Yeah, regular readers will know that we used that title before but it is so apropos given Jimmy Buffett's contribution to the music culture here, and spending another month here. This time we did have a more low key visit given this is our third time here, and we have seen many of the sights.
Our month got off to a great start with VERY warm weather and Tristan with us for the first week. Unfortunately the bank said he couldn't work from the US for an extended period and he amended his plans to head home at the end of the week. We did enjoy Happy Hour at a favourite outdoor waterfront place one day with him, and a great guitar player at a favourite outdoor bar, Hanks Hair of the Dog Saloon a couple of nights.
Tristan's girlfriend Dom arrived for the weekend and toured Key West to show her some of the sights as she had not been here before. One of the highlights was visiting the Key West Butterfly museum. It is a lush tropical environment with about 1500 butterflies from over 100 different species flitting around.
Despite our attention to wearing masks and sitting outside at bars and restaurants, Greg contracted Covid and cold like symptoms developed the first weekend. Surprisingly, none of Judy, Tristan and Dom developed any symptoms. Guess their vax had better staying power. We were eligible for our booster just about that time but too late.
The next 10 days were pretty quiet as I isolated on the boat mainly, with the occasional bike ride to the beach where we could stay away from people. Not sure if it made much difference though as Covid was circulating pretty widely here by then. It did provide an opportunity to work on some minor maintenance projects but general fatigue detracted from the inspiration to do it. A lot of reading and relaxing got done. Judy also got lots of walks in during the morning.
Our friends from North Carolina, Mike and Marilyn had planned to arrive and spend a number of days with us on the boat, but those plans were nixed. They did visit one afternoon, socially distanced, and brought us some beautiful cushions for the boat that Marilyn made.
They stayed healthy post visit as well thankfully. And we saw them a few days later as they were test driving an electric vehicle from a company that Mike had invested in.
The weather had also cooled to temps where we didn't need to run the AC hard to keep the boat comfortable all the time. The water temp here is 77F, so just being exposed to the sun heats the boat up on warm days.
By week 3 the Covid symptoms were improving and we could start getting out to do a bit more. We visited a favourite Spanish tapas bar for Happy Hour but were disappointed as the menu/pricing had changed. We returned for dinner the following week and had a great meal from the regular menu.
Greg also got a major maintenance item taken care of finally. You may recall that when we launched the dinghy in October, the motor started great, but the steering wouldn't work. A casualty of sitting for 18 months unused, the steering cable had seized from corrosion in the pivot tube. And the big issue with a job like that is finding an available mechanic with sufficient lead time for where one will be for a while. We tried in Palm Beach, but weren't successful. Key West was difficult, and expensive, but at least do-able. This is my favourite marine store. Note the subtitle "Los Cubanitos".
We rode our bikes a lot over the month. The local Publix grocery story is about 3.5 km away and we visit every few days as the carrying capacity on the bike is limited. We also visited either of two beach spots 2.5 or 3.5 km distant. With beach chairs on our backs and towels etc in the bike rack, we are well equipped. We even rode to the retired Coast Guard ship Ingham for Sunset on Friday night.
We also discovered a band at a new-to-us bar (but not Tristan), Hogsbreath Saloon, that was great and we enjoyed a couple of nights. The lead singer was described by the guy shucking oysters as "a human Jukebox", and how true. The band had a very extensive repertoire and he sang everything with no sheet music, or I guess Ipad, these days.
Key West continues to host a variety of events almost every weekend. From half-marathon run, to Food fest, Wreckers race to fishing tournament.
We didn't do any of the "cultural"events this visit as they are inside and just weren't comfortable with doing that. It is such a cool place though. Even a Walgreens pharmacy is a special place.
We are due to leave mid-week, but the nemesis of this trip, wind, has returned. A cold front came thru Friday night and we had over 40 knots of wind, and persistent strong winds thru the day. Everyone on the dock complained of a poor nights sleep from the motion and the noise. I had nights at sea in storms that weren't as disturbing as Friday night. The winds have dropped somewhat, but it is cool. Only 59F the high today, but at least sunny. This pic is after the wind had dropped a bit, but never captures the real situation well. Those are 1 to 2 ft waves behind the breakwater.
We will likely extend our stay here a few days as the day for our scheduled departure doesn't look very good. As of the end of the week, the wind and sea conditions look much better for our trip up the Gulf Coast.
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