Vandenberg Sinking!

 

 

OK.... so we are STILL in Key West.... 

Late Tuesday night we got a call from Chuck asking if we wanted to stick around one more day to see the sinking of the Vandenberg. Bill and I were fortunate enough to be invited out on Brian's boat with Chuck, Patty, Doug, Dillon, and George. And we are so glad we stayed!!! It was incredible. 

The sinking happened around 10:20. The Vandenberg is a 522 foot decommissioned warship that was sunk in the Gulf of Mexico in order to make an artificial reef. The ship sank in less than 2 minutes.... it was actually quite amazing. There were a ton of news helicopters and hundreds of boats anchored to watch the sinking. We were less than a mile away so we had a great view. 

 

There is a great article on CNN.com on the sinking. Check it out! Here are a few more articles from the Associated Press, and Reuters. The video below is from CNN. 

After the sinking, we watched the mass exodus of boats and decided to stay anchored, hang out, and just enjoy the beautiful weather. 

This morning Bill and I were up at 5:45 ready to depart. Unfortunately the wind is out of the SE at 10-15 knots -- pushing us onto the rocks. There is a small gap between the breakwater and another docked boat, which we didn't feel comfortable navigating. Since we have about a 13 hour day ahead of us, we had to leave by 6:30-7:00 am at the latest in order to get to Marco Island before it gets too dark (we decided to stop in Marco Island on our way to Sarasota instead of doing it in one shot). So Bill made the executive decision to stay for another day. Later today when the wind dies down a little we will move slips so tomorrow morning we can leave early without any problems.  I think Key West is trying to tell us something.... she just doesn't want us to leave. We both really like it here and I am sure that we'll be back sooner rather than later! 

 

Here is a link to all of our pictures from the sinking. 

Leaving Key West

 

Our plan is to leave Key West early tomorrow morning (around 6:30) and head for Marco Island. We turned the boat around today in the slip with the help of the marina so we are all set to go in the morning. We have had a great time here and have enjoyed every minute of the sites, sounds, and people of beautiful Key West. 

Minimal Regatta

On Sunday afternoon Bill and I went to the Minimal Regatta held in front of the Schooner Wharf Bar in Key West. It was absolutely hilarious to see 47 boats race around 5 buoys. Each boat was handmade and was built out of one sheet of plywood, two 2x4s, fasteners, and one roll of duct tape. Some of the boats were incredible, others not so much. There were thousands of people there and we had a really great time. Several of the boats sank, most were cleverly painted/decorated. I think my favorite was the 10 year old who won his heat in a batman boat and costume. We took a ton of pictures..... 

 

 

 

The was a lot press was there.... here are some links to Reuters, KeysNet, Fox,

Flying

 

 

On Saturday Bill and I went for a 45 minute flight around Key West and the islands and reefs southwest of Key West in a Waco biplane. It was incredible. Neither Bill nor I had ever been in a biplane before. It is a strange feeling; you feel very 'exposed' with the wind blowing in your face. It was an amazing ride. Seeing the water from above was fantastic. The colors were so rich, the reef just awesome. We even flew over the marina. If you look closely you can see Mary Elizabeth next to the breakwater. Very, very cool. Afterwards we went to Sloppy Joe's for a cocktail and then had dinner on the boat. 

 

 

To see all of the pictures from our flight, click here. 

Sticking around

 

Bill and I have decided to stay in Key West until the low pressure system does something! We still haven't decided whether we are going to go straight from Key West to Sarasota (about 36 hours) or hopscotch our way up the West Coast. The other issue is that we aren't sure how we are going to get out of our slip. It's hard to explain, but we are on an outside slip next to the breakwater. So Bill will either have to back the boat out of the slip about 150 yards into the fairway, or we'll have to turn the boat around in the slip using lines and the bow thruster with the help of the dock hands. You can see from the picture below how tight of a squeeze it will be, especially since other boats are docked in the outside breakwater slips. 

Either way, we aren't worried about it now since we'll be here for another few days at least. And since it is Memorial Day weekend, I am sure that Key West will be especially fun/crazy/crowded. 

 

We continue to have fun in Key West. The weather has been mostly rain off and on with lots of wind, which of course we aren't complaining about! Bill and I met up with some of Cindy and Boyd's friends who live in Key West. Great people! We now know where to go for the best happy hour. Last night Bill participated in their Texas Hold'em tournament and had a good time. 

Today I went to the Key West Museum of Art and History. There were lots of exhibits on the maritime history of Key West as well as famous people who called Key West home -- Hemingway,  folk artist Mario Sanchez, shipbuilders, etc. Not bad. 

