour The Little White House which is the presidential retreat on Key West.  The Little White House was built in 1890 and is located on land which was once U.S. Navy property.  It was originally the home of the naval base commander and paymaster.  President Harry S. Truman was the president who most frequented Key West.  He made 11 visits and occupied the building for 175 days of his presidency.  The original furnishings used by the Truman's fill the living quarters and the building has been restored to its appear as it did during the Truman presidency.

Sightseeing in Key West

We went to Palm Sunday mass at the St. Mary of the Seas Basilica which was standing room only as usual just before Easter.  Our next stop was Denny's for a big breakfast.  Then, it was on to the Shipwreck Museum which, as you would expect, has artifacts and information on the role wrecking played in the history of Key West.  Approximately one percent of the ships making the passage through the shoals and reefs near Key West ran aground at the height of the wrecking period.  That averaged out to one wreck per week. Few goods had to be imported to Key West since the salvage from the wrecks provided most of what was needed for the city.  Key West was at one time the wealthiest city per capita in the United States.

Sailing with Kenny, Paul and Pete

Paul and a friend of his, Pete joined Kenny and Dwayne for a great day of sailing.  Winds were from the east in the mid-teens with two foot waves in Hawk Channel and increasing to four feet south of the shipping channel.  We headed down to Key West Harbor to view the cruise ships and Mallory Square. A Coast Guard cutter was returning to harbor when we reached the shipping channel.  We passed ahead and continued south until it was well past us and then we headed into the harbor.  Both Pete and Kenny had all the time they wished on the helm. Kenny steered most of the day.  He was well pleased as it was once again a beautiful day in Paradise.

Kenny Arrives

Dwayne's cousin, Kenny, came down on the Key West Express boat out of Fort Myers.  Dwayne picked Kenny up at the terminal in Key West.  We toured Key West and Boca Chica by car and then headed back to Mallory Square to be entertained by the street performers.  Kenny helped out one of the buskers during his high wire act.  Later we headed down Duval to take in the sights.  One of the queens got his boa caught in his bicycle spokes and nearly took a nose dive.  We dropped into Sloppy Joe's for a beer. The band's repertoire was a little blue (and I don't mean they sang the blues).  The crowd roared when three gals from the audience joined the band for a tune and showed off their Floppy ah - well Kenny knew what they were - teets.  Yes, they had some big, floppy teets.  That's what Kenny called them.

The crew from Senior Frogs provided us entertainment on our way back to the car after leaving Sloppy Joe's,  They were dancing up a storm at the front steps and the customers all had balloons on their heads.  It was too dark for pictures.

Dwayne's Day

Dwayne slept in (felt good).  Had a leisurely breakfast of Cuban bread, Munster cheese, yogurt and coffee.  Washed the dishes.  Checked email and Facebook.  Updated electronic charts and Active Captain.  Loaded the picture and video files from the GoPro onto the computer.  Viewed the videos of the fishing and schooner trips to prepare a disc to send to Eric and Emi.  Filled the water tanks. Cleaned the bilge.  Took a nap.  Did the laundry while having a St. Patrick's Day green beer and listening to the music at the marina bar as the sun went down.  Worked on blog entries and went to bed. Good night.

Back to Kansas

Eric, Emi and Carla headed back to Kansas.  We left the marina at 10 am and headed to Stock Island to pick up Eric's fish at Hurricane Hole where they were stored since our fishing excursion.  By 1030 we were on our way to Fort Lauderdale for their flight.  Along the way we stopped for lunch and had pizza.  A little further down the road, we stopped for dessert - Key Lime pie.  Then it was back on the road for the airport.  Traffic was slow and we arrived at the airport 45 minutes prior to boarding. Fortunately, Eric was allowed to board the plane with his fish and shrimp as carry-on baggage.  The flight and drive home were uneventful.  The past week was one of our best - a real vacation.

