Look at this! It's been almost nine months since I've made a blog post. Between keeping my journal and making posts to Facebook, I seem to have lost interest in keeping up this blog. I hope to reignite the interest and keep the posts more current. So here we are on August 22, 2016, grab a beverage of your choice, sit back and enjoy this and the following posts as I catch you up on our cruise of 2016, along with a few other adventures. Enjoy!
Wednesday, January 13, 2016 Dinner with the Serlins!
Walking, everyday we take a little morning constitutional! Today, we stopped at Bien, a Carribean - Latino alfresco spot, for an ear of roasted corn and salad. Unfortunately, the service was very slow. The corn was cold, but the salad was crisp and fresh.
In the afternoon, we met David and Susan Serlin for a tour of the Hemingway House. It was fascinating. The tour guide provided pearls of trivia, most memorably the one about the urinal!
Following the tour, we took a walk. We had almost two hours to kill before our dinner reservations at Santiago's Bodega. Since we were all ready to eat, we strolled to the Restaurant and asked to be seated early. They gladly accommodated us and we had a delightful meal and sparkling conversation. We vacated our table shortly after 1800 hours. As we exited, we observed that there wasn't a sea left in the house. It seems to be a pretty popular place!
Again we walked, until Susan's sore foot started to really bother her. At this point, we said our goodbyes. The Serlins returning to their hotel while we continued to walk.
At about 1915, we went into the Green Parrot for Ukulele night which was to start at 20000. We got the last two seats in the house. By the time the Ukes started to play, the place was packed! I fact, there were a few dozen folks who couldn't fit into the place, standing on the sidewalk watching through the large open windows. There were at least 50 Ukes in the crowd with several more on the stage. It was a fun night, but we left shortly after 2100 for the mile and a half walk back to SUNSHINE!
Thursday, January 14, 2016 The Revenant!
It rained most of the night and most of today. We enjoyed a lazy day aboard stepping out at 1530 to head to the Regal Theater in Searstown. The Revenant was entertaining, but almost unbelievable. It hard to believe that was a true story.
Friday, January 15, 2016 VW Beetle Key...
I ordered a second key for the VW convertible (fixmyvw.com) before we left NJ. It arrived a few days ago. Shelley reported that the key didn't work properly. I sent the company a description of the problems:
Greetings,
The above referenced key (Order #17097) arrived a few days ago. Since I'm on an extended stay away from home, I asked my daughter, who is watching over the Beetle, to make sure the key works properly. She has reported to me that it does not.
Here are the problems she reported:
The key...
1. will not electronically lock or unlock the doors;
2. does, however, lock and unlock the doors manually;
3. Starts the engine, but the engine will not keep running (note that when she uses original key, the car runs fine).
Please advise at your earliest convenience.
William Martin
The following is their response:
Hi William, the car must be programmed to recognize the key. Here is a video that shows how to program wireless entry
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZ8IxuMPefg&feature=youtu.be
For the car to stay running, you'll either need to take it to a VW dealer to get it programmed or you can rent this tool
http://www.fixmyvw.com/genuine-vagtacho-tool-for-programming-keys/
We'll attend to this when we return to NJ!
Meanwhile, in Key West, it's raining again! And will be for the rest of the day, according to the weather reports.
Saturday, January 16, 2016 KW Seafood Festival!
I'm not sure why we go to these kind of events. Sure, we enjoy strolling around the grounds and checking the various booths and vendors. But that takes all of about 30 minutes. We like to watch the performers, if there is a place to sit. Usually there isn't, unless you bring your own chair. The seafood is overpriced and there are never enough tables and chairs, leaving one to precariously balance one's chosen plate and beverage while standing, all the while being jostled by the crowd of passers by.
I'd rather enjoy my seafood on the boat or comfortably seated at a restaurant. So we walked around town, making our way to Schooner Wharf to enjoy the Crab and Avocado Salad while listening to the dulcet tones of Michael McCloud and Friends. The lead guitarist is very good!
On the way back to the boat, we purchased a pound of Stone Crab Claws from Eaton Seafood. With some Key Lime Mustard, they were a special treat.
Sunday, January 17, 2016 The Blow!
The National Weather Service issued a Storm Warning yesterday. Cells could have winds reach 60 mph with the possibility of waterspouts and tornados.
Fortunately, we were snug and safe in our slip in the Key West City Marina. This harbor is small and very protected meaning that wind and waves do not have a chance to build to uncomfortable strength. Of course, tornados are another thing altogether.