There were two cruise ships in port today so the streets were crazy. All cruise ships have to depart by sunset since the cruise ship dock is also Mallory Square, where all of the street performers are. Bill and I went to Mallory Square on Saturday night and saw a few good shows (jugglers, fire breathers, etc.)

Tonight we tried a sushi restaurant and just missed the downpour on the way back to the boat. There is something so cozy about being on the boat when it rains. And the lightning is spectacular.  

We have plans to go diving (Bill) and snorkeling (me) tomorrow so we are hoping the rain holds off until the late afternoon. Should be fun. There are several reefs around Key West. 

 

We have plans to leave for Sarasota on Thursday. We are not sure if we are going to do one straight shot (about 36 hours) or if we'll hopscotch. We are in no rush; our contract doesn't start in Sarasota until June 1 anyway. 

The air card came in the mail and Bill dealt with the installation "set backs" with the brilliant people from AT&T so we are now up and running with Internet again. Yeah! In the meantime, I dropped my phone and it shattered into a million little pieces. That too is now fixed. And we ordered another faucet which we (aka Bill) will install when we get a mail shipment (probably in Sarasota).  Life is good. 

Still... in... Key... West

 

Bill and I have been having a great time here. We rented scooters for a few days and were able to see the whole island (which isn't very big....) Bill has been to Key West more than a dozen times starting when he was in college up through his days in the Air Force. The Air Force and Navy would have air fights at Boca Chica and they would stay here in Key West at the Truman Navy Annex. So... Bill knows all the sites, restaurants, and beaches. Mary Alice has also given us good tips on restaurants to get to. 

 

We visited Fort Taylor and a few beaches on the scooter. It has been really, really hot during the days. 

 

One of my favorite things about Key West, which I think is different from anywhere else we have visited, is that there is live music all the time in almost every bar or restaurant. This would be a great place for a musician. We have enjoyed listening to all types of music from locals and visitors alike. 

 

We have decided to stay another week in Key West. Our contract in Sarasota doesn't start until June 1st and we are in no immediate rush to get to the West Coast (which we estimate will take about 4 days if we take our time and stop in Marco Island, etc.)

Our internet connection, or rather our air card that gives us an internet connection via AT&T is broken (again!!!!). Bill dealt with the AT&T folks this morning and they will send a new one to the marina here. In the meantime, we are using Bad Ass Coffee for their internet connection (and great coffee). Other "broken" issues include our faucet for the kitchen sink. I was doing dishes last night after dinner and the nozzle basically sheared off. Not sure how we are going to handle that one at the moment.... 

Hemingway House

 

Here are a few pictures of the Hemingway House and other sites that we saw this weekend. Yesterday Bill and I rented a scooter so we will be able to see parts of Key West that we can't easily walk to. We rented it fairly late in the day, drove around to a few beaches, and then went over to the Navy Annex. 

 

It was a lot of fun and we look forward to exploring more today. 

We had dinner on board last night and watched the Sox. What a great series against the Rays. We did find the "Southernmost Red Sox Nation" bar where we watched the Saturday game with fellow Sox fans! 

 

 

Beautiful sunset

 

Going..... 

 

Going.....

 

Going....

 

Gone! 

Sites of Key West

 

Bill and I had fun exploring more of Key West yesterday. We went to Sloppy Joe's for lunch and to listen to the bands (they have live music all day and night). We then walked all of Duval Street and saw the "Southernmost point in the United States." After we headed to Mallory Square and had an afternoon cocktail before the shows at sunset started. We caught the end of the Red Sox game and then headed back to Sloppy Joes for more music and dancing. It was a fun day. 

 

 

 

Key West

 

Bill and I left Marathon around 8:30 yesterday morning and arrived in beautiful Key West at 3:30 or so. We are staying at Galleon Marina, literally right downtown. Unfortunately, they did not have a record of our reservation when we arrived. They did have a spot for us but we were told that we might be able to stay only one night (we were planning on staying for at least a week!) They would know more in the morning. 

 

Bill and I didn't waste any time. We left the boat and walked to Duval Street, had a drink at the famous Sloppy Joes, and then headed over to Mallory Pier for the sunset and shows.  The above picture is me actually participating in one of the juggling / magic shows. Ha! We are going to have a great time here!!!!!

 

 

This morning we were told that we had to move slips but that we can stay for the week. So we are now in our 'new home' and everything is all set. We have met several cruisers (many on Island Packets) that have made Key West their 'final destination' for the summer instead of the Bahamas as they too originally thought. I guess our decision to skip the Bahamas was a common one this year.  So we are happy to be here; sort of the culmination of our winter. And it couldn't be nicer weather, company, sites, etc. 

I am sure that there will be many a posts with lots of pictures this week, so stay tuned!