Hola de Cayo Hueso!
Translation: Hello from Key West!
We made it to Key West and are glad to be chilling out for a little while. Since our last posting, here are the highlights of our adventure.
DAY 12: Thursday, June 9, 2009
LOCATION: Marathon, FL
After I posted to the blog, we went to dinner at the Keys Fisheries restaurant in Marathon. This is a nice waterfront restaurant where the Lobster Reuben sandwich is a customer favorite and the restaurant keeps a tally of the number of sandwiches they have sold. As of June 9th, they had sold 11,707 so Capt. Jim decided to increase that number by one. It was a huge sandwich, but he really enjoyed it and ate the whole thing.
We enjoyed the beautiful sunset from the restaurant.
And Capt. Jim and I had some fun playing around with the tourist sign they had at the restaurant.
DAY 13: Wednesday, June 10, 2009
DESTINATION: Key West, FL
When we left Boot Key Harbor, the weather was beautiful, the water calm and there was a light breeze.
Here is a photo of the sunrise coming up over Morgan Glory before we left.
The last leg of our trip to Key West was in the Atlantic Ocean since it is a shorter route than the ICW route on the bay side. We put up both sails, but there really wasn’t enough wind, so we were only able to keep the main sail up. The ocean was amazingly calm and the water got clearer and bluer the further south we went.
It was so peaceful, I slept a lot. This sailing is a lot of work and tiring for First Mates!
We enjoyed the beautiful sunset from the restaurant.
And Capt. Jim and I had some fun playing around with the tourist sign they had at the restaurant.
DAY 13: Wednesday, June 10, 2009
DESTINATION: Key West, FL
When we left Boot Key Harbor, the weather was beautiful, the water calm and there was a light breeze.
Here is a photo of the sunrise coming up over Morgan Glory before we left.
The last leg of our trip to Key West was in the Atlantic Ocean since it is a shorter route than the ICW route on the bay side. We put up both sails, but there really wasn’t enough wind, so we were only able to keep the main sail up. The ocean was amazingly calm and the water got clearer and bluer the further south we went.
It was so peaceful, I slept a lot. This sailing is a lot of work and tiring for First Mates!
Look at how beautiful the water was!
I worked har to make sure we didn’t veer off course.
As we arrived at Key West, we were able to get some photos of Key West from the water.
Fort Zachary Taylor:
As we arrived at Key West, we were able to get some photos of Key West from the water.
Fort Zachary Taylor:
Harry Truman’s Little White House:
Key West waterfront:
Mallory Square where visitors go to watch the sunset:
Key West Bight and Historic Seaport:
Key West Bight and Historic Seaport:
Once we got the boat secured, we went to the Schooner Wharf Bar to celebrate our arrival in Key West and have some dinner.
Before the sunset, Capt. Jim and Admiral Sandy had some champagne and I got a special treat to toast our arrival in Key West:
Here is the view of the sunset from our boat our first night in Key West:
DAY 14: Thursday, June 11, 2009
Happy Birthday, Captain Jim!
Captain Jim turned 49 today and we began the birthday celebration with some presents from me and Admiral Sandy.
Me helping Capt. Jim open his birthday card from me:
Capt. Jim in his new lightweight shirt for sun protection when he is on the boat. I think he really liked it and it looks good on him, too!
Then we were off for birthday breakfast at our favorite breakfast spot called Pepe’s, across the street from the seaport. They are very dog friendly and dogs can sit in the outside dining area under the beautiful bouganvilla (on the left). They give me bacon here!
[
In the afternoon, we went to Schooner Wharf Bar to celebrate Capt. Jim’s birthday with a couple of our friends who live in Key West.
Pictured (left to right): Capt. Jim, me, Admiral Sandy, Tim and Doug
Tim used to work at Harpoon Harry’s restaurant and would give me bacon when we would go there.
Doug lives across the street from Schooner Wharf Bar and has two Huskies that like to come to the Schooner Wharf. Doug also has a great weekly blog http://thisweekontheisland.blogspot.com where he posts a weekly summary of all the happenings in Key West. You should check it out.
I love the Schooner Wharf Bar because they have a “doggie drive-thru” at the outside kitchen where a dog can stick their head in the “drive-thru window” and get a piece of bacon!
