Day by Day in the Keys

The days have gotten quite  a bit warmer and the winds aren’t blowing hard quite as often either.  We’re staying pretty close to the marina in case some unknown buyer wants to look at the boat.

Pat and Judy Sorenson from Denver will be arriving on Thursday.  We plan to meet them in Miami where they’ll turn in their rental car and then we’ll drive back to the marina.  This has been a very busy year for this marina and it appears all the other marina’s we’ve heard about.  Most of the marina’s from here to Key West appear to be full through most, if not all, of March.  The dock people here at Mangrove Marina say they haven’t seen this many boats at dock in the last 5 years.  Part of the limiting factor hear is the water depth.  Your boat cannot draw very much water to get into this harbor.  The average depth in the harbor is about 3 1/2’ to 4’ depending on the tide.  We’ve also heard from other cruisers we’ve met about dock space in the Bahamas and they seem to be full of boats as well.  

We get together with many of the other boaters on our dock each evening for a refreshment or two.  Who said you had to go snorkeling or diving to get lobster?  The two shown below were caught right off the sea wall at the dock with a net.  The one was a real monster.  It was kind of fun to watch everything transpire.

If everything (weather) works right, we may try to sail out to a couple of the closer keys with Pat and Judy when they get here.  We know we have a place to come back to and we know they’d like to see some of the other places out in Florida Bay.  

We’re starting to think about hauling the boat out in April and also seeing our daughter Andrea and grandson, Kyle, who will be visiting the middle of April.  But we have a few more weeks before me need to think about returning to Manatee Bay Marine.

Sailboat Racing

Marilyn and I went over to the Upper Keys Sailing Club Saturday about mid-day to see the new A Cats.  I guess they haven’t been around too long and they were pretty interesting to watch.  They are single person boats, 18’ long with a single main sail.  The things that make them really unique are that they are entirely made out of carbon fiber, so they only weigh about 150 lbs.  They also have very unique  dagger boards that act as a hydrofoil along with a rudder that also acts as a hydrofoil.  I was pretty interested until I found out that they cost about $35,000, so I don’t think we’ll be getting one any time soon.  

Friday night at the marina we had a “Bob Will” night with lots of good things to eat from everyone bringing pot luck and some good music.  Who is Bob Will you might ask, like I did to the chagrin of some of the long timers here at the Marina.  Come to find out that Bob Will had a country western band that started back in the 1930’s and he became well known for playing music for cowboys like Roy Rogers, Gene Autry and Hop Along Cassidy.  Now those guys I know.  Guess I must be a little older than I thought, because some of the younger people didn’t know who those guys were.

If there isn’t a party planned, someone will come up with a reason for one.  Next week-end is a “Splash” party for one of the long timers here at the marina.  I guess a few years ago, he became overcome with the fumes from a fiberglass project and he fell unconscious in the water.  Several people pulled him out and he was rushed to the hospital.  I guess he was technically dead for awhile but they managed to revive him, thus the need for a splash party.

Weather seems to be moderating a little bit.  The temperatures have been warmer than February, but the wind just wants to keep on blowing.  Have Pat and Judy Sorenson from Denver coming to visit on the 19th, so looking forward to seeing them.  

Good bye to our Denver Friends

We’re still staying a Mangrove Marina.  This has worked great for visiting with our friends and giving us a place to work from to visit attractions in the keys.  It’s a good thing too.  We had some of the worst weather yet the day that Kurt and Colleen Schweigert arrived for their visit.  That night you would have thought we were anchored out in the middle of the ocean rather than tied up to a dock.  The wind had to blow at least 30 and sometimes maybe more.  We even ran our heater since it got down to 40 degrees two nights in a row.  Kurt and Colleen were real troopers though.  I know all my ND friends are not feeling too sorry, but being on the water in an uninsulated boat can get pretty cool.

The weather stayed pretty ugly the whole time Kurt and Colleen were here, but we managed to get to Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park and take the glass bottom boat.  We also went over to the Everglades National Park on a Thursday, but couldn’t get in because the park was full.  So, we just drove around and looked a little and then went to visit one of the local indian casinos.  We didn’t do any gambling, but did go to their buffet which was pretty good.  We did play a lot of pinochle and unfortunately the women won the universe, not the men.

