2012 - July - Tom, Laurel - Tortugas to Key West

 

Tom, Laurel 

Tortugas Bound

 

Good news, no named storms in July. We arrived at Oceanside Marina on the 13^th - Tom & Laurel arrived from Green Cove Springs on the 14^th.
 
(October, 2011 Tom & Laurel flew to Georgetown, Bahamas to spend a week w/us) We’re all going to the Tortugas! YEA! Laurel & I went food shopping & stocked up on beer, wine & Vodka. We went to the Yacht Club for happy hour & small plate specials. (well kept secret-but why?; large selection of small plates including Filet Mignon & the most scrumptious seafood pasta I’ve ever had for about $7) We anchored at Boca Grande on the 15^th & spent 2 glorious days at the beach.


Squid, found on the water's edge

 On the 17^th Tom & fished all the way to Ft Jefferson


Scupper wants it badly!!

 

 

Tortugas Anchorage

Mote around the fort

 

(Garden Key-Dry Tortugas). Mackerel for dinner- YUM. It was 4:30 so we didn’t go into the fort-figured we go the next morning. The park rangers always came out to the boat to say welcome & give us the skinny on current rules & regs - but they didn‘t this time. Guess things change. Since the ferries arrived from Key West the next morning, we decided to go to the fort after the hordes of people left at 3pm. We cruised




Loggerhead Key - about 3 miles west of the fort

over to Loggerhead Key to snorkel. I read everything
there was to read about where we could anchor &  snorkel.

Laurel, testing the water

 

 

We proceeded to the west side of the island & anchored in a sandy bottom. It was beautiful! We were have a high old time until the Gestapo arrived. 

 

 

NOW they show up! They informed us we were in a no anchor area ??? And, after some discussion, they gave us a ticket !! $125 !! I was furious. Well, that sure put a damper on our visit to paradise.

 

We did go to the fort that afternoon, but were bummed out & we left for Key West the next day…

 

We anchored out on the 19^th & docked at the city docks the next day. At least we were in town. ‘Just the girls’ planned to go to Duval. We kinda got stuck at my favorite store, Local Color cuz they were having a huge, buy 1 get 1 free, sale. We went nuts! We did go to Duval & kinda got stuck at Fat Tuesdays.
 Always find really interesting & fun people

  

 Kathryn arrived at midnight! Yes, midnight. She’s my kind of girl. The girls returned to Duval & the boys cleaned the bottom

Kathryn @ sunset (she's SO good with the conch shell)

 of the boat. That’s fair - right? Tom & Laurel left on the 22^nd & Kathryn home the next morning.We anchored west of Christmas Tree Island just off Key West. Mini Lobster season opened for 2 days - 25^th & 26^th - but I didn’t participate since we were in Key West. We decided to play tourist for a day. I had a 10 year old, $50 gift certificate for Blue Heaven Restaurant located in Bahama Village. Yes, 10 years old & they honored it!! We had a leisurely, yummy lunch then headed to the bite to use another gift certificate for a sunset cruise on one of the Sebago cat boats - free drinks, great people & beautiful sunset.

Veronica from Sweden

Johnathan & Veronica aboard the Sebago Catamaran



The next day we lounged around the pool at Dante’s then happy hour & appetizers at the Eat it Raw Bar (located on the KW bite) &

played shuffle board there. We wound up meeting other boaters we hadn’t seen in years. The following is an account that most seasoned boaters would never tell. We knew we needed fuel-the level was low but we only had a very short distance to the fuel dock. Pulled the anchor & crossed the bay towards Conch Harbor Marina. We were maybe 100 yards from the marina & near the rock jetty when the engine died. WTF?! We can’t be out of fuel - but we were. We quickly put the anchor down & call Tow Boat US (I’ve been a member since 1984 & would never be w/out it) Talk about embarrassed !! Trawlers never run out of fuel!
That night, we met up with Bill & Mary Hunter at the Tower Bar (at Turtle Krawls on the bite) 

Bill & Mary (circa. 2007)

They’re old friends we met in 2002 in the Tortugas. They’ve since sold their sail boat & live in Sugarloaf Key. We’re still trying to find time to see their new home. The remainder of the month was uneventful at anchor. It was hot, humid with on & off rain.