24:34.413N  1:48.099W

Happy New Year everyone!!! May it bring you all you wish for.

Dec 25^th, Christmas Day

It was a lovely sunny Floridian Christmas, though very quiet (unlike Bimini last year). Roger and I phoned our respective folks back in the UK and Aus before opening our pressies.

I had bought Roger a Bob Marley song book in the hope that he would update his repertoire. Lynne & Darryl had much the same idea, having bought him a Jimmy Buffet song book (thanks for that guys!!!!) at the time it had seemed like a good idea, but we’ll talk more about that later.

With the turkey in our environmentally sustainable solar microwave (we simply put whatever we want defrosting on deck for a couple of hours!!) we did the full Christmas dinner thing, even down to the brussel sprouts (unlike the pot luck Christmas dinner in Bimini last year, where I learned that you can have a full Christmas dinner despite being on a boat).

Dec 26^th Boxing day

My brother had arranged to take his laptop (sorry it was Dawn’s) to my sister’s so we could skype using the webcam. It makes an amazing difference (mainly because you can check out if the person on the other end of the phone is actually enjoying speaking to you!!!) it becomes so much more personal, isn’t technology a wonderful thing (when it works that is).  I was able to ‘meet’ the latest addition to the family, young Harry.

That  night we watched our final Marathon sunset as we had a couple of farewell drinks with Mark & Lee Ann at the Chiki Tiki bar (also feeding the no see um’s at the same time)  before heading off to Castaways for more drinks and eats. It’s a really neat little bar/restaurant (though with the new extension it’s not so little anymore) and it serves the best Sushi. It also has a rather interesting clientele.

We were sitting next to none other than Backstreet Boy, Nick Carter (though it was only as he got up to leave that we realised) and I have to admit if Lee Ann hadn’t have known who he was (it was a confirmed sighting!!) I would have been none the wiser.

27^th Dec

Up early, we refuelled and sailed....oops sorry, motored, off into the sunrise (well not quite it was 09.00 but allow me a little poetic license please).  I wasn’t sad to be moving on, especially as we certainly would not miss. THE NO SEE UM’S!! Those little monsters had dined exceptionally well on Roger & I.

But as I say ‘every cloud (in this case the cloud was made up of no see um’s) has a silver lining’. For it prompted me to crack on and design and make the mosi screens for the boat, which if the books are right, will be needed in places like Belize & Honduras.

As usual we motor-sailed down to Key West and dropped anchor in Fleming Island anchorage.

Roger was not too happy with how close we were to the next boat, but as the weather was relatively calm we stayed put. Lynne & Darryl were due to arrive the next day.

Oh yes, I forgot to tell you about the consequences of buying Roger music books for Christmas. Lynne had insisted he learn a couple of favourites for when they came down.  So, he had spent a few hours practicing three songs while we were in Marathon. The next morning (oops, washing has finished, I’ll be back in a mo). Now where was I? Oh yes, the next morning when we got up, the boat in the berth next to us had gone, prematurely!  Later that day another boat arrived, that evening Roger practiced and yes, you guessed it, the next day the boat was gone. Now it may be that like me, they were not Jimmy Buffet fans, or it may be that they found Roger’s renditions a little too painful, I’ll let y’all draw your own conclusions. Suffice to say we know how to get rid of unwanted neighbours!!!!

28^th Dec

We were just finishing showering when there was a knock on the hull. So what? I hear you say, but remember being at anchor we were not expecting any visitors (apart from Darryl & Lynne).

Roger, towel wrapped round his waist, went topside to see who it was. Now you remember I told you Roger wasn’t too happy about our proximity to the next boat? Well it appears neither were they.  Jim dropped by to ‘have a chat with Roger about it’. As usual, the Welsh silver tongue worked and Jim went away happy, after inviting us to join them for sundowners in Dante’s Bar at 4pm that day.

After a quick phone call to the Conch Harbour marina,  we were surprised to have the berth a day early, which made it easier to get Darryl & Lynne on board (which it turned out was a good thing, because of all the goodies they brought with them).  We were on a floating dock right next to the fuel dock.  I wonder what Jim thought it was something he said when he got back to his boat only to find us gone???

Coming alongside we had the wind broadside on (and Beaujolais has a very broad side if you know what I mean) and  we were pushed against  the pylon by the pulpit rails, I was able to fend us off, but not before loosening a couple of screws and ever so slightly bending the rail. So Roger had another job on his ever growing list.

Darryl & Lynne arrived quite early, having found a very convenient garage in which to  park ‘The Mercedes’ for only $13 a day, right next to the Marina. So with that and the wind dropping and seas calming we were all happy bunnies. Thanks to Darryl & Lynne we dined that evening on Peking Duck.

30^th Dec

Wow, the weather was fabulous. Lynne & I spent the afternoon lazing by the pool and for the first time since leaving Thailand I felt like I was on holiday. The boys joined us (under orders I hasten to add) since in order to sit at a table (all the pool sunbeds were in use, it seems the Germans aren’t the only sunbed hogs) we had a $50 cover charge!!!!! Now at $7 a drink it isn’t hard to spend $50, but when there are only two of you, need I say more.

