Key West 2021 ( January)

We arrived in Key West December 17, 2020 just before some weather, and Christmas for me to arrange what I needed to do in person in to sub at some of the schools in Key West during.  After arriving into our slip we were excited to see another 44 endeavor just behind us at the dock.  No one was aboard but we reached out on Facebook to Lady A and found out that she had an accident on the boat and had to be flown home for some care.  We were excited to finally meet them when they returned.  Apparently, her accident left them in our slip so the good guys at Garrison Bight found us a new spot that we were really happy with for our slip!  Then manatees came to visit this is the best.  We never got tired of watching them.

​Christmas is here in Key West and Jesse is coming via the Fort Lauderdale airport.  We needed a rental car to go back to Fort Pierce and get the mini cooper which we had left there while doing the bottom job and while traveling down to Key West.  How to get to the airport to get a rental car.  Well you know us we walked the 2 miles in the dark!  It was an experience and maybe one we should not have chosen but we arrived, got the car so we could head out early the next morning to Fort Pierce, then Fort Lauderdale to pick up Jesse and Harley for Christmas.  This is Jesse first trip to Key West so we hit some things she wanted to see like the Hemmingway House and the famous Polydactyl cat with 6 toes, the Key West Lighthouse - where we were able to get some great shots from the Hemingway House, the gardens at the West Martello tower and their stunning flowers and greenery, and lots of chickens! And of course we had to go to the Sunset Tiki Bar, Rum Bar at the Speakeasy Inn, and Geiger Key Fish Camp some of our favorites.  We also spent some time on the beach that we discovered behind the West Martello tower and this beach known as Higgs Beach became a favorite spot for Dee and I over the next few months.  We enjoyed a beautiful Christmas Day and Jesse always helps us make our weird holidays the best by remembering all the traditions from her childhood.  Jesus Birthday Cake 2020.  She definitely loves traditions.  Sadly Jesse left us the day after Christmas but it was a great Christmas having her and Harley aboard.  Did I mention that we bought a Jeep for Christmas.  We are looking forward to having the Jeep here in Key West.

The New Year arrives and the end of our dock is full of powercats.  We have a Manta, and 3 Endeavours!  It was great to meet everyone and especially meet Carlos and his family aboard Fat Cat.  Now, it was time to settle in and get that windless working.  So the parts have been ordered and the install has begun. Just as with most boat projects there are hiccups.  In this case the parts are not always exactly the same.  The diameter of the hole has to increased by 1/4 of an inch.  Finally, she is done, we can leave the dock.  We were able to meet so many great people during our time in Key West, Let me share a few.  Beginning with January we met Rick and Christi on the dock.  They are doing the loop and we enjoyed exchanging stories and hanging out in Key West together.  We also met Inkie and Gernot from Dublin, Ga via South Africa.  We hit it off immediately and we will see then again.  Fast Friends.  Rudy and Shari from Naples came for a visit and we enjoyed exploring Key West, especially on our bikes as they brought theirs along and catching up since it had been awhile since we had been together.  I started subbing during January and enjoyed getting back around students.  Dee and I enjoyed some great nights out especially during the week before the crowded weekends would arrive.  As always we were regulars at Sunset Tiki Bar to watch the sun go down.

Rick and Chrisi had a dinghy like ours so they were able to run to the back country and explore with us.  They did wait until we figured out the route.  Sorry no pictures of us running into the shallows twice trying to find our way.  It was a 10 mile run into the back country but the reward was some private beach time away from the hustle and bustle of Key West.  Some great times!  At the end of January we finally got a break from the winds which have kept us at the dock along with the windless issue for over a month. Finally, we have a great weekend.  I mean a great weekend.  We head out early and get the rods in the water and passing the yacht Kismet.  This yacht is owned by the owner of the Jacksonville Jaquars, Shahid Khan.  This is the second Kismet he has had built.  A stunning yacht as you can see, but look her up and you can see all the details.  She is even available to charter for 1.2 million a week.  She entertains 12 guest and holds 28 crew.  She is stunning.  Fun Fact.  You can find Kismet in the movie 6 Underground.


Now back to our backcountry adventures.  We are able to catch two Cero Mackerel at the same time on the same rod near the end of our 4 hour cruise.  We will being eating well tonight.   We wiggled into Johnson Key, a spectacular anchorage.  We got settled and dropped Shelby and set out to find Marvin Key.  We knew where it was but were not sure how to get there from out anchorage.  It took some time to find our way through and around the shallows,  but we found a path and were able to get some beach time before heading back to Journey!  We ended the day with fresh grilled fish and a spectacular sunset settling into the calm gulf waters.  Next day we continued to explore in Shelby and found some great snorkeling and fishing spots.  We picked around some places looking for a sandbar at Content Key which we had heard about and finally found it!  Another great spot.  We tucked ourselves back in the back of the sandbar and enjoyed another beach day and sunshine.  Once again the sunset did not disappoint and Dee flew the drone.  Spectacular is the only word I can find to describe this anchorage!  Fish for Breakfast before we head back to Key West


January is coming to a close and we end the month with an exploration up to Marathon in Willys ( the new to us Jeep).  We really explore the Big Pine Key area and find some key deer and explore a Blue Hole.  Ok, this is not the Blue Holes we find in the Bahamas or other Caribbean Countries But it was a cool walk around the hole discovering the wildlife.  We ended our day and the month of January at Castaways .  A favorite happy hour for both food and drinks in Marathon.  Fun Fact.  Castaways was featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.