So Long Key West.....Hello Ft. Meyers Beach

Having a Drink at Captain Tony's Bar

Last Day In Key West

Our trips on the water are usually determined by wind speed, temperature and weather conditions.  We were getting anxious to head north to Ft Meyers, so all the "conditions" were in place for us to leave Stock Island Marina in Key West on Wednesday, May 9th.  It was bright and sunny (as usual...:) but with just a bit of wind.  I mention the wind, because that can be a tricky problem if you are getting a large sailboat out of a slip.  I am not the captain, but maneuvering it out of the slip without hitting the dock, another boat or a combination of the two is always something you DON"T want to happen.  So, before leaving on Wed., Steve had one of the marina employees come down to our slip to help us off.  (for non boaters, we are on the boat, there is a line holding us and at the right moment you have to cast off....this process goes much more smoothly if someone is on the dock and helps with this process)  Well, we were all set and Chris (the employee of the marina) was there to help us off.  As we backed out of the slip with everything going just perfectly, Chris tossed us the line at the back of the boat and we were suppose to be clear and on our way.  BUT, I was at the front of the boat, Steve was driving and by the time I ran back to pull the line in, it sank into the water and got tangled in our prop on the engine.  When that happens you go no where!!!!!!  We drifted around and good ole Chris got us back in the slip without hitting anyone.  As hard as we pulled, we could not get that line unstuck.  So, Chris asked Steve if we had a diving mask on board.  Well, yes we do!  Chris is the local diver in the marina, too.  Such luck.  On went the mask, off came his shirt and  shoes and into the water under our boat goes Chris.  In a matter of minutes, he had it untangled and was on the dock dripping wet.  All in a days work, I guess.  Well, we gave it another "shot" and were off and motoring out of the marina and out towards the Atlantic.

Our marina was on the south side of Key West, so we had to sail into the Atlantic, around the end of Key West and then head north into the Gulf to go to Ft. Meyers.  Interestingly enough, if you look at a map, Key West is quite a bit west of the Florida mainland.  If you would draw a straight line north, you would be in line with Ft. Meyers.  So, we were off for a 24 hr. sail which would put us in Ft. Meyers the next morning at 9:15!

A lot of this trip, until you are close to Marco Island and Naples, is out in open water and you do not see any land.  There really isn't anything to take a photo of other than water.  There were a few boats and fisherman we encountered, but that was about it.  We did have excellent sailing all that day and were sailing with all three sails up and NO motor.  The captain had a big smile on his face....his kind of sailing!

As I have mentioned many times, I am not the sailor on the boat.  I just take orders :)  When you do an "overnight sail" you do have to take turns doing "watch".  Hopefully, the other person on board can go down below and get a few hours of sleep.  Well, just as the sun started to go down and night was falling a large band of storms started to appear in the distance and on our radar.  So, the captain was in charge and we tried "dodging" some of the storms, but eventually we had to "bite the bullet" and sail on through.  On a sailboat, you have a tall mast and you really don't want to get hit by lightening on the water.  I was a little tense for awhile, but the storms lasted about three hours.  Finally, Steve suggested I go down below and try and get some sleep while he maneuvered through the storm.  About three hours later, I relieved him at the helm and did my shift.  He always tells me, "if you see something you don't understand or need help, WAKE ME UP"!  He doesn't have to worry!  Later we switched again and I slept for a few hours.  When I came up to do my next watch, the minute I stepped into the cockpit, I smelled smoke.  Not just a "whiff" but campfire smoke and it was in the air!!!!  I guess I am a bit paranoid on the boat at night, but I had Steve checking every inch of our boat....I was sure we would have to abandon ship.  If Steve were writing this blog, he would tell you he was never worried about the boat having a fire, because burning wires or fiberglass would NOT smell like the smoke we were smelling.  Long story short, we were off shore of the Everglades National Park and they were and still are having an uncontained forest fire started by lightening.  As of yesterday, they had only 20% of it under control.  I'll bet we smelled that smoke for a good hour and a half!

Steve & Dave, The Best Dockmaster in Florida

The rest of the trip was uneventful, and we got into our slip here at the Pink Shell Hotel and Marina at 9:15 AM exactly 24 hours after our departure.  We are on the north tip of Ft Meyers Beach and it is a lovely place to "land".  We stayed here a year and a half ago when we sailed around the Gulf.  We have the pools, the beach on the Gulf and a number of friends close by in the area, so we are set for the next few weeks of adventure.

Back Having Fun in Ft. Meyers Beach - Live is Good!

The Dry Tortugas....May 6th through May 9th

Our first BIG adventure since we have been in Key West, was a trip to the Dry Tortugas!  If you are anything like me, I was familiar with the name but that was about it!  So, not to sound too much like a teacher, I will give you a brief overview of the "lay of the land"!  Almost 70 miles west of Key West lies a group of seven islands, composed mostly of coral reefs and sand.  Originally they were named Las Tortuga (the turtles) by Ponce de Leon in 1513.  This was changed on the mariners' charts to Dry Tortugas to indicate there was no fresh water on the islands. In 1825, the first lighthouse was built to warn sailors about the rocky shoals that surround these islands.  Thus, this is the final resting place of many vessels.