After a great deal of discussion, we have decided to try and sell 9 Lives, our floating home.  Every year that goes by it gets a little harder to pull up the sail and anchor.  We know it’s not going to sell in a week or two, so we thought we should start the process as soon as possible and see what happens.  If it doesn’t sell right away we can continue to use it just like we have been.  So if you know anyone who want to buy a great little sailboat, send them my way.

Good Friends on the Boat

Our friends Lon and Jen Romsaas arrived last Friday to spend some time with us.  Unfortunately, we didn’t get to do any sailing as the wind was blowing pretty hard.  So, we had to find some other things to do.  After a little investigation we found that Key Colony near Marathon had a small 9 hole par 3 golf course and the cost was very reasonable.  So, on Sunday we headed for the golf course.  The course was very small, but not very busy and we had a really nice time.

On Monday we headed for Key West to see if we could find any tourists.  Key West is as crazy as ever.  We toured the Butterfly House which is a very nice operation and experience.  The butterflies are everywhere and most are very beautiful.  We had some great food and then headed for Mallory Square to do the sunset.  Unfortunately clouds rolled in just before sunset, so we had to use our imaginations.  We headed back to Marathon after the sunset where we had motel reservations. We thought about staying in Key West until we saw the prices for lodging.  We could have found space at the last minute but it would have been $300 and $400 a night.  The next day on our way back to Tavernier, we stopped at Curry Hammock State Park and did some kayaking.  It was an interesting trip through the mangroves at low tide and we also saw some really big iguanas along the lagoon.

Lon and Jen left yesterday, Wednesday, Feb 4 to drive up to Orlando so they were ready for an early flight back home this morning.  Now we have a few days before Kurt and Colleen Schweigert come visit from Denver.  The winds are hit and miss, but the temperature continues to be pretty good with an occasional cold front passing through and bringing it down a little.  From what we’ve seen, it’s still better than the temps in Bismarck.

Short holes but still no birdies

Beautiful!!!

Marilyn and Jen at Southern most point

Florida Winter

Things have cooled off quite a bit from what they were last week.  Forecast high for tomorrow is in the low 60’s.  For our North Dakota friends I can here it right now:  Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Poor babies.  The wind off the water has been blowing about 18 to 25 and Monday is  suppose to have more with gusts to 30, so I guess I better check the mooring lines.  Sounds like the Bahamas are getting lots of wind too.  We have friends that sent pictures on Facebook of a big catamaran that broke free from its mooring and ended up in one of the marina fairways.  Not a pretty picture.

Last Friday at the local flea market Marilyn saw a plant that she really liked (see the photo) and asked the person selling it what it was.  We couldn’t understand her, so we still don’t know what it is.  If anyone knows, please tell Marilyn

After church this morning we stopped at the Marine bird sanctuary between Key Largo and Tavernier.  They rescue, rehabilitate and release marine birds.  Not very large, but pretty interesting.  

Lon and Jen Romsaas arrive this next Thursday and will be down here sometime Friday after they drive from Orlando.  We hope to sail a little depending on the weather and also drive down to Key West for a day or two.  No matter what, it should be fun to see them.  We might even get in a pinochle game or two.

What is this??

I think this White Heron is suppose to be on the inside of the cage

Who has the right of way here?

Beautiful Tavernier Florida

We’ve decided to stay a little longer in places rather than moving all the time.  When Cindy and Larry Dykema were with us, we moved to Mangrove Marina and have decided to stay her at least for the next 30 days.  We have friends Lon and Jen Romsaas coming to visit from January 30 to February 4th and then Kurt and Colleen Schweigert are coming for a visit from February 18 to February 23rd.  So we might just stay put until Kurt and Colleen depart.  Mangrove Marina is a good place to explore the keys from both land and sea and also have a few amenities for our visitors.

