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March 2, 2015  Day 101 South for Winter

Stock Island Marina Village
Key West, FL

Thursday, February 26 was a big travel day as we cruised over 82 miles on the Gulf. We left our anchorage at dawn and kept our speed up to around 10mph. As soon as we reached the Gulf we were in 2 foot waves. These increased to three feet within an hour and then we were seeing foot footers for a few hours. The ride was a little uncomfortable but tolerable. We also had to be vigilant because of crab pots.  When we turned around the tip of the island and switched from the Gulf to the Atlantic, we were then in five footers on the beam and this was not so fun. We arrived at the marina at 3:30 and got secured in our slip, happy to have this long day behind us. Bill did get the salt rinsed off the boat before we called it a day!

Happy Birthday, Bill!

Friday was Bill’s birthday and we spent the day in Key West.  (Our marina is on Stock Island, adjacent to Key West and the marina provides shuttle service).  We chose to ride the Conch Train (narrated tour) around Key West to learn of the history and to see all the sights first, taking in beautiful homes built in the 1800’s, the harbor lined with many commercial and personal boats, and a different cruise ship each day; the lively Duval Street lined with shops, restaurants, and bars.  We also did a lot of walking! We saw colorful people, heard music from many venues, and saw chickens and roosters wandering around through the city. We had a very nice seafood dinner at Mangoes to celebrate Bill’s birthday.

We spent Saturday getting some work done.  Joyce did several loads of laundry and took the shuttle to Publix to provision.  Bill changed the engine air filters.

We returned to Key West on Sunday and this time rode the Hop on Hop off shuttle to various destinations.  We stopped at the Hemingway House and enjoyed our guided tour of the beautiful home he lived in during the 1930’s.  There are about 50 cats on site, many with six toes.  They are descendants of Hemingway’s cats.

Hemingway House

Joyce at Southermost Point

Bill at Southernmost Point

We also stopped at the Southernmost Point and waited in line to take our pictures at this popular site.  We had a delicious lunch at La Creperie!

We went back again today (Monday) and this time toured the Little White House. It is called the Truman White House because he used it frequently during his presidency to work in a retreat setting. Many Presidents have stayed here, including Kennedy, Eisenhower, Clinton, and Carter. The home was originally built by the Navy in 1890 to house the base commander and the paymaster.  Today we had lunch at the lively establishment called Sloppy Joes. It is a busy place with music and a bar, and of course is known for Sloppy Joes. The original owner was a friend of Hemingway!  We also walked through many of the shops again, and then stopped at Kermit’s for Key Lime Pie.  We couldn’t leave here without some!

We had planned on departing tomorrow but we are patiently waiting for a weather window with calmer winds and waves.  So for now our target date is Thursday, March 5, when we will head to Marathon and join Looper friends. In the meantime we will enjoy the 80 degree weather we are having!