Visitors Arrive

3-16-16   This past Saturday Hannah came to visit with her boyfriend Jared, they will be with us for the week. We have an itinerary kinda setup but we’ll see what they want to do. The car trip up to Miami Airport went very well aside from a Google Map issue but the way back was a bit more interesting. Certainly traffic was increased on the way back due to the time of day but we had an accident which closed down the expressway for about 40 minutes. On top of that every little town on our way down the keys had some type of festival or charity walk which delayed our arrival even further. Anyone who has ever driven down the keys knows that it’s mostly 2 lane traffic and any slow driver or traffic issue stops all traffic.

Hannah captures and displays what we think is a Mushroom
Cap Jelly Fish.

Jared on arrival, pre-sun exposure

4 Handsome people on Sunset Grilles dock.

As you can imagine the kids were tired the night they arrived appeared to sleep well. We took them for a little tour of the area and Sunday we chose to attend “Sunday Fun Days” at Sunset Grille Restaurant and bar. We all had a good time, Pat and Tim from M/V Bodacious stopped by to have some food and drink while watching Jared and Hannah bake in the sun. 

Our boat neighbor just after picking his daughter
out of the water with a boat hook. She's about 4 years
old and had been swimming circles around their boat.

Monday came, Jared and Hannah went for a kayak tour of Boot Key Harbor mangroves with a kayak that someone loaned us off the cruisers net. It was great but they found that it leaked about 45 minutes into their tour. I saw them swimming along side the kayak and went out for the “save”. I had them take the kayak back to the owner as I went to help some cruisers with a computer / electronic chart issue. Meanwhile the 2 kids went to the beach while Karen did some grocery shopping and I helped out with the charts issue. The evening ended with showers for everyone. That night Hannah and Jared continued to apply Aloe to their sunburns as they learned no amount of sunscreen can totally protect their northern skin from the Florida sun this time of year.

The two in front of Sombrero Reef light. Built just before
the Civil War.

Cleaning the boat bottom while I'm
in the water.

Mango at Reef mooring ball

Thumbs Up!

Tuesday morning came and the sun was fun throttle while the wind was non-existent which is what the weather forecasted and what we were hoping for since we would sail out to Sombrero Reef to snorkel for the day. Sombrero Reef is highly thought of down here and I’d been hoping the wind would calm enough for us and the kids to spend time there. We made it out to the reef with several other private boats at least 2 charter boats. The last of the mooring balls were taken just as we arrived but there was a nice couple with children that allowed us to tie up to the ball and then they rafted off of us. This is one of the few times that we were the largest boat. The visibility was not the best due to the past week of strong north and east winds which stirred up the ocean pretty well. As the day wore on the visibility improved thanks to the sun high overhead. The one bad thing was the seas were a bit mixed up and rocky which made Karen a tad miserable if she went down below for any length of time. Due to the roll of the ocean coupled with the intensity of the sun we decided to call it a day and head back to Boot Key Harbor. On our way to the harbor we calibrated the autopilot which was needed since we left Fort Pierce but we never had calm seas of today. Upon arrival to the mooring field fresh water showers and aloe couldn't be beat.

The fish love when I clean the bottom

Visibility not perfect but we can't complain.

Wednesday morning arrived earlier than I thought it should and our day was set with kids at the beach and lunch / dinner over with Bodacious and their neighbors Jack on a motor yacht and Irene on a sailboat. Irene, being Cuban made the best Flank Steak I’ve ever had and Jack had fresh caught Grouper which Pat grilled. Mango’s contribution consisted of the Tailgater, rum punch fixins, pasta salad and fresh mandarin orange slaw. The party started with drinks around the horn while we all moved sun shades to dodge the mid day sun. The food all around was great while once again there was way too much food. Plenty of leftovers will be welcome tomorrow. Jack, who was an ABC sports camera man during his working life told us stories of his times over seas covering road races with Phil Hill. Jack’s later career consisted of yacht delivery, mostly for Island Packet Yachts. Irene discussed her thoughts on the current Cuban issues and stated she felt that the problems with the Latino population here in the states is that they don’t seem to want to assimilate. It appeared this opinion was welcomed with many nodding heads. Irene and her family came over sometime around the Bay of Pigs when she was 8 years old and unfortunately where her father was killed. The night ended with a dinghy ride under the stars all the way back to Mango’s dew covered decks.  This week has really been something weather wise with temperatures in the mid 80’s and high humidity’s, great for the kids but a little sticky for Karen and I.

