Onward to Key West - We made it!

So up before sunrise for the last part of our trip!  It was another amazing day of sailing with us seeing upper 6 into 7 knots early then often during the day.  We did have a little shower pop up on us but who cares when you are sailing to Key West?

Leaving Boot Key

A pop up shower? What the?!

More brilliant sailing today!

Love this shot of Island Khaya sailing with the Seven Mile Bridge in the background!

As we approached the harbor we had a nice dousing, aka fresh water rinse, then we were there--seeing all the places we have been four times before but from a completely new perspective!  Look there's The Reach...oh look the Southermost on the Beach...is that? yes! there's the Southernmost point (haha we were more southern than it for once).  The cruise ships, the anchorages around Wisteria Island, Mallory Square, the Bight.  We checked out the anchorages along Fleming Key but opted for the mooring field so we could take advantage of showers, laundry, pump out services and to catch our breath after three days of non stop--up before sunrise sailing.  Whew!  Really excited to be here!

Zoinks!  Downpour alert!

Somewhere over there is The Reach, Southernmost on the Beach and the Southernmost Marker

Mark and I have been to the beach--much different view!

Into the Harbor we go

I think that's the anchorage off Fleming Key (hard to keep track)

Definitely the anchorage off Wisteria Island--crowded, busy and rolling but a famous one

Biplane and Khaya rounding Fleming to the mooring field

And there it is--home for the next week

After two hours to find the Dockmaster and get cleaned up, Sean and Tania (Mark's adorable brother in law, in law and his fiancee) fetched us for dinner.  We were supposed to meet them at El Siboney but I completely screwed up the timing and they were sweet enough to first of all, be patient with us and second, come get us.  El Siboney was packed (line out the door) so we opted for Meson de Pepe down near Mallory Square.  It was yummy and by the time dinner was over, we were pretty much spent so back to the boat we went.

Dinner on our first night with Sean and Tania - delicious! I went back on my "me" day.

Hello again Duval!

One of our favorites here

The famous...

I'll try to get these next few days right but will probably confuse what happened and when and to whom and with whom LOL!

The next day Jon met up with his work pal Chris and Mark and I biked over to visit an artist we know here, Richard Matson.  We have a number of his paintings and he rented us his cottage when we were here for my birthday about a year and a half ago.  It was good to see him and he even remembered us.

We continued our bike ride over near the Green Parrot to see some of his stuff in a pop up gallery there.  Then met up with Jon for my "required" pina colada with a rum floater from Sloppy Joes.  I raised my glass in a loving toast to my best friend's mother who had passed away.  She was a dear lady--quiet and always so sweet to me.  My favorite memory of her was when she helped me close out a tab after a cruise ship outing we all took many years ago--I had no idea what the staff was trying to say and Carmen came with me to help interpret.  May you rest in peace dear lady.

I forced Mark and Jon to go watch the sunset at Mallory Square--what could be better than sunset with 10000 other people? Ha!  But you "have" to do it at least once!  That evening we ate at Caroline's which I like because it's right there on Duval and you can watch all the people passing by...people watching should be the official pastime of Key West (after drinking of course). 

Sylvester, Matson's cute kittie

The cottage where we stayed the last time we came here

I try to always start with a pina colada with rum floater from Sloppy Joes.  This one was dedicated to Carmen, rest her soul.

Sorta a popular place at sunset huh?

But if you can catch a glimpse over everyone's head, it's breathtaking

So he was a cutie

That day we also learned that Alley Cat had hit some type of rock on the way out of Marathon and had taken on water into her keel and obviously lost her fresh water.  Thank goodness all were safe and the boat's keel design did it's job in keeping her afloat.  They, and Shiloh, had joined the mooring crowd that afternoon.

A new day, and New Year's eve planning commenced...also showers and laundry and pump outs and boring stuff like that.  We enjoyed pre-Duval toasts and decorating aboard Alley Cat then went ashore for New Years Eve in Key West!  It was great fun and now I can say "I was there"!

What you don't see is the dinghies bouncing and bobbing around like crazy in the waves!

Brenda had the prettiest design and a young gal came up to her on Duval to compliment her on them :-D

What is that on Mark's face? It's a gold palm tree temporary tattoo to go with the silver one he let me put on his neck and the shell on the back of his neck.  hahaha

He's really getting into character ;-)

Style is a must

This is a pretty wacky fun group!

"Let your flag fly" Black White Brown Yellow Red or Rainbow!

Happy New Year - Conch Style

New Years fools!

Friday Mark and I went on a walkabout all around Key West--sampling food and drinks (in moderation) along the way...Saturday night we met up with Sean and Tania again and had a great time at World of Beers then The Porch and finally dinner at the amazing Amigos.  They really are so sweet!  And now it's Sunday--a week that we have been here.  There is really a lot to do in Key West beyond bars and it's been nice to have the time to visit and revisit places at our leisure. 

We've seen Pat Dailey here twice...LOVE that he is so popular that he stays here for a month! 

Sunset from the Bight

Even the Walgreens has flair

We are here at least until Monday when we need to find a place to repair and tighten up our rigging as well as some refrigeration and freezer mechanics we need fixed.  Those two crew members are hogging the heck out of our power and Cap has instituted a "no coffee maker" policy and doing a hand pour coffee service is not as fun as you may think.  We are also getting a new solar panel to help with power. 

Just a seaplane landing next to the mooring field, nothing to see here folks

Words to live by courtesy of the Green Parrot

Kicking around tattoo ideas...no, not Betty Boop

By the way, Alley Cat is now hauled out on Stock Island and Allen is tearing through the keel repair job!  We saw photos of the damage when she was hauled out and OMG! That was one hell of a rock.  Mark and Jon went up there yesterday while I had a "me" day in Key West.  Shiloh and Khaya have relocated to the anchorage off Fleming where they are having much more convenient dinghy access to shore.  We will probably move tomorrow unless we go to a marina for our own repairs.  Holli's sweet mom, Jan, left this morning to return to Canada and we had a nice farewell with everyone last night.  Today we are doing some chores--Mark on the boat, me updating the blog after over a week.

Mom and her chicks outside the bakery

Bought myself some Mango Bread--ate half immediately

Coolest girlfriend who buys a water jug, lock AND shoes at West Marine

Tarpon!

Must go back for a tour

tee hee

So yeah, a lotta people around on my "me" day

Southernmost Piper ha!

Cool wall at Meson de Pepe where I went back for dinner

The crowd really got into the music after a while and it was wonderful to see

Name the team that is NOT going to Playoffs ;-)

Nice sunset as seen from the Bight

Where we ended up for Jan's farewell

Whew, now you are caught up!  So long for now...it's well after 3pm and I wanted to go ashore two hours ago!! 

Not a bad series of posts considering we were never supposed to be farther south than Biscayne Bay!  Nice theme for the new year--living and loving the unexpected joys that we find and that find their way to us!  XO Suzanne