January 31 to March 6, 2005

Islamorada
We enjoyed another sunny week in Islamorada, with the exception of one stormy night, before we moved on to Marathon. We had a cold front come through--with northwest winds up to 30 kts and 4-foot seas. Around 1:00 a.m., I awoke, dressed, and went up on deck just in time to see that our anchor was starting to drag and that we were being pushed toward other anchored boats and, just beyond, the shoals that would spell certain disaster. With no moon, it was pitch black and I could just make out the shadowy forms of other vessels that we narrowly missed as we drifted. Crab pots, which could tangle our prop, were on all sides of us. In a near panic, I started the engine and luckily, just managed to slow the boat enough for the anchor to reset.

Sandy noted our position to ensure we were staying put, while I made a pot of coffee for the long night ahead. While we were having our first cup, we saw a large 60-foot trawler dragging her two anchors move quickly past us with no one at the helm. I flashed a spotlight on her and blasted the foghorn several times to alert the sleeping owners. Finally, they awoke and expressed initial disbelief before the stark reality set in that they were dragging. They bumped up on at least one other boat before they managed to reset their anchors.

On To Marathon
Once the storm passed and the seas settled down, we departed Islamorada and headed 40 miles south to Marathon. We anchored outside of Boot Key to avoid the mass collection of closely anchored boats inside the harbor. We spent a few relaxing days there and enjoyed a few late afternoon lunches at Burdines Waterfront, where the dogs were allowed to accompany us.

Key West Bound
On Wednesday, Feb. 9th, we headed south for Key West. Although it's a tad expensive here, we managed to find two berths (the first at Conch Harbor, and the second at The Galleon) that will allow us to remain here in Key West for a month-long stay. Thereafter, we plan to head back to Marathon and take Moser Channel over to the west coast for a few weeks of cruising before we begin our slow ascent north.

A few days after we arrived, we had a chance meeting with Andy Connelly from Manana, whom we met back in Wrightsville Beach. Andy hails from Michigan and single-handed his boat all the way down the coast. He told us he had just spent a great week sailing with his kids over to the Dry Tortugas. He was now awaiting the arrival of his girlfriend who is coming down to meet him for the week.

In celebration of our 8th wedding anniversary on Valentine’s Day, we procured a beautiful mermaid, hand glazed on tile, that I mounted on the bulwark above our galley to bless our continued safe voyage. It's inevitable, idolatry and paganism eventually find their place in the hearts of every mariner. That, we hope, in addition to a lot of good praying, will safely see us home.

After a few weeks tied to a dock, we begin to feel like a true Key Westers, especially after spending a late night at Schooner's Wharf drinking many shots of straight dark Patron Anejo tequila, meeting lots of great folks, and listening to fine rock music. This bar is famous for allowing pets, so of course, we brought the girls.

Tula acted the shameless hussy and reeled in the babes with her coy performance of seductive wiggles and winks. Perhaps, I should consider renting her out as a chick/guy magnet alternative to the ubiquitous escort services being touted from every corner, if not to cover the high costs of our dock fees, maybe at least to defray our bar tab. In Key West drinking is considered a professional sport.

Week 3, Key West: It’s easy to see why people just end up staying here. It's a good place to hide out from the rest of the world and still have lots to do. We had a surprise visit from our friends back home: Sam, Patty, Abby, and Aaron Booth, whose cruise ship docked in Key West for a brief visit. We also had our close friends from Bristol, Dan and Anita Randall, come and stay with us for a few days. We had a great time and we're now in the process of recovering from too much food, fun, and drink. It was so good to see friends from back home.

It's not all fun and games however. Last week, Tula got very sick and after staying up all night up with her, we made several frustrating calls in an attempt to get her an appointment with a veterinarian. Finally after walking several miles before getting a cab and then sitting in a waiting room for three hours at the "All Animal Clinic," we were able to have her checked out and put on a regiment of rest and antibiotics. She is now fully recovered, and has been ordered to stay out of the bars on Duval Street.

During the week we had another chance encounter with a few fellow cruisers we had met back in St. Augustine, Greg and Susie from Aloalani. I just happened to hear them talking on the VHF radio so I hailed them. After a brief chat, they agreed to stop by our boat for a visit before they headed back to Marathon. Like us, they arrived in Key West and stayed for an entire month.

This week I started on the obligatory boat maintenance chores that must be done before we can start our almost 2,000 mile return trip north. I installed a new Balmar 100-amp alternator, replaced the sea pump impeller and fuel filters, replaced the hydraulic motor and control switch (under warrantee) for the navigation table chair, and in the process of checking the heat exchanger, discovered that one end of the cast aluminum housing had suffered salt-water corrosion to the point that it was leaking. The first mechanic I hired had never seen it happen before and wanted to try gluing it back together. I sent him packing and hired a Yanmar diesel mechanic, who looked like the real deal. I'm hoping he knows his stuff since he quickly stripped down the engine and left with a big bucket of parts. On Thursday, our venerable mechanic returned with new parts, put the engine back in order, and left us with a fat $2,200 bill and the tip for me to always use Permatex High-Temperature Red gasket sealer next time I service the heat exchanger.

Even though Tula can no longer hang out on Duval Street, she is now content to hang out on the Dog Beach oceanside. When Dan and Anita took the trolley tour, the tour guide pointed out the Dog beach to them so they told us about it on their return. After a hellish week of boat maintenance, we loaded Joop and Tula in the Burley stroller and hiked out 2 miles to the beach. The girls had a great time playing in the sand and surf with about a half dozen other dogs. I swear you could actually see the big smiles on their faces. Joop declared that this day was the highlight of the entire trip. Upon our return to the boat, we hosed down the sand covered and sunburned girls and they quietly slept away the remainder of the afternoon.