That is not the case in the mooring field and anchorages. While we slept soundly last night, others did not. Here is one account, written by Nicholas Fox, of what it was like by the Flemming Island anchorage:
Ok I can finally get some sleep. There is sure a big difference being anchored in Key West compared to Boot Key Harbor. You are very exposed here no matter where you anchor, the Atlantic just comes rolling in. It felt like I was riding out an offshore storm in the Atlantic. There were 4 to 6ft breaking seas through out the night and a half dozen sailboats up to forty plus feet blew by me during the night at the height of the blow, they are now either in the mangroves or aground. I had 150ft of chain with a 65lb CQR anchor, also had a large Danforth ready to go if needed, but the CQR did it's job very well. The wind was intense as it blew the tops of the waves away. As bad as it was it was very comfortable down below. All in all it was pretty cool. Before the storm I moved to a spot that was open with not many other boats around but still had to keep lookout for any dragging boats anchored upwind of me. Anyway hope all fared well through this little blow as I am now going to get some sleep and dream about a cabin on the side of a hill in Montana!
In the afternoon, we went to the Tropic Theater on Eaton, just off Duval, to see The Danish Girl. Eddie Redmayne and Alicia Vikander, played fantastic parts.
Monday, January 18, 2016 KW Race Week, Day 1!
It's still windy and overcast, then partly cloudy, but wait, it's overcast again! And so on. We left the boat at around 1400 hours. Walked all the way to Fort Zachary Taylor. We didn't go in as it was too late to watch the races. After a short while, some boats rounded the corner, dropped their sails and headed to the barn.
On the way back to the boat, we stopped at the Cafe to sample some exquisite vegen snacks they were incredible, especially the barbecue Unwings (a tofu concoction that had wonderful flavor.
Back aboard, we chilled, had Chili, watched a movie and hit the sack.
Tuesday, January 19, 2016 Happy 17th Birthday Geoffrey!
Today was the same kind of day, only different. To start, I posted three photographs of Geoffrey, taken in December of 1999. He was 11 months old. Then we did a short birthday video that we also posted on Facebook.
For the third day in a row, we did't get out of bed until after 1030. Guess that happens when you go to bed at 0200! By 1230, we were on our way to the beach to see some of the sailboat races. It's Day 2 of Key West Race Week.
I wasn't feeling good the whole day, so I slowed the pace a bit. When we arrived at our destination, there were no sailboats in sight. We found out later that the races were canceled due to high wind!
We got back to the boat by 1800 hours. Well, I got back then, Anna Marie walked to the store to pick up a few supplies for dinner. I did about 8 miles but she added another 3 to her total.
We ended the day with a nice birthday chat with Geoffrey. Because I wasn't feeling all that great, we made up the bed and I crawled in at 2130. Lights were finally out at 2245.
Wednesday, January 20, 2016 A Long Walk!
Holly smoke, we slept in again! What's with that? I was up at 0500, went back to sleep at 0700 and finally got up at 1045, and I still felt tired!
Six miles a day has been our average distance since we arrived two weeks ago. Today's trek was over eight miles.
Went to see the Doerfels at Schooners Wharf.
Thursday, January 21, 2016 Rebed the Starboard Handrail!
Sunshine's handrails were reinstalled just before we left NJ. They had been removed to get seven coats of varnish. We also put down a 3 1/2" wide plastic board under the handrails because a previous owner had tightened the screws too much, causing the fiberglass to deflect and crack at each attachment point. The boards were an effort to spread the load, so to speak.
The leaks (one screw in each handrail) caused us to remove each, although on this day, we only did the starboard rail. We'll do the port side tomorrow. Getting the handrail off was relatively easy, the plastic board was another story. It came off eventually and we applied generous amounts of silicone around each of the screws. We also put waterproof weather stripping around the bottom edge of the plastic board.
Friday, January 22, 2016 It's Raining, Again!
As luck would have it, a heavy, overnight downpour revealed that there are no leaks associated with yesterday's project. We'll repeat the process on the port handrail when it stops raining.
It was hot and sunny for two days when we arrived in Key West. Since then, it's been mostly overcast with only periods of sun. The daytime temperatures have ranged from the mid 60s to the mid 70s. The wind hasn't dropped below 20 knots for very long and we've had a fair amount of rain.
This is just a description of the weather we've been enjoying. It is not a complaint! We have followed the weather back home and while our overnight temperature was 63° at home it was 28. That and the big snow storm (winter storm Jonas) that is forecast for this weekend would be something to complain about.
