Accompanied by BEAR and BARBIE
Tuesday, June 09, 2009
Departed on our “waterhome” at about 1030am and headed south.
Anchored south of Sarasota
We decided to try and make it to Ft Myers Yacht Basin for fuel but arrived after they closed at 600pm, so we moored by the bridge across from the marina so we could be there early in the AM and be on our way.
Ended up staying for the day through noon on Friday to have a loose generator wire repaired.Left the marina a little after noon which made it a short boating day, but a restful one. We anchored just outside Ft Myers along a beach and watched some fisherman using their fish nets searching for dinner.
Saturday, June 13
Sunday, June 14
Today is the day we take the Gulf of Mexico south. Left at 615am and arrived At 600pm for an overnight anchorage at Big Pine Key. Was a very long day and we are all tired, a large part due to the heat. Hot! Hot! Hot! Kept Bear and Barbie cool by covering them with wet towels.
Monday, June 15
Arrived Boot Key Marina in Marathon about mid morning, tied up to a mooring bll and relaxed for the rest of the day. Peppi, Anthony and his friend Molly arrived in the afternoon. After relocating, we took dingies to the office, checked in, then walked down the road for pizza and beer…and ...air conditioning.
Tuesday, June 16
Today we took both boats to an area called Sombrero ( given to us by one of our neighbors, Rolando) where Richard and I made our first attempt at scuba diving using our Hooka rig and also tried out some snorkeling. As we get a little more confident, this will be great fun. The day flew by so fast and soon it was time to head back to our mooring at Boot Key. Had a great king fish dinner at Peppi’s boat. Jennifer had joined the gang during the day and was there for dinner with all of us.
Wednesday, June 17
This morning we headed out for Loos Key for more diving and snorkeling. Anchored enroute to Sambo.
Thursday, June 18
Enjoyed another day enjoying some snorkeling. Anchored at Key West Harbor and saw a water spout at about 900pm, not too far away from where we were anchored. Then, at about 1100pm, a horrific storm blew thru. We tried to get as prepared as possible in case the anchor broke loose. We will never anchor here again as this place is known for anchors not holding. Another learning experience for us new boaters!
We headed to the Key West Bight Marina and spent the day in Key West, sightseeing, eating and drinking. Ate lunch at Dante’s, located at the marina. For dinner we ate at Two Friends Patio Restaurant – a repeat for us. Of course, we watched the sunset. Afterwards, we shared some wine and talk with my baby bro,Peppi, as we planned to separate in the am and go on our separate journeys.
Saturday, June 20
Another early am. We left at 600, bright and early, as we had another very long day ahead of us. Had to make it to Marco Island, where we anchored once again in Capri Pass near the Snook Inn. We didn't feel as anxious this trip as this was a repeat performance being out in the Gulf about 20 miles offshore.We left at 715am and docked at Cape Haze Marina at 500pm. Could locate any of the staff so we docked and planned to catch up with them in the am. It’s located at standard mile 38 / day beacon #9 Lemon Bay. We enjoyed a quiet dinner on board and hit the sack early. The Marina fone number is 941 698-1110.
We met both Marc and Tom from the marina. They were both so pleasant. We received a courtesy overnight stay and we promised to return. They even brought back some ice for us. We shoved off at 9am after having a nice breakfast of eggs and sausage.
1230pm- We stopped for lunch and a short nap at Higel Patk in Venice across from the Venice Yacht Club, then left again and made it to Jew Fish Key located near Long Beach (daymarker 40). We must now confess to failure to follow the Rules of Safety. Anchoring a couple hundred yards from a restaurant, we boarded the dinghy and began our ride to shore for dinner. As we approached the halfway mark, our outboard motor had to be shut down due to leaking gasoline at the fitting and I had not boarded any oars. The wind was
blowing and I knew we had little time to get the dinghy positioned to go toward our boat. I removed some clothing and dove in to pull the dinghy with the side stroke, Tiki jumped in and pulled from the front, using the backstroke. This was a challenge for an elderly couple that had just had beer and wine prior to departing for dinner ashore. We shall never leave the Tadpole in the Dinghy without the Engine running, Life Jackets, Flash light, Anchor, and Oars aboard regardless of how short a trip we are undertaking. Sunday, June 23
We were early to rise as we had a long day ahead of us to be home that evening. The winds were quite strong and had increased as we began our six mile stretch of open water from the intercoastal over to and under the Sunshine Skyway bridge into Tampa Bay. We experienced our roughest ride to date with salt water spray hitting me in the face as I piloted from the upper bridge. I quickly learned that the helm had very limited response in such turbulent seas.
CONCLUSION: We loved our first real trip to Key West with our new boat and we really appreciated the opportunity to live this dream.
