March 27, 2010
We are still in Islamorada enjoying not having to put up with winter, a lot of rain, flooding and other weather issues. The weather here has been unusually cold for this time of the year but it is still not bad for northerners like us. Other than the northerly winds we have not had a lot of rain therefore we can still do anything that we want.
Mark Wells came down from Plymouth and spent two weeks with us. We partied more than we should at our age (Mark being much older than Judi or me) but we had a lot of laughs. The day he left, Judi & I escorted Mark to his car to make sure he was really leaving and that he turned north at the end of the driveway towards Miami.
Many of the people we have met along the way have been in Islamorada and Key Largo waiting to get across to the Bahamas. Northerly winds make it virtually impossible to cross the Gulf Stream as the wind against the waves builds a very ugly sea very quickly. We decided a while ago not go the Bahamas as the weather over there is about the same as here and we did not want to get over, be stuck and have to wait a long time to get back to the mainland.
We drove to Key West last week with our Canadian friends Danny and Susan Godin. Danny suggested that he and I go deep sea fishing with a retired Navy Pilot who has a winter place in Key West. Hughes Smith and his wife Pam live in Montana and he is an avid fisherman.
Danny and I drove down early so we could go fishing. Judi and Susan drove down later so they could go shopping on Duval Street until we all met later. We met Hughes at the dock in his 20 foot center console and it was blowing a nice 15 knots. Off we leave to go "Deep Sea Fishing". As we turn the corner out, the seas are 4-5 feet and real choppy. We keep going to the "200 foot wall", about 12 miles out and the seas are now 7-10 feet and we are all dripping wet. There are two other boats out there, 40-50 foot charter boats and they are doing 60 degree death rolls side to side. Needless to say we were the only 20 foot boat out there.
I was the designated driver as I know nothing about fishing. Danny and Hughes were rolling around trying to bait hooks and perform other weird maneuvers to get four lines over the side.
To make a long story short, we left at 9 AM, returned at 4:30 PM, caught one Barracuda, two Mahi-Mahi, burned 75 gallons of gas, ate several sandwiches, and drank a case of beer. I figure the four fish filets cost about $60-$70 each but I had a fun day "Deep Sea Boating". After hearing these guys spend the day yelling at non-existent fish to take the bait I do not want to hear anybody comment on sailboat racers yelling at the non-existent wind. The pictures speak for them selves.
Meanwhile, back on Duval Street Judi and Susan were surprised to see that it was college spring break and the place was a madhouse. This booze fueled hormone driven bacchanal is an annual event in Key West and it makes one wonder why parents bother to send their children off to college.
We all went to dinner and had a fun evening walking Duval Street and watching the wildlife. The next morning Judi and I went exploring Fort Zachary Taylor an old Civil War Fort and I climbed the Key West Lighthouse to get some pictures.
We spent one afternoon at the alligator farm in the Everglades taking an airboat ride and looking at hundreds of alligators.
We left this AM from Islamorada and are presently anchored in Tarpon Basin in Key Largo. It is a beautiful day and it is nice to be at anchor in the crystal clear water. We are meeting our friends Capt. Sterling and Judy this evening for a Saturday night in Key Largo.
Stay tuned
We are still in Islamorada enjoying not having to put up with winter, a lot of rain, flooding and other weather issues. The weather here has been unusually cold for this time of the year but it is still not bad for northerners like us. Other than the northerly winds we have not had a lot of rain therefore we can still do anything that we want.
Mark Wells came down from Plymouth and spent two weeks with us. We partied more than we should at our age (Mark being much older than Judi or me) but we had a lot of laughs. The day he left, Judi & I escorted Mark to his car to make sure he was really leaving and that he turned north at the end of the driveway towards Miami.
Many of the people we have met along the way have been in Islamorada and Key Largo waiting to get across to the Bahamas. Northerly winds make it virtually impossible to cross the Gulf Stream as the wind against the waves builds a very ugly sea very quickly. We decided a while ago not go the Bahamas as the weather over there is about the same as here and we did not want to get over, be stuck and have to wait a long time to get back to the mainland.
We drove to Key West last week with our Canadian friends Danny and Susan Godin. Danny suggested that he and I go deep sea fishing with a retired Navy Pilot who has a winter place in Key West. Hughes Smith and his wife Pam live in Montana and he is an avid fisherman.
Danny and I drove down early so we could go fishing. Judi and Susan drove down later so they could go shopping on Duval Street until we all met later. We met Hughes at the dock in his 20 foot center console and it was blowing a nice 15 knots. Off we leave to go "Deep Sea Fishing". As we turn the corner out, the seas are 4-5 feet and real choppy. We keep going to the "200 foot wall", about 12 miles out and the seas are now 7-10 feet and we are all dripping wet. There are two other boats out there, 40-50 foot charter boats and they are doing 60 degree death rolls side to side. Needless to say we were the only 20 foot boat out there.
I was the designated driver as I know nothing about fishing. Danny and Hughes were rolling around trying to bait hooks and perform other weird maneuvers to get four lines over the side.
To make a long story short, we left at 9 AM, returned at 4:30 PM, caught one Barracuda, two Mahi-Mahi, burned 75 gallons of gas, ate several sandwiches, and drank a case of beer. I figure the four fish filets cost about $60-$70 each but I had a fun day "Deep Sea Boating". After hearing these guys spend the day yelling at non-existent fish to take the bait I do not want to hear anybody comment on sailboat racers yelling at the non-existent wind. The pictures speak for them selves.
Meanwhile, back on Duval Street Judi and Susan were surprised to see that it was college spring break and the place was a madhouse. This booze fueled hormone driven bacchanal is an annual event in Key West and it makes one wonder why parents bother to send their children off to college.
We all went to dinner and had a fun evening walking Duval Street and watching the wildlife. The next morning Judi and I went exploring Fort Zachary Taylor an old Civil War Fort and I climbed the Key West Lighthouse to get some pictures.
We spent one afternoon at the alligator farm in the Everglades taking an airboat ride and looking at hundreds of alligators.
We left this AM from Islamorada and are presently anchored in Tarpon Basin in Key Largo. It is a beautiful day and it is nice to be at anchor in the crystal clear water. We are meeting our friends Capt. Sterling and Judy this evening for a Saturday night in Key Largo.
Stay tuned