Saturday, January 23, 2016
Anna Marie ran errands today. When she got back, we walked to Schooners Wharf for the Crab Salad and more Michael McCloud. On the way we stopped for a healthy juice at Date and Thyme.
Sunday, January 24, 2016 It's Football Playoff Day!
At Schooners Wharf again. This time, we watched the first half of the Denver/New England game. At half time we walked into town, just for the walk. We poked our heads into several bars to keep abreast of the score. Ultimately, the Broncos won and will play in the super bowl in two weeks.
We listened to the Panthers/Cardinals back at the boat. The Panthers won in a blowout. Anna Marie did her own version of Shrimp in Chili Sauce. It was good, but too hot (spicy). The recipe called for 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper. It was way too much, even for me. Because of that, a good meal was barely edible!
Monday, January 25, 2016 Walking and Chores!
We started the day with a drive to Goldman's Deli for a bagel and coffee/tea.
After returning to the marina, we set about repairing the yoke on the trailer. That was an easy job, but a visual inspection showed one tire was worn to the core. We'll have to replace it and figure out why in wore so badly.
On the boat, I organized the anchor locker and noticed that a board was pulling away form its brace, potentially weakening the structure. I fixed that problem in short order.
It was nice enough to sit outside for a few minutes, so we did, and sipped a couple of sarsaparillas too.
Tuesday, January 26, 2016 Another Small Boat Project!
"You two are on vacation, but you're always working! It never ends, does it?" So said one of our dock mates. As she walked by, we were installing rain gutters above the two "picture windows" towards the front of the boat. The project took perhaps all of thirty minutes.
Wednesday, January 27, 2016 A Lazy Day in Paradise!
Fail! Oh no, the rain gutter project turned out to be an abject failure. The first thing I noticed was the port gutter was missing. Even though we had applied duct tape to help it conform to the new straight shape, it recoiled and came off. On the starboard side the ends became detached, even though they were taped too. I guess the mastic has deteriorated over the years. We still have enough to do the project, but we'll wail for warmer weather (90° perhaps) before we try again.
The rest of the day we hung out on the boat, planned a couple of projects, ordered the parts, and took a few short walks.
Thursday, January 28, 2016 Meeting Friends!
I canceled the eTrailer order because they can't ship it until the end of February. While thinking more about the jack height problem on the trailer, it dawned on me that perhaps we could attach it to the extend-a-hitch sleeve. We made that adjustment this morning, and it appears that this might solve the problem we had at the launch ramp. We just need to get 1/2 inch longer bolts to make the change secure. We took the trailer to Hitch King on Big Coppit to get the new tire. Recall that the left front tire was worn to the cord about two inches from the inside edge. They suggest that it might have been caused by a bad wheel bearing, so we're having them replace and repack all of the bearings. They called to tell us the springs were starting to separate so we authorized them to replace the springs too. The bearing job costs around $80 and the springs is a little over $400.
Later in the day, we got a call from Bill Towers. He and Kathy are in Key West and we're meeting them for dinner tonight and breakfast tomorrow.
We dined at the Conch Seafood restaurant where we had Royal Red Shrimp and Calamari. Both were delicious! After dinner, we walked around the waterfront and listened to the duo at Schooners Wharf. The party ended after their first set, just as is started to rain, again! We got a bit wet on the walk home.
Friday, January 29, 3016 My Blue Heaven!
Our day started with a walk to Angelina's Guest House where Bill and Kathy were staying. From there, we went to My Blue Heaven for breakfast.
They drove us back to the boat and visited before leaving for home. We walked around town before have no dinner aboard.
Saturday, January 30, 2016 More Royal Reds!
There's a craft show in Old Town which we had to attend. The Cafe has a brunch menu that did not include the Kung Pow Tofu. Rather than pick something NGOs else, we headed to the Conch Republic Seafood Restaurant for some Royal Reds.
The craft fair had some interesting items, but we didn't make any purchases. Instead, Anna Marie stopped in the Diamond International for her free gift. It was a charm bracelet with a sailboat charm.
Sunday, January 31, 2016 Port Handrail Reset!
The temperature reached the mid 70s today. Clouds and the sun seemed to be playing tag. Our big accomplishments included rebedding the port hand rail and organizing our bins of tools and parts. It doesn't sound like much, but it took three hours.
Other activities included a walk that was cut short by a shower.