By 1829, the United States knew it could control navigation to the Gulf of Mexico and protect the Atlantic-bound Mississippi River trade if they could fortify the Tortugas.  Fort Jefferson's  (named after our third president) construction started on Garden Key (the largest of the islands) in 1846.  Construction continued for 30 years but was never finished.  During the Civil War, it was a Union military prison for captured deserters.  It housed four men convicted of complicity in Abraham Lincoln's assassination.  This included Dr. Samuel Mudd, who was the Dr. who helped and set the broken leg of John Wilkes Booth.  By the 1880's, the Fort was abandoned by the Army and then became a wildlife refuge.  Fort Jefferson was proclaimed a National Monument in 1935 and was designated Dry Tortuga National Park in 1992.This would protect its scenic, cultural and marine wildlife (most notable are the birds and the loggerhead and green turtles that call this area home).  So, there you have it folks, a thumbnail sketch of the Dry Tortugas.

 The Tortugas can only be reached by sea or by air (sea planes).  Thus, you must bring your own provisions and water with you, if you sail there, as we did.  The National Parks Dept. here on Key West run a ferry to the Islands daily and give two guided tours of the Fort per day. If you want to be in the Tortugas, you are on your own to plan for your food, water and necessary things you might need (restroom facilities :) So with that information, we made a trip to Publix before we departed Key West.  We were set!!!!  My only "fear" was the fact there is NO communication on the Island.  No phone, no internet, no TV....basically it is rather primitive!

Our trip started on Wed. May 6th.  We planned to make it a two day trip over to the Tortugas,  with a stop over at the Marquesas Islands, which are about 23 miles from Key West.  These, too, are not inhabited, but you can take your dingy to shore if you so choose.  It was a very peaceful anchorage and we made a nice dinner on the boat and watched and captured on camera a beautiful sunset.  After coffee and breakfast the next AM, we were off to our destination.

It was another eight hour sail to the Tortugas from the Marquesas.  Not too much happens on a sailboat in open water as you sail mile after mile...but we did have some visitors.  (This is a de je vous kind of a tale!!!)  All of a sudden, a very small bird (perhaps the size of a wren) flew into the cockpit of our boat and landed very close to Steve.  In fact, he even climbed on Steve's finger!  Cute, right???  Well, he continued to fly around the cockpit and land every so often and then he was off.  Pretty soon he was back and I guess he had told a "friend" that this sure beat flying and come on over!  They flew around, landed, etc. until one decided to fly down into the lower level of our boat.  At first, I thought this was cute to have these tiny guys on board, but NOT fly in our kitchen and bedroom.  So, I sent Steve to chase them out....once again, I am not the animal/bird girl.  Once that was accomplished, we put the door in the opening.  Finally, I'm watching our new little friends, when one starts to fly to the other side of the boat BUT didn't quite make it and landed in my hair!  Okay, that's it!  I am not enjoying this anymore!  End of story, a few miles from our destination they both flew off.  Probably to be at home on the huge bird sanctuary on the Island.

Fort Jefferson is a huge structure and takes up most of Garden Key.  You can start to see it in the horizon many miles before you arrive.  The water is the beautiful aqua color of the Caribbean and is rather shallow considering you are in Gulf.  It made a magnificent sight as we sailed in to where we were going to anchor next to the Fort.  The only other Island that tourists can visit is Loggerhead Island, which is named after the loggerhead turtles that call it "home".  They and the green turtles are protected in this area.  It is the season for them to come on shore and lay their eggs, so the Park Rangers are always on the look out for turtle nests. They have approximately 250 nests yielding 15,00 hatchlings each summer.  We sailed past Loggerhead as we approached Fort Jefferson.  Both islands are  what I call "postcard material".  I'm no photographer, but the pictures I took of the lighthouse and surrounding water I just love!

We spent two nights anchored off of Garden Key surrounded by about 8 to 10 other boats.  At night on the sand outside the Fort, there is room for 8 campsites.  They must bring all of their provisions on the Ferry (tents, kayaks, food, etc)  Our first day there, we took a dingy ride (three miles) over to Loggerhead Island.  This is where the old lighthouse still stands.  The last light was removed a few years ago and is now on display at the National Aids to Navigation School in Yorktown, VA.  It states that this light could be observed at a distance of 53 miles.  This area can be a dangerous place, as more than 250 shipwrecks have been documented in these waters.  When we landed on the island, we noted four kayaks on the shore.  Soon we met the owners who were from Texas...yee haw!  They had paddled their kayaks over and were spending the day snorkeling and viewing one of the wrecks off shore.  We were, also, met by the Park Rankger.  She was very informative and gave us some facts about the Island.  She and her husband (a retired Park Ranger) were working for one month on the Island.  Their so called base is Rocky Mountain National Park and she will return to that job the end of this month.  They, too, must bring provisions for a month with them and do not leave  the Island in that months time.  The ferry will bring them milk or a few other items if they should run out, but they are there for a month.  Solitude!!!!!  Steve did some snorkeling and I just soaked in the sunshine and beauty.  It was quite beautiful.