We also enjoyed listening to our favorite singer/songwriter Michael McCloud. Notice his dog Cindy (aka Cinderella) that sleeps in his guitar case while he plays. She stays there the whole time until he takes her for a bathroom break. Michael volunteers at the Keys SPCA where he fell in love with Cindy and adopted her. Now she’s got a great life! What a lucky dog!
That night, we walked to Kelly’s Brewary and Restaurant (owned by Kelly McGillis, actress in the movie ‘Top Gun’) for more birthday celebration with happy hour and wings (Capt. Jim’s favorite).
On our way back from dinner, we ran into Dave, Val and Dawson Pickett from Slider’s Restaurant in Neptune Beach! They are down for the week, renting a catamaran and sailing to the Marquesas and around Key West. It’s a small world!
Key West Sights…
The rest of this blog posting will be dedicated to sharing with you the sights we are seeing while in Key West.
Key West Historic Seaport
The Key West Bight City Marina is where we are staying. The City Marina is located in the Historic Seaport and is so convenient to everything. Our boat in the Key West Bight City Marina slip:
At the end of our dock is the Waterfront Market which is a great place for groceries, seafood, deli items and bakery items. Their outside walls were painted by Wyland (the underwater scenes) and Guy Harvey (the above water scenes). Isn’t it beautiful?
We can see our favorite bar, the Schooner Wharf Bar from our boat slip. The Schooner Wharf Bar is very dog-friendly and my favorite place to go and listen to Michael McCloud play. They give me bacon here when I go through the doggie drive thru!
The view of the Schooner Wharf Bar from our boat slip:
[
In the afternoon, we went to Schooner Wharf Bar to celebrate Capt. Jim’s birthday with a couple of our friends who live in Key West.
Pictured (left to right): Capt. Jim, me, Admiral Sandy, Tim and Doug
Tim used to work at Harpoon Harry’s restaurant and would give me bacon when we would go there.
Doug lives across the street from Schooner Wharf Bar and has two Huskies that like to come to the Schooner Wharf. Doug also has a great weekly blog http://thisweekontheisland.blogspot.com where he posts a weekly summary of all the happenings in Key West. You should check it out.
I love the Schooner Wharf Bar because they have a “doggie drive-thru” at the outside kitchen where a dog can stick their head in the “drive-thru window” and get a piece of bacon!
We also enjoyed listening to our favorite singer/songwriter Michael McCloud. Notice his dog Cindy (aka Cinderella) that sleeps in his guitar case while he plays. She stays there the whole time until he takes her for a bathroom break. Michael volunteers at the Keys SPCA where he fell in love with Cindy and adopted her. Now she’s got a great life! What a lucky dog!
That night, we walked to Kelly’s Brewary and Restaurant (owned by Kelly McGillis, actress in the movie ‘Top Gun’) for more birthday celebration with happy hour and wings (Capt. Jim’s favorite).
On our way back from dinner, we ran into Dave, Val and Dawson Pickett from Slider’s Restaurant in Neptune Beach! They are down for the week, renting a catamaran and sailing to the Marquesas and around Key West. It’s a small world!
Key West Sights…
The rest of this blog posting will be dedicated to sharing with you the sights we are seeing while in Key West.
Key West Historic Seaport
The Key West Bight City Marina is where we are staying. The City Marina is located in the Historic Seaport and is so convenient to everything. Our boat in the Key West Bight City Marina slip:
At the end of our dock is the Waterfront Market which is a great place for groceries, seafood, deli items and bakery items. Their outside walls were painted by Wyland (the underwater scenes) and Guy Harvey (the above water scenes). Isn’t it beautiful?
We can see our favorite bar, the Schooner Wharf Bar from our boat slip. The Schooner Wharf Bar is very dog-friendly and my favorite place to go and listen to Michael McCloud play. They give me bacon here when I go through the doggie drive thru!
The view of the Schooner Wharf Bar from our boat slip:
The Schooner Wharf Bar:
Across the street from the seaport are a marine hardware store and a West Marine. We have already had to visit both of these for a Whale Pump repair kit and oil so Capt. Jim could change the oil. We are really glad they are both so close!
