To Do List for Next time

Visit No Name Key (and pub) & learn more about alternative energy (key of 50'sh houses w/ no commercial power available!)
-Anchor in Key west
-visit dolphin and turtle centers
-Gilberts/ Largo
-African Queen charter
-Lorelies/ Islamorada
-Hurricane, Dockside tiki/ marathon
-Sombrero
-John Pennekamp park

Still slowly heading North..

I'm dragging my feet so to speak, so I can pick my Dad & his friend up in Miami...
Everybody has a cousin in Miami ;D (song reference again)
Here in Key Largo where I had planned on stopping for a few days anyway, I unloaded the scooter & went exploring.
I stumbled on the fact that THE African Queen's home is Key Largo. Sooo I HAD to see her & I did!! I also experienced a family of manatees close up & in the wild!
Today I left Gilbert's Marina. I'll surely miss the AC power and pool & tiki bar, etc...!
I didn't go far since bad nasty storms (like last weeks) are in the forecast for Biscayne Bay, which is about 15 miles North of here. I'm "holed up" in a river lined by Mangrove trees, an ole' trick since the water is deep right up to them and they act as a wind buffer & a soft bumper ;D
Finally I want to send a shout out to a pair of Brothers from Tampa who were in the resort which my boat was docked at; right in front of their room.
Hi Paul & Mike!!
What a cool pair of bro's; reminds me of my siblings :D
I truly enjoyed your company. I hope I didn't talk yur ear off!! lol
Peace out for now~

Part TWO to day 1............

OK, so right after I posted that last post all hell broke loose!
A big storm whipped up, by big I'm talking 40 knot winds!
It was horrendous, I lost my fishing net and a kayak paddle.
The bimini top (over the cockpit) tore off (I saved it but it's ruined) and most everything else got soaked. SunRunner was tied to a mooring ball....
....but the line from it SNAPPED!!! 8^0
I had the motor running, as I do in any bad storm and I'm glad I did!
I thought the mooring anchor had dragged but at the worst point of the storm I was less then 50 feet from Shell Key!!!!!!! I turned HARD to Starboard and punched the throttle to get away from the key and also to put my nose into the waves so the boat wouldn't get swamped. From there I was in a very shallow area but had very little control.
Finally, after 30-40 minutes of this (wondering if my ship-my house was about to be lost) the winds started to abate but I was aground in mud. My depth gauge showed 0'
The next day, after trying all tricks in the book to get unstuck) I called Tow boat US & the same guy pulled me out again. Shell key is right around the corner from Islamorada where we saw the shark (when we were stuck,lol).
So yesterday was mostly a repair the boat and nerves kinda day but SunRunner still did about 25 miles & is now at Key Largo @ around Statute Mile 1138.

Thr trip home started at SM 1200 and will end at SM "0" ... Norfolk

Day 1 of the Journey home

I left on the Spring equinox & now am returning just after the Summer Solstice.
Sunday I readied the boat, she's in better shape then when I started down.
Monday I had intended on leaving but a rookie mistake delayed me a day, I didn't check the tides. This is pretty important when you have to drive a 525 pound scooter onto the back of your boat ;D
Nonetheless, I stayed at Poncho's Fuel Dock. Cap't Jack, the proprietor, was very gracious. He filled SunRunner up with ice and water for free & let me stay tied to his dock overnight since a storm was rolling in. I showered after dark with his garden hose (he said too.. lol) went to dinner at a nice restaurant (Castaways) and slept in a cool boat mosquito free..
Today I casted off at 7:30AM and sailed at around 5.2 knots with no motor running.
Then at around 11:30 a storm kicked up with 3' waves & 25 mph winds, I dropped the sails, lit the fire in the engine & motored thru it. I stopped at "Shell Key" for the night- just South of Islamorada @ 3:53 after doing 40 miles.

Went Cruisin today

Some friends & I went for a cruise (no wind for sailin')
We had a GREAT time. Saw a turtle which, at 1st looked like a floating body but as we got closer was definitly a big spotted sea turtle. Tomorrow I plan on visiting the 'Turtle Hospital'. Anyway, we motored out to Sombrero Key/Light which is right on the edge of the reef. There were tons of boats as the fishing, diving and snorkeling is great there!
After that we motored back towards Sombrero Beach, stopped halfway, cooked cheeseburgers [in paradise]dove off the boat, snorkeled and scraped a bunch of barnacles of SunRunner's bottom and prop then sailed home as we wtched a cool sunset.
OH yeah!! Tis afternoon on the way to Sombrero Light we saw a water spout!!!!!
...gearing up for the journey North...

Incommunicato- I was..

My phone finally stopped charging so I finally called my carrier for a replacement (still under warranty = yay). So that's where I was, safe n sound but w/out a phone.
I've been exploring different keys (uninhabited ones) and have had some great times snorkeling under the boat, watching stingrays and tarpon & beachcombing.
Today "Brokefin" the dolphin was lazily chasing fish near my boat. He chased one right up to the boat, 2 feet from me! Then the fish (about 10" long) started trying to swim circles around the dolphin to escape. Brokefin was actually on his back (kind of like standing up) swimming in circles playing cat and mouse with the fish! All this happened so close to me it was amazing!
Tomorrow or the next day (depending on weather) I'll be going to another key for a few days, molasses key. I have to finish scraping the barnacles off the bottom and I need to clean the prop too..
Plus I still haven't found a conch shell..
Each night at Sunset you can hear conch shell horns being blown to celebrate the end of another day in paradise =]