The Cruise - Week 9, Florida Keys - February 23 - March 1, 2015

Monday February 23.  Beautiful day, 80 degrees, sunny and little wind.  We took our dingy around the west end of Marathon, under the Seven Mile Bridge and into Boot Key Harbor where we rode around looking at boats in the mooring field and stopped to see friends.  Had lunch at Dockside restaurant in the harbor and made a short stop at Sombrero Beach.  We are beginning to think about what we will do next…after this cruise.  One option (of many) is to move up to a larger boat and cruise on a regular basis.  Not all the time, but maybe a trip of a few months each year.  Hmmmm bigger boat…so what would that look like.  This is why we are riding around looking at boats and talking to people.  If you pull up to a moored or anchored boat and begin asking questions, the owners are always happy to talk.  If a new/larger boat happens, it will be at the end of a long process.  We got back to Harbor Cay about 5:00 pm after traveling over about 12 miles with a 3 ½ hp motor on a 9’ inflatable dingy.  We were tired.







Tuesday we planned to take Dubhe out for a day cruise to Molasses Key, but of all things, we were covered by fog which did not lift until late afternoon.  Fog is extremely rare here but it changed our plans.  We mostly just sat around for the day and waited.  Happy Hour at the Cone of Knowledge was early as we had a couple join us who have completed a long cruise in the Arctic Circle above Norway.  They were interesting people from Norway and Denmark, but I don’t that is a place we will go!  After drinks and snacks we were not hungry so we walked over to Burdines for Key Lime pie.  We ended up having a couple of beers, French fries, AND Key Lime Pie.  This cruise may kill us.
On the way back to Dubhe, we met a couple and went to Porkys for more beers.  Of course no driving.  In fact, I haven’t driven a car in over two months!

Wednesday morning (February 25) we planned to head out to Molasses Key for  a day trip (again) but about 8:00 am, fog rolled in and stayed around past noon.  As we had made plans to meet friends at Dockside at 5:00, we did not have time to go out after the fog lifted.  Shortly after noon we heard many sirens which turned out to be from an accident on the seven mile bridge that took the life of one person and a dog, and totally shut down traffic on the bridge for over three hours.  Apparently someone tried to pass another vehicle on the bridge in the fog and ran head on with oncoming traffic.  The traffic on US 1 in the Keys is such that passing doesn’t get you any further than the next car, especially on the bridges.  If you ever drive down here, put yourself on island time, relax and just go with the traffic. 

In order to get a little exercise, I took a long walk on the old section of the Seven Mile Bridge almost to Pigeon Key.  As I was walking back, I heard someone call my name.  It was Bill Davidson who I worked with 35 years ago and had not seen in 10 years   what an amazing encounter Bill and Debbie who live near Boston had gotten held up by the accident on their way to Key West and were also taking a walk.  I called Nancy to join us and we had an hour or so to visit.   

We went to Dockside Restaurant with Tom and Vivienne for drinks and to hear the Jessie Brown Band.  They were great.  Jessie Brown has a fantastic voice much like Allison Krauss.  I expect they are an up and coming group so if anyone has a chance to see her/them, do it.

We are really enjoying our cruise so far, and learning a lot.  Our greatest learning experience is that we need a bigger boat to really enjoy cruising.  We love Dubhe and we enjoy her popularity with just about everyone who sees her, but we need a double bunk and just a little more living space to be comfortable.  To this end, we have been looking at other trawlers.  Monday, riding through Boot Key Harbor, we saw many and talked to the owners.  Thursday, we met a boat broker to look at a DeFever 41, but it is too big and too old.  After he left, we walked over to another boat we liked and knocked.  The couple aboard were very welcoming and invited us aboard.  It was a Monk 36 which is the right size and has a traditional “salty” look.  As we go north over the next few weeks, we will look at as many boats as we can manage along the way.

 

 Saturday, I changed the oil and a fuel filter in Dubhe in preparation of our return trip.  As I have said several times, I like it here, but we are itching to get moving.  Cruising is about going to new places.  Friends Frank and Debbie came over for lunch and drinks which then required a nap.  They are leaving tomorrow morning to go over to the Marathon mooring field and wait for weather to begin their trip back north and to the Bahamas.  When people start leaving, it really makes us want to go too.  We also made the pig races at the Stuffed Pig Restaurant.  They claim that it was national pig day but I have never heard of it.  It was a hoot.

Sunday we went to church at Saint Columba Episcopal as we have for the past four weeks.  This is a growing, outreaching church.  We will miss them.  I replaced a bilge pump float switch that I should have replaced when I installed the second switch.  I had left the old one in as the primary and sure enough, it went bad.  Boats stuff is expensive but if you try to go cheap, you will pay in the end.  Frank and Debbie on Heron yesterday for Boot Key Harbor, but three more boats came in.  On one is a couple (David and Beverly) from Beaufort, NC who we got to know at the Cone of Knowledge.  People leave, but there are always more coming.