31^st New Years Eve

It was another hot (up in the 80’s) sunny day.  We girls went up town to do a little shopping and then were joined by the boys for lunch (at 4pm, well it is Key West time you know) at a lovely restaurant called Kelly’s.

It used to be the original headquarters of Pan American airlines and is now owned by Kelly McGillis. It had a lovely shady courtyard and our waiter, Eric, was great. It is also a micro brewery and so Roger & Darryl were happy.

But apart from the lunch there was a general sense of apathy about New Years Eve amongst the crew. Lynne & I were determined we were going to celebrate as we had new dresses to wear.  The problem was the others had partied too hard the previous two nights and were all partied out!!!! So there I was, Darryl asleep on the day bed, Lynne asleep on her bed, Roger asleep on ours......

Now when it comes to celebrating the New Year in Key West there are several options, you can go to Sloppy Joe’s on Duval St and watch the giant Conch drop at Midnight, or you can go further along Duval St and see Sushi the ‘Queen’ of Key West lowered in a giant red stiletto, or finally you can go to the Schooners in on Harbour walk and see the wench (who Eric , remember the waiter at Kellys, told us is called Evelyn and “she’s a real bitch!”) being lowered down the mast of one of the schooners that do day trips.

Now the dilemma is that they are all quite far apart and they all happen at midnight......or do they???? We had opted (and coerced Darryl) for Sushi and the gay scene. The crowds had already gathered by the time we arrived, CNN outside broadcast was there to cover it and it was only 11pm.

Roger got lucky and found a new ‘friend’, who we named Bob, who very kindly took a photo of us, but not before feeling Roger’s muscles!!  (his biceps).

Sushi very kindly did a dress rehearsal of being lowered with all the streamers etc. (told you the Americans are premature) so we got to see her and then appease Darryl and go and see the Wench (or the bitch if you believe Eric) being lowered. Which as it turned out was a total anti-climax, so it was we headed back to the boat and were tucked up in bed by 1am!!

Jan 1^st 2008 New years day

Talk about a dramatic change, it seemed as if they had shipped out the New Years Eve rent a crowd and Key West was deserted. Darryl and Lynne headed home and we went back to tidy and clean the boat.

But it wasn’t only the ambiance that was changing so was the weather, getting steadily colder and windier as the day went on.

We decided to err on the side of caution and I pumped up another 3 fenders for Roger to put on as the winds were getting up to 30+ knots.

That night was very bumpy and cold ( I knew I shouldn’t have put the duvet away).

Oh what a night! No they are not lyrics from that song, I am referring to the strong winds that kept us rocking and rollin’ all night long (isn’t that another song?? Maybe they knew what we went through?)

Seriously, we woke to find Beaujolais was virtually parked ON the pontoon, she was being pushed so hard by the winds that she had popped 3 fenders (that meant another trip to West Marine, God Bless Port Supply).

The weather was going from bad to worse, the temperature dropped to the lowest ever recorded in Key West since 1898, a very chilly 43^oF (4^oC) but even lower with the wind chill factor. Talking about wind, our new and correctly calibrated Wind Instrument recorded winds speeds averaging 40-45Knots and even gusting to 51 kn.

As a precaution we borrowed an additional 2 large fenders from the marina, giving us 10 fenders in all but we certainly needed them.!!

By the way, the laundry is now done (thanks for the Ikea bag John) and I am now enjoying the flipside of cruising, no not drinking, but sitting on the afterdeck (thanks Graham & Chrissie for the wedding pressie, the seats are perfect) in the sun (still a little windy hence the long sleeves) with my Mp3 plugged in (thanks for the Christmas pressie Roger) finishing the blog before we leave on Sunday.

Jan 4^th

We had decided to do some sightseeing, visiting Hemmiways’ house, the botanical gardens and butterfly gardens, but you know what they say about the best laid plans and all that!

It started with a phone call from Austria so it was 11am before we set off to get some breakfast, so that also changed to become brunch.

We turned right onto Duval instead of left because we hadn’t been down there, that was the second delay, all because of Kevin Gill (well indirectly anyway).

You see we found a bar called Irish Kevins Bar. So me being me I had to have a photo. So Roger stood in the doorway under the sign so that I could get a photo, this led to the next delay.

The singer, a guy called Bill Krauss, spotted us and got the audience to entice us in. This guy had more tricks up his sleeve than a trapdoor spider, to capture unsuspecting punters.

We settled down at the bar (remember we were supposed to be having brunch) to enjoy what was an excellent show. He sang and played guitar (who doesn’t in Key West...Oh yes, Roger!!!) but also had a very good comedy act and certainly drew in the crowds. It was 11.30am and the place was packed.

Anyway, 4 bud lites later we staggered out to look for food (remember I don’t drink and had not eaten anything).

So it was that breakfast became high tea, but that seems to be the way of things in Key West.

Ah well there’s always another day for sightseeing.