Solace

4/29/14-5/15/14

After having arrived in Key West on Friday, April 28th, we were ready to go ashore to check out the happenings on the island. We have Solace anchored in Man of War Harbor in greater depths than we usually anchor. The waters are approximately 24 feet and there is very strong current and strong winds. We drop the anchor in the area closest to the center of activity, and among some other transient boaters. As far as the eye can see, are other anchored boats. Andy calls them derelict boats, and I prefer to call them unfortunate souls. It would be impossible to count the number of deserted boats, and the number of liveaboards on these boats. Having stayed on the boat overnight, Andy is confident that the anchor is holding and that we can leave the boat to do some exploring. Andy prepares Rover, our dinghy, and we head into the island. Our dinghy ride over is not far, but we must maneuver past the local Coast Guard station that has lots of activity and big vessels, coming and going. There are several marinas located in the harbor, so we must also watch for boats, some very large, going and coming into the docks. The ride across can get pretty choppy, and sometimes, I find my clothes a bit wet, but all worth it!

After getting the dinghy tied up at the dinghy dock, amongst 50 other dinghies , we check in and pay the six dollar fee. The first thing we do is have breakfast at Harpoon Harry's, a neat little place to people watch. Then Andy takes me on a quick walking tour of Key West. Because he has been many times before, he becomes the tour guide. The charm and flavor of the island immediately surround us and I become excited about spending a week or so here. We are expecting friends to join us for the Songwriter's Festival next week, so we have that to look forward to. In the meantime, I plan to see all the historical sites and landmarks, as well as check out the music scene and the many "famous" bars. I have learned that almost every bar has a story behind it, with some historically significant person of Key West tied to it. The stories are probably not all true, but they are fun to hear.

We spent many afternoons in Schooner Wharf Bar, a friendly laid back bar in the sand and under tiki huts and umbrellas with a stage for musicians. Andy was pleased to find that one of his favorite musicians from many years back was still performing there on a daily basis, Michael McCloud. Some things never change, and it was fun to listen to Michael's original tunes and lyrics about life in Key West. Actually, we found several local musicians that we enjoyed, each with their own version of how they got here and why they stay, woven into the lyrics of their songs. It has become clear to me that the story about people coming to Key West and then never leaving is a reality. We even met a beautiful young gal that came down 14 years ago for vacation, and has never left! There is a funny story behind this young lady, which I will spare you from. We created some of our own "stories" about her before our meeting was over .

While in Key West I see the famous Hemingway House and descendants of his six-toed cats. The house and grounds are pretty much as they were when he used it and his studio for writing some of his most well-known books. The cats on the property continue to thrive and to be treated like royalty. There is even a cat cemetery that Hemingway created, with tombstones for each, bearing their clever names: Errol Flynn; Zsa Zsa Gabor; Tigger; and Kim Novak. The stones indicate that these cats have had a wonderful life, as evidenced by their longevity, some living over 20 years.

While sitting at anchor, we occasionally saw some dolphin and jumping fish. One of the most interesting things I saw is a new bird that I have not seen before. It turned out to be a Frigatebird, a huge black soaring bird with a forked tail. I misnamed the bird for days, before I did further research, thinking it was a skimmer. The interesting thing is that we had learned of this bird when in Bahia Honda and there was mention that this bird is rarely seen down here. Funny thing is that we have now seen these birds in several locations while we are at anchor. I have yet to hear a sound from them or see them drop down for fish. We only observe them soaring, and that they have mastered. They do not flap their wings while soaring for long periods of time.

The following Friday we decide to go into the Key West Bight Marina to stay for a while. Our friends arrive on this day and it will allow us to shower, do laundry, wash the boat, provision, and have access to the events of the Songwriter's Fest. Going back and forth to the dinghy for each thing is difficult when you factor in weather, time of day, and the number of times you get on and off the boat. It turned out to be a great decision and we think one that allowed us to come and go much easier. We ended up staying in the marina for ten days because weather was not in our favor. The winds were blowing 20-25 knots on many days, and there were thunderstorms. We could not have traveled, and anchorage would have been tough. So...we ended up in a holding pattern, just as we did in Deltaville and our Chesapeake trip. On May 12th, we gave it up at the marina and headed back out to the anchorage in the harbor, with the current and the winds. Marinas become costly, day after day. We have since thought that we should have purchased a month's stay at the marina, to wait out the weather and continue to enjoy the sights, but we did what we thought was best at the time. No matter, we have enjoyed every minute of the Key West experience.

On the 15th of May we decide to head out of Key West even with weather. Things did not look as if they were going to change, and so we were off to Marathon. As always, Andy watches the weather closely and he was sure we still had lots of waiting to do for ideal sailing conditions. We thought that we could get further east and north and possibly get out of it. So, we traveled in strong winds and some rain, reaching Marathon at 3:30. It was an 8 hour day, so we headed into Marathon Marina after getting fuel and water in the tanks. We again are in another holding pattern, waiting on winds to die down and for winds to be coming from the right direction. If we continue to head in the desired direction we have to contend with fighting the wind instead of using the wind. It is much like riding a bicycle in strong winds, and "into the wind" is much more difficult and forward progress is slower.

All in all, we spent 3 weeks in Key West and we could have easily stayed the entire month. I still never saw everything. I did take time to visit many historical things and learned quite a bit about the history of the Key. Some highlights included the "southernmost point ", Museum of Art and Natural History, Key West Lighthouse, Flagler's Casa Marina, Mel Fisher's Treasure Museum, the Key West Cemetery, the Key West Key Lime Pie Company (home of the first original), and art galleries. And of course we visited some other "historical" sites like the Hog's Breath Saloon, The Green Parrot Bar, Sloppy Joe's Bar, The Smokin' Tuna Saloon. I also did the tourist thing and rode a trolley through town which pointed out historical sites and homes, as well as provided some very interesting facts about the history of Key West.
Our trip home will begin in earnest now. We still are not sure if we will stay in the ICW or go outside and into the ocean to make faster tracks. Weather will determine that....so we will see. Until next time...