Beginning of a Palm Tree

A Frigate Bird

That late afternoon, we took the dingy over to the Fort.  There is a large moat around the outside and you walk across a  bridge to enter.  Of course, it is very old and is always being repaired.  Once inside, it is massive but quite stark!  All the way around the facility are the places for the cannons that were used to fortify the fort.  They have  tried to rebuild and renovate the officer's quarters but we could not go inside.   It is one of the nation's largest 1800s masonary forts.
On the same Island, is the bird sanctuary which can only be viewed by water from January through October.  Many songbirds and other migrants fly over or nest in the Dry Tortugas.  The islands lie across a principal flyway between North America and South America. Many  gulls, terns and migratory shore birds winter here.   Our favorite bird to watch was the frigate bird.  It is large with a seven foot wingspan and a v-shaped tail.

Saturday morning, Steve listened to the marine weather report which is headed by a weatherman named Chris Parker.  Steve has used his services when he has crossed the Gulf.  As I mentioned, I am a fair weather sailor so any reports of higher winds or seas is not to my liking.  Bottom line, when Steve called Chris on the marine radio, his suggestion was to set sail on Saturday morning (as he spoke) and head back to Key West. OR, we could wait until Sunday, as we had planned, and have a "bumpy ride" for 12 hours.  That answered our question....pack up and let's go!  We did have a beautiful sail home, but didn't arrive in our marina  until 10:00 PM.  It had been quite an adventure and we were able to see many beautiful sights!  If you ever have the chance to go there, we highly recommend the trip!

Nancy's April

In Steve's log entry, it was discussed that I don't do Gulf crossings.  Reason????  I get sea sick AND it takes too long!  So, my alternative is to fly North to see the children and grandchildren and try to keep a watch on Steve and his" were abouts" in the Gulf. It works for us, folks!!!

I flew to Chicago on the 1st (and that is no April Fool joke).  I must say, all of my flights on this trip were perfect!  You need to give the airlines an "atta boy" when they come through for you like that!  I spent from the 1st through the 20th in Schererville, going between Melissa and Jon's homes so that they didn't get too tired of me !!!  What's my Dad's old joke....fish and company are both the same, after three days they both stink!  What???  Not ME!!!  While in NWI, I got to celebrate Easter and go to a huge Easter egg hunt in Crown Point, hike in the Dunes National Park, watch Tyler play baseball and see his new belt he earned in Karate, saw Ava's track meet, played board games and read books with the kids AND had time to get together with old friends for dinner/lunch!  Life is good!
Once I knew Steve was in the Keys, then I was able to make plane reservations to go meet him.  I loved the pilot that flew us from Atlanta to Key West.  He came on the loud speaker and explained if we hadn't flown into Key West before, it was Delta's shortest landing strip.  So, he said as soon as we touched down he would hit the brakes.  But not to worry, it was his favorite place to land a jet and he also had many years of Naval flight training behind him.  When that jet hit the ground, oh yes, he hit those brakes hard and we landed quickly.  We deplaned on the tarmak since they don't have the covered walkways....welcome to sunny Key West.  Mr. Steve was right there to meet me!

Since that time, we have been "living on Island time"!  It's been warm, sunny and just beautiful.  The marina we are in is great and I took some pictures so you could paint a picture in your mind of where we are and what we do.  So many people have asked me what we do all day....well, it varies but a lot of it involves finding new places to go and explore.  One of my favorites, of course, are the restaurants.  Key West never disappoints with their choices of food.  We are always on the lookout for great key lime pie and seafood.  We've had pie at Blue Heaven and the Key West Key Lime Pie Company....both excellent, I might add!  Another favorite is Antonio's with Italian fare....delicious.  The A and B Oyster Bar was recommended to us by the marina van driver.  The happy hour goes from 4:00 to 6:30 and their drinks and appetizers (which are a meal in themselves) are half price, so it is fun and fairly inexpensive!  (which is unique in Key West)

Steve and I both like museums and have found many in our travels.  We ended up at the Museum of Arts and Science in downtown Key West.  There was a huge exhibit featuring Ernest Hemmingway and we both learned a lot about the man and the early days in Key West.  As many of you know, people always come up to Steve and say, "Do you know who you look like?"  And their response is Kenny Rogers.  Well, one day a gentleman had Steve roll down his window at a stop light and asked the same question and Steve was sure he knew what he would say!  Nope!  You look like Ernest Hemmingway!  Well, Steve didn't know if that was a compliment or not!  After seeing many pictures of Mr. Hemmingway at the exhibit, we came upon one that really DID look like Steve.  He's one famous man!

Ernest Hemmingway

The past two weeks have left us tan, rested and WELL FED!  We are now ready for a sail to the Dry Tortugas which are 70 miles West of here.  We have had to wait for a good weather window, because this little sailor likes calm seas.  So, our next blog will fill you in on that adventure.