Great food with great company. Thank to Pat and Tim of
M/V Bodacious.

Thursday, St. Patricks day and off were are to Key West via the lower keys bus. We knew it would be quite a trip today and it was with people from all over dressed in best green St. Patty’s Day clothes. The bus was big time crowded and I anticipated them calling on another bus to take over to relieve the overcrowding but no luck. They just kept jamming more of us onto the already over crowded bus making us feel as though we were in a third world country. We arrived in one piece and got off the bus a few blocks early because we could walk faster than the bus. Our first stop was the Flying Monkey where we had the attendant fill our monkey cups from last week, off we went to Captain Tony’s while we people watched. Fun times but had a feeling I should eat so off to Schooner Wharf for lunch and to meet up again with our good friend from Wisconsin, Miller off of M/V Jolly Mon. They day wore on with more Flying Monkeys and head stands (attempted) on the wall near the farthest point south marker. Evening came and we migrated over to Mallory Square for the various performers. We met Miller there and watched a performer who were calling out Miller and I for not being as enthusiastic as we should’ve been. It was funny as we made a few smart ass comments back at him. Shortly before we made our way onto the bus my phone rang and it was my father who’s been in the hospital for some treatment for a B/P and heart rate issue. Dad sounded great as he’s out of St. Alexis in Hoffman Estates with many thanks to my sis and the many great friends and staff at St. Al’s (Sarah B. and Michelle Z.) who took care of dad. We decided to leave on the second to last bus thinking it may not have been as crowded as the last bus. Funny thing was that most of the people on our southbound bus were on this bus coming back but in a bit more frisky mood. We all watched as a group of older woman showed another group of drunk older men pictures of themselves being body painted. These guys certainly had their share of alcohol onboard and I think were a bit baked also. It was great to see everyone on the bus is such a merry mood and cheer at each bus stop as more riders boarded making for each one of us to move closer to the person next to us. Not good if your claustrophobic but good if you're feeling no pain and want to feel your neighbor.

Hannah and Jared at the raft-up

The more the Merrier. Great time had by all.

31 dinghy's if I remember correctly

Sundown at the raft-up

We had "Fire Breather's" here also.

Friday morning came and we all slept a bit later than normal. We ate breakfast and the kids went to 7 Mile Bridge for a bike ride and watched fisherman catch Tarpin as well as spotting Starfish, turtles and rays. Afterwards they went to Sunset Grille for a swim in the saltwater pool and a few snacks. Karen and I went to Publix for a bit of shopping and then a few boat chores. We met up with them at Castaway’s for some buffalo shrimp and Jared introduced me to sushi. I’m not a huge fan but I did like it. More to come in the future on the sushi front. The evening ended with drinks and leftovers aboard Mango in a setting sun with 80 degrees and 15 knots of SSE breezes. For entertainment we played card games and name that tune from the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s. Karen and I regaled Hannah and Jared with tales from our younger years whether they wanted to hear them or not. 

Enjoying the legendary Schooner Wharf Bar with
Key West singing legend Micheal McCloud

Sometimes you just need to take a picture

Hannah and I after 2 Flying Monkeys.
Most Southern point of Key West.

Jared introduces me to Sushi. Not bad.
Castaways in Marathon.

Time to head back to school.

Saturday morning came with dolphins near Mango which got Hannah up and out of bed just as they swam away from us to the other side of the harbor. Karen made sure to feed them well before they boarded the bus north to Miami. Certainly they will be missed by both Karen and I but we will quickly re-purpose the area that they occupied aboard. Karen and I have always loved Mango and felt it was the perfect boat for us aside from when we have visitors, then it’s a bit too small.

We will be awaiting the passage of a cold front Sunday and then plan on sailing down to Key West and possibly the Dry Tortugas. I’ll try and keep the blog posted.