There are also lots of great restaurants: B.O’s Fish Wagon, Turtle Kraals, Half Shell Raw Bar, A&B Lobster House, Conch Republic Seafood Company, Harpoon Harry’s, and Pepe’s.
B.O.’s Fish Wagon:
This place looks like a shack, but they have great fish sandwiches and we love to listen to Barry Cuda play the piano there.
There are also lots of great restaurants: B.O’s Fish Wagon, Turtle Kraals, Half Shell Raw Bar, A&B Lobster House, Conch Republic Seafood Company, Harpoon Harry’s, and Pepe’s.
B.O.’s Fish Wagon:
This place looks like a shack, but they have great fish sandwiches and we love to listen to Barry Cuda play the piano there.
Turtle Kraal’s restaurant:
They are very dog friendly and even allow dogs in their tower bar which is a great place to view the sunset. Can you find Morgan Glory in the sunset picture?
The view of the Turtle Kraals restaurant from our boat slip:
They are very dog friendly and even allow dogs in their tower bar which is a great place to view the sunset. Can you find Morgan Glory in the sunset picture?
The view of the Turtle Kraals restaurant from our boat slip:
Half Shell Raw Bar:
We have been told that dogs have been seen there, but there isn’t an open outside dining area. So, I haven’t tried to go there.
The Historic Seaport is also port for lots of fun things to do: snorkeling catamarans, fishing charters, dolphin watch charters, eco tour charters, Dry Tortugas charters, sunset cruises and the ferry from Ft. Meyers. So, we are having a great time watching the boats come and go.
Sign of some of the Historic Seaport things to do:
Views of the seaport:
We have been told that dogs have been seen there, but there isn’t an open outside dining area. So, I haven’t tried to go there.
The Historic Seaport is also port for lots of fun things to do: snorkeling catamarans, fishing charters, dolphin watch charters, eco tour charters, Dry Tortugas charters, sunset cruises and the ferry from Ft. Meyers. So, we are having a great time watching the boats come and go.
Sign of some of the Historic Seaport things to do:
Views of the seaport:
Note the large white boat in the picure on the right. This is the Halie and Matthew which requires dinghies to help guide the boat into the slip. A few nights ago, the boat hit a piling and there were a lot of people and dinghies scrambling to get it off the piling and into the slip. There's always some excitement around here!
Seaport after sunset:
Dinghy Dock:
This dock is where all the people on boats at anchor can come and tie up. The dinghy dock is usually very full. Can you find Morgan Glory in this picture?
The Schooner Wolf:
This is one of the boats that go out for sunset sails.
Sights from the Dinghy
We took a little dinghy trip beyond the Seaport and here are some of the things we saw:
Interesting sign:
I wonder why they have this sign in the middle of the water? Hmmmmm.
This dock is where all the people on boats at anchor can come and tie up. The dinghy dock is usually very full. Can you find Morgan Glory in this picture?
The Schooner Wolf:
This is one of the boats that go out for sunset sails.
Sights from the Dinghy
We took a little dinghy trip beyond the Seaport and here are some of the things we saw:
Interesting sign:
I wonder why they have this sign in the middle of the water? Hmmmmm.
Here’s a house on the water near a boat anchorage. I wonder who lives there? I don’t think I would want to be in that house if a hurricane came!
Here is a picture of me riding on the dinghy, enjoying the sights. I got a chance to take a little swim while we were cruising on the dinghy, so that is why I am wet.
Key West Weather
The weather has been very warm with a very slight breeze the whole time we have been here. However, on Monday, June 15th, after it rained, we spotted this water spout. This photo was taken from the deck of our boat. Boy, were we glad that the water spout didn’t get any closer!
This photo was taken from the end of the dock.
I am really having a great time in Key West. I am so glad to be able to go to all the places I really love that give me bacon! I am truly a lucky dog to be able to do all this!
That’s all for now. We will post another update in a week to share with you more of our adventure in Key West!!!
Coconut and Crew
You may join my Yahoo group by going to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/coconutandcrew/
Posts
Coconut you are one stoked doggie, mate. I can't even believe the fun your parents have with you, will you all adopt our little family of 3? Or at least meet us out in the tropics somewhere for some champagne toasts?
ReplyDelete