Marilyn is still getting over the Green Bay Packer loss to Seattle, but she says she’s starting to feel better.  We’ve met a few of the boater on dock 3 which is the dock we’re on.  The first two couples that we met were from South Dakota and Minnesota.  Go figure.  The folks from South Dakota no longer have a boat here, but are living close by and come back to visit friends.  The couple from Minnesota are also snowbirds and keep there boat on the hard here at Mangrove when they return home in the summer.  Last night there was a Prime Rib feed that was put on by the small concessionaire that works at the marina.  I guess this is the first time he’s done this, but there were about 25 people that attended and it was great food!  He also opens his little concession on the week-ends and sells breakfast and lunch.  We haven’t tried it yet, but hope to very soon.

The weather has been very nice the majority of the days that we’ve been here since returning after Christmas.  I hate to say that too loud.  Every time I do it seems like it gets cooler and the wind starts to blow harder.  (What did I tell you.  It just started to rain, but it looks like it will only last for a couple of minutes)  The last time we sailed in the keys was 3 years ago and it seemed like the wind was blowing 25 or more most of the time.  I hope that was the exception rather than the rule and now we’re seeing what it’s really like.  Only time will tell.  We need to get the kayak out.  The bay here adjacent to Mangrove is really nice and protected.

The one thing that hasn’t changed is fixing the boat.  Our water heater just died, so Marilyn and I spent most of yesterday pulling the old heater and installing a new one.  It really wasn’t a hard project, but what makes it difficult is the small area that we have to work in.  The best part is we were successful and we now have great hot water!!

The view from out our back door

Looking across at our neighbors

The Cruising Continues

I’ve been bad, bad, bad.  The logistics of keeping the boat in good shape and storage actives have just taken priority over maintaining a blog.  Last year was a horrible year for maintenance problems and then when we arrived this November, we still had some battery and related solar panel issues that needed to be resolved before we could move on our way again.  Fortunately, after we replaced the starter battery, the electrical issues seemed to go away and everything was functioning properly.  We did have a couple of other minor issues like a bad anchor light, leaky foot pump for fresh water in case the pressure water stops working.  But foot pump was a minor problem that can be addressed at anytime.  Our hot water heater has also been a little finicky, so I’ve order another heating element and hope that will solve the problem if it decides to totally stop working.  Again, that’s something that can be dealt with just about anytime.  We can always get hot water by running the engine if we absolutely have to have it.

Although we got back to the boat in November, we did return to Bismarck on about the 17th of December for the holidays and then came back on January 11, 2015.  When we came back, Cindy and Larry Dykema also came along and followed us back to the boat.  After getting the boat cleaned up from sitting in the water for almost a month, we moved out with Cindy and Larry tagging along.  We’ve decided to spend several weeks at Mangrove Marina in Tavernier, FL which is just a little south of Key Largo.  After 3 years with the boat and only a couple of our friends taking the opportunity to visit  us, several of them have decided to visit this year.  We decided to stay a Mangrove Marina as a good place to explore the keys, whether by land or sea. We expect to see Lon and Jen Romsaas and Kurt and Colleen Schweigert in the next 30  days. 

We traveled with Cindy and Larry to the anchorage off of Gilbert’s Resort at the entrance to Jewfish Creek to spend the night at anchor.  Had dinner at Gilbert’s along with some great Gin and Tonic’s.  The next day the winds were very light, but we headed for Mangrove Marina under head sail and engine.  It took us about 3 hours to get to Mangrove Marina.  The weather has been very pleasant for the last 3 days and we had an uneventful trip to Mangrove Marina.  After getting settled in a slip we went to get Cindy and Larry’s rental car that we left there earlier so that we’d have transportation back to Manatee so we could get our car.  The next day we had breakfast with Cindy and Larry and then went to get our car at Manatee Bay.  Said goodbye to Cindy and Larry who were heading to Jacksonville, FL to visit other friends.  After they left we went back and did some laundry and grocery shopping.  Glad we were snug in the slip since the wind was pretty blustery and the temperature off the water was a little cool.  Guess we got spoiled by the last 3 or 4 days.

Hope I have some good stories to share as we visit with some more of our North Dakota and Colorado friends.  

Anchorage off of Gilbert's Resort, Key Largo, FL

Larry Dykema working hard