Marine Flea Market

Today was a boat show and marine flea market down by what they call the Truman Annex. Overall it was a small affair. I bought a regulator hose and some boots for scuba diving. At the dock was the USS Mohawk, a Coast Guard Cutter that sank 5 submarines during World War II.

Key West Marina

The Key West Bight Marina is a busy place, full of boats. The schooners (masts showing in the background) regularly leave the harbor late in the afternoon for sunset cruises. Walking down the docks, I am often asked if I want to sign up for a sailing trip. Guess I still look too much like a tourist and not enough like a sailor.

Beach Report - Clarence S. Higgs Beach

This is a picture of the Clarence S. Higgs Memorial Beach on the southeastern part of Key West. Not very many people using the public beach. Does not rate very high on the worldwide beach scale, but would do in a pinch.

Spies on Cuba

Here is a picture of the beach recreation area on the little Navy Base at the southern part of Key West. Not much of a beach, but notice all the antennas. Bet they are aimed at Cuba.

Southernmost House in the USA

This house claims the title as the southernmost house in the United States.

Arrival of Fellow Cruisers from Biloxi, MS

Captain Ray O'Quinn, his cousin Ken, and a friend named Mark arrived in Key West today, also sailing from Biloxi, MS. They anchored and we all went into town. First, we shopped for boat supplies at West Marine and Key West Marine Supply. Then ate lunch at a self-proclaimed "local" seafood establishment named Pepe's. During the afternoon, we walked through the tourist areas, looked at the cruise ships, ate bowls of conch chowder at the Eat It Raw Oyster Bar, and then headed back out to our boats for the evening.

Work Day

Spent the day working on the boat and did not go to town. Partly as a protest to the City of Key West for their $6.00 per day charge to dock a kayak in their town. Was ignorant of their requirement, but yesterday they threatened impoundment, so now I must follow the rules. Accomplished quite a bit of work. Installed three energy-saving LED interior lights, so now the inside of the boat is visible at night without using a flashlight. Then mounted two fire extinguishers where they are handy. Finally, as the sun was setting, jumped in the kayak and scrubbed the barnacles and plant life off the waterline of the boat before it grew too firmly attached.

Commuting by Kayak

The trip to town is more than a mile and paddling that everyday will definitely build your arms. In a few weeks, I plan to arm wrestle gorillas. The last couple days were especially windy, so the trips have been physically demanding, plus the risk of capsize is much higher. The return trip is in the dark, so there is a danger of getting run over by speedboats, capsizing and not being rescued, and getting lost (which I did the first night). Today, while climbing out of the kayak at the docks I spotted a 4-5 foot long shark swimming under the docks. Hopefully he stays fat and happy on the scraps from the nearby raw oyster bar.

Riding the Bus

Key West by the docks is mostly bars and shops picking the pockets of the cruise ship crowds. Buying food and water for the next trip requires going to a real grocery store and hauling back a heavy load. Hence my search for the city bus. Seeing a bus proved they exist, but none of the city-sponsored tourist information kiosks had information about the bus. The typical answer from the white, well-dressed, probably volunteer personnel was, " I think there is a bus, but I have never ridden it." Walking a likely street lead to a bus stop with two people waiting. One guy was helpful and spoke English. In ten minutes, a new, biodiesel-powered bus came and I was aboard for a tour. No wonder the middle class knew little of the bus. It stopped at off-beat corners of strip malls and the housing-authority projects -- and English was not in use. The bus system is neatly tailored to the lifestyles of a select group. Shouldn't mass transit serve everybody? Especially the people who are paying for it.

New Front Yard

Location, Location, Location! A world-class, semi-tropical vacation paradise only one mile away by kayak paddle.

Arrived in Key West, Florida

About 11:00 a.m. local time on February 18, 2009, I finally arrived in Key West. Anchored in the small craft anchorage West of Wisteria island, about a mile West of the main Key West marinas. Was originally headed to Belize, but southeasterly winds forced me to tack off course either East or West, so I chose East for the safety of Key West as an interim stop. Once headed East, the physical and emotional strain helped me decide to rest up in Key West. Eight days alone on a small boat in a couple of storms was plenty for a first trip. Belize would have been twice as far. The satellite tracker in the column to the right shows some of the track of the trip.