Schooner, Kayaks and Snorkeling

We took a schooner trip to a small mangrove covered key for some kayaking and had a running commentary while we paddled to observe plant and animal life around the key.  The weather was perfect as the temperatures were in the mid-70s with very calm and clear water.  The most interesting sightings were of a small shark, sting ray and sea cucumber.  Portuguese man-of-war were floating in the water. We have seen many of these since we arrived in the Keys.

We stopped at Fishbusterz Seafood Market on Stock Island our way back to Foreign Affair and bought two pounds of stone crab claws and 2 pounds of shrimp for dinner,  Eric cooked a fine meal. Boiled red potatoes, corn on the cob, onions, shrimp and crab claws.  Emi picked out a half gallon of Breyer's vanilla/chocolate chip ice cream for desert.  A great way to celebrate a fun day.

Hogfish Bar and Grill, St. Mary Star of the Sea Basilica, Hog's Breath Saloon and Mallory Square

We slept in and relaxed on Foreign Affair in the morning.  We went to Hogfish for lunch and toured the Stock Island harbor.  Eric and Emi missed the Little White House tour due to a special event being held there. They did their shopping while Dwayne and Carla visited the St. Mary Star of the Sea Basilica. Eventually, we met up at the Hog's Breath Saloon for Happy Hour.  After a few PBR we headed to Mallory Square for the Sunset Celebration.  A busy but relaxing day.

A Day of Saillng

We spent the day sailing to Key West harbor and back to Boca Chica Marina.  The winds were much less than the high teens and low 20s which blew constantly for the previous week.  It was a bright, sunny day. Winds were 5 - 10 and waves were 1 foot and less.  We made good speed heading down to Key West harbor but got down to 3 knots on our return trip just prior to entering Boca Chica Channel.  Eric and Emi both had a chance to get on the wheel for as long as they wished.  Only one cruise ship was in port, Royal Caribbean's Brilliance of the Sea.

Eric cooked up some jerk chicken upon our return.  The sunset was one of the best.  Unfortunately, Eric did not get a good video as the sun went down with its reflection in the calm waters with sailboats at mooring in the foreground.  Eric's phone was being monopolized by Dwayne who was on a conference call with his mother and his brother when the sun went down.  As a result, no video. This left Eric a little upset.  We'll try for a sunset video tomorrow.  The sun eventually goes down every day in the Keys.

Back Country Fishing

Captain Anthony of Key West Pro Guides gave us a great lesson on back country fishing.  Within minutes of our arrival at our first fishing site, Eric and Dwayne simultaneously had fish on their lines and it was a race to see who would land the first fish.  The fishing action continued to remain hot for most of the morning as we moved from one location to another in search of other species of fish to catch.  Over the course of the day we landed over 8 species.  At the end of the day, we took home three mangrove snapper (one each by Emi, Eric and Dwayne), a pompano (Emi), a cobia (Eric), two yellow jacks (Eric and Dwayne) and 10 lady fish (Emi, Eric and Dwayne). Among fish we caught and released were black grouper (out of season), jack crevalle and a lizard fish.  Carla was the official photographer and kept us fed. We lost one nice sized yellow tail snapper to what most likely was a large barracuda.  All we were left with was a head and a few inches of the body. We finished the day off with dinner at the Hurricane Hole restaurant (and later, showers at the Boca Chica Marina).

Mel Fisher Maritime Museum and Hog Fish Bar & Grill

We went to the Mel Fisher Maritime Museum in the morning.  Mel was one of the early promoters of sport diving and spent much of his life hunting for sunken treasure.  He succeeded in locating the Spanish galleons, Nuestra Senora de Atocha and Santa Margarita, which sank during a hurricane in 1622 along with many other vessels which made up the Tierra Firma flota.  Millions of dollars worth of gold, silver, copper, pearls and gemstones were among the cargo.  The museum contains many of the artifacts recovered from these two ships, as well as, from the slave ship, Henrietta Marie.  Piracy was also a major theme of the museum.  The exhibits were amazing and informative.

http://www.melfisher.org/

El Meson de Pepe and Mallory Square

Eric and Emi toured the Hemingway House, Key West Lighthouse and went to the Southern Most Point Marker.  Paul and Dwayne walked along Higg's Beach and visited West Martello Tower which is the remnants of one of the brick forts on Key West and is now a botanical garden maintained by volunteers of the Key West Garden Club.  The garden was an interesting collecting of both native and foreign tropical plants in an unusual setting.  The views of Hawks Channel from the fort's walls were impressive. Carla remained on Boca Chica having a "Carla Day" doing whatever she felt like doing.

We went to El Meson de Pepe for a Cuban dinner and spent the evening on Mallory Square being entertained by the buskers. Eric helped the unicyclist - juggler get mounted.  Dwayne helped him with retrieving his hat which he lost more than once while performing.  It was a fun evening and closed with a short walk down Duval Street to get to the car.

Fort Lauderdale to Key West by Car

We spent the morning on the Fort Lauderdale beaches.  The winds continue to blow from the east in the low 20 knot range.  Waves are 8 - 10 offshore and there were 4 to 6 footers crashing into the beaches. The lifeguard flags were whipping in the wind.  No one was in the water.  A few people were on the beach sunning and reading.  We met a crew of volunteers working on the beach protecting sea turtle eggs and planting vegetation on the dunes.  Several ships were lying at anchor waiting to go into Port Everglades. It was a great way to spend a few hours prior to picking up Eric and Emi.

On our way to Key West, we stopped to get our picture taken at the big spiny lobster and tour the shops it was built to promote.  Some of the artists were fairly well talented.  This was particularly true of two glass blowers who were producing some beautiful but expensive works of glass art.  We stopped for lunch at a great little Cuban restaurant just off the Overseas Highway near Homestead.  Eric found it during a Google search.  $3.99 lunch specials.  Good eats, and cheap.

Dania Beach Casino

We drove to Fort Lauderdale so we could pick up Dwayne's son, Eric and Emi who is a foreign exchange student from Germany.  They fly into FLL on March 9.  We spent the evening at the Dania Beach Casino where we had dinner and stayed for Jai Alai.  The casino recently had a major million dollar renovation.  It is much improved over our last visit.  Close to 900 slot machines took over most of the space previously part of the seating for the fronton.  As a result, there are only 500 seats for Jai Alai spectators; however, you are right up front for the action.  It is like having box seats at a baseball game or court side seats for basketball.  We had a great night despite having had only one winning wager. In the end we were only out $26.00 for the evening which is less than we would have paid for seats at a major league baseball game.

We spent the night at a quaint B&B in the Las Olas neighborhood.  The proprietors were particularly friendly and we had a great visit upon our arrival and during breakfast.

Working Hard and Enough

In the morning, we went into Key West to purchase some needed items.  After lunch, we continued to work hard on the boat and do laundry.  Dwayne waxed the hull.  Carla did the laundry.  In mid-afternoon, Paul arrived on his sloop, Enough.  Paul was with us on the SAIL ICW Rally and we buddy boated with him for a few days near the end of our journey.  He posts to Facebook and we noticed he was heading our way as he was anchoring out each night in the same places we did as we made our way to Key West. He is retired Navy and will be here a month.  Most remarkable is that Paul single-hands his boat.  I find it hard to believe people can cruise and manage everything alone.

Carla's Birthday

Dwayne spent half the day waxing the hull while Carla worked on the deck and cockpit.  Afterwards, we showered and went into Key West for some shopping and provisions for the marina's Sunday pot luck supper.  As expected, everyone at the pot luck was very welcoming and the food was abundant. We brought a mixed greens salad and Catalina dressing.  We also had a roasted chicken from Publix which we didn't even open as our plates were full and eventually so were we.  Chicken for lunch and dinner tomorrow.  Oh, those at dinner sang Happy Birthday to Carla.

Dwayne confuses the dates for Carla's birthday.  He knows it is either March 6 or March 9.  He really screwed up by not wishing her a Happy Birthday on March 6 and being early rather than thinking it was March 9 and being late.  Needless to say, he waited and was in the S-house in the morning for having forgotten Carla's birthday.  He tried his best to make it up and bought her some great presents at West Marine.  She likes to keep a tidy and good smelling boat.  Look how pleased she is to get Knock Out for the holding tank, CP for the clean potty and her favorite single ply, bio-degradable toilet paper.  Happy Birthday Carla.  In the future, Dwayne will always remember to wish Carla a Happy Birthday on March 6. May she have many more.

Waxing Away the Time

We spent the day washing, waxing and polishing Foreign Affair.  It is amazing how quickly salt, water and the sun attack everything.  We are continuously doing something to maintain the boat. Washing and waxing the hull takes 16 - 20 hours and is divided into 4 or 5 days of work.  The deck and cockpit take about as much time.  Carla does the deck and tries to do a little every few days. Dwayne does the hull when we lay over in a marina for an extended stay.  Carla is always working on the interior.  So far, mildew has not been as much of a problem in Key West as it was in St. Augustine.  We keep the hatches open and get good ventilation.  It hasn't rained here like it did in St. Augustine.  The dinghy is getting some TLC, as well as, the outboard motor.

Key West and Truman Annex

Sigsbee/Dredgers Key

We went to Sigsbee Park, a.k.a. Dredgers Key to explore its facilities.  Dwayne got a haircut at the barber. We bought food at the commissary.  Liquor at the NEX.  Filled the car up with gas.  Stopped by the Information, Travel and Ticket office to pick up brochures and check out what discounts were available for local sights and activities.  We drove through the campground, RV site and marina.  The marina is for smaller boats due to the shallow water around Dredgers Key.  The Sunset Lounge no longer has a palm thatched roof as it did in the past.  Today the roof is tin and the place has lost the Tiki feel. The sunsets haven't changed and they are better than those at Mallory Square since they are unobstructed by hundreds of tourists hoping to see a green flash as the sun sinks out of sight.

Boca Chica Marina

We began settling in to our new surroundings by re-provisioning and meeting our new neighbors. Most of those around us have already been here for several months.  We are late-comers and are in a transient slip. The boat that was in our slip left the morning before our afternoon arrival on March 1. We are in a great location at the end of A Dock and our slip is the widest we have ever had making it easy to get into and out of when we decide to venture out with the boat.

One thing that might take a while to get used to is the constant air traffic.  Aircraft of all types land and take off at the airfield adjacent to the marina.  Most of the time it is fighter jets creating the most noise. They begin flying around 0700 and continue on into the night until around 2100 (9 PM).  It is as interesting as it is annoying.  Yesterday, some Canadian Air Force jets and their support teams arrived to participate in a week of training with the US military.  We've also seen some C130 cargo planes and an assortment of helicopters land and take off from the airfield.  One of our neighbors said we should be happy:  "We get a free air show every day, all day!"

Key West to Boca Chica

We slept in and ate breakfast before slipping off the mooring ball and heading to Boca Chica.  The weather was perfect - sunny, warm and calm.  We enjoyed the morning as we motored the two hours to the Boca Chica NAS Marina.  We were surprised at how well-marked the harbor entrance channel was until we noticed how shallow the waters were immediately outside the channel.  The water depth between the Greens and Reds was on average 15 feet; however, immediately outside the markers, the water was 2 feet deep at best.  The harbor itself is spacious and well laid out.  George met us on the dock and helped us into our very wide slip. This is the best slip arrangement we have ever had and hope to be able to stay in it for the entire 5 weeks we are here.  It is obviously a slip for a boat with much more beam than ours.  We are surrounded by trawlers but that is OK with us.  Everyone we met since docking has been very friendly and welcoming.

Foreign Affair, Boca Chica Maarina