FRIDAY JANUARY 8

We left Factory Bay as soon as we had enough daylight to read the numbers on the markers. The sun was shining and the seas were calm. This made for a very pleasant ride and spotting crab pots was a breeze. Saw many dophin and even saw a sailfish leap out of the water. By the time we arrived at Key West, the water was calm. The color of the water has changed to the aquamarine color of the Caribbean. After spending hours out on the open water without seeing land or even another boat, it seemed like chaos as we arrived in Key West. Jet skiers, snorkel cruise boats, parasailers, fishing boats, sail boats, jolly roger party boats, you name it! The temperature may be cold here by Key West standards, but it felt warm to us.

We got settled in to our slip. No floating docks here so had to figure out tying up to pilings again. Here is a shot of Ross securing a line around a piling. Yeee ha! High winds are expected tonight so want to be secure as possible. You always have to keep in mind the tides and that there is enough slack in the lines to accommodate it but still keep the boat from bouncing around.




We noticed some funky looking fish under the dock near our boat. I grabbed the camera and went to investigate. I’d lean over the dock and they’d be gone. I’d go to the other side and slowly lean over, and they’d be gone again. Guess they didn’t want their photo going out over the internet. I finally got some photos but still had no idea what they where. Thanks to the internet I figured out that they were Caribbean Reef Squid. They measured around 12-18 inches and travel around in small schools and are able to change their coloring in an instant. They have highly developed brains and eyesight. Their eyes are nearly as complex as humans’. I’m going to stick with the thought that it was their excellent eyesight that they could see me up on the dock trying to take their photo that made them move back and forth under the dock. Not their highly developed brain and communication ability making me do stupid human pet tricks. “Hey guys, watch what I can make that human do up on the dock!”.












Took a short walk around the area of the marina. Loads of shops and bars. Stopped for some conch fritters at one place. I’m thinking they must be a close relative to a Hush Puppy, only without corn meal and chopped conch meat added. There is lots of conch on the menus down here: conch chowder, conch fritters, cracked conch, conch ceviche. As a food source conch meat has great nutritional value and has a very high protein content. It is also known as a natural aphrodisiac! Maybe that is the reason, more than the nutritional aspects, why the Queen conch has been harvested to the extent that they are now an endangered species. There are plenty of other types of conchs so you don’t need to worry they’ll run out!

THURSDAY JANUARY 7

Today was a short trip from
Naples south to Marco Island.
We anchored at a
beautiful
little spot in Factory
Bay by Marco River
Marina. Ross dropped
the dinghy in the water
and we headed to shore.

The sun is shining today
and the temps are actually
warm enough
for some of us to
don shorts. Yes,
those are bare legs!


We walked around Marco Island a while, taking in the scenery. Found a local off the main drag place to eat called The Sandbar. Great burgers and tuna melts.




On the way back to
where we left our dinghy tied up we passed this
open-air bait shop. There
were egrets all over it,
begging. I commented
about it to the guy operating it. He said when it’s this cold out, the birds don’t want to go out to fish and become beggars. They are spectacular birds and I know it would be difficult for me to say no to them. As we reached our dinghy I looked back and took this photo of him hand feeding several of the braver (hungriest?) birds with minnows he had in a bucket.

This is a photo of the sunset over Marco Island. Wish I had a wide angle lens to better capture it.

WEDNESDAY JANUARY 6

Ross, Jen and I enjoyed the sun shining as we left Ft. Meyers Beach and travelled to Naples. It was an uneventful trip other than the occasional “mine field” of crab traps that we had to thread our way through.

My parents winter in Naples very close to the Hamilton Harbor Yacht Club so we pulled in there for the night. It is an absolutely beautiful marina with wide floating docks. My dad picked us up and we returned to their place for one of Mom’s delicious home cooked meals!!!

Ross and I returned to the marina but had to say goodbye to Jennie as she stayed at my parents’. They will return her to Ft. Meyers Beach tomorrow where she left her car.

It was a cold night so it was nice being plugged in to shore power so the heaters could run and keep us thawed out.

TUESDAY JANUARY 5

After not even a week, we have to say goodbye to our daughter Krista as she must return to Minnesota today. We have sooooo enjoyed having her spend time with us. My sister, Jen, drove down from Tampa this morning and will take Krista to the airport. We’ll get to spend some time with Jennie too, as she will stay a couple of days with us.

I know I’m sounding like a broken record, but it’s cold and windy today………..again. We decided that no matter what, we were in Florida and we were going to go walk on the beach. So we bundled up and went. It was a short walk.

Ft. Meyers Beach is a hot spot for spring breakers. It is rumored that Ponce de Leon sailed and explored this area looking for the fountain of youth. It has also been the hang out of many pirates over the years. The most notorious are pictured below.

MONDAY JANUARY 4

Ross and I took a short walk this morning on Cabbage Key. It is a resort island only accessible by boat or water taxi. Along with the Inn where we had dinner last night, there are raised cottages sprinkled around the island. Some of the vegetation and sites are marked with informational plaques so at least we knew what we were looking at.



One of the things we saw was
this wooden water tower.
Many of the islands use to
have them. This is the only
one remaining in the area.
The few that did remain
were wiped out in
2004 by Hurricane Charley.












It is very cold here this
morning by Florida
standards. Heck, its
cold here even by our
standards! Notice the hat
and ski gloves modeled
by our captain.








Cabbage Key is actually a huge shell mound built by Calusa Indians hundreds of years ago. The Calusa lived along the shoreline of southwestern Florida and built large mounds with shells and clay. Probably as protection against high tides and possibly insects. It is believed the Calusa numbered around 50,000 before the French and Spanish arrived. The Calusa had no natural resistance to the smallpox or measles virus carried by the foreigners and it decimated their population.

We travelled to Ft. Meyers Beach today so will spend a couple of days at Moss Marine. Very windy out so it's noisy inside the boat with the slapping of waves against the hull. We crossed paths once again with our Looper friends Diann and Tom Lanham from Noah Genda. Good to see them again.

SUNDAY JANUARY 3

A cold, windy, cloudy travel day. We traveled about 52 miles from Sarasota to Cabbage Key. We were glad to arrive at the marina where we could hook up to power and turn on the heaters.



On the way today we passed a marina with what they call dry stack. Your boat is stored inside the building rather than in the water in a slip. When you plan to take your boat out, you call the marina and they take your boat down with a fork lift and put it in the water by the time you arrive.







There is a quaint restaurant
just up from the dock so we went there for dinner
. There was a fire going in the fireplace and they seated us next to it. Guess we looked cold. Good guess! The walls and ceiling here are covered with layers of dollar bills that people have written their names on and taped up.



And yes, we added ours to the mix too.

SATURDAY JANUARY 2ND

Ross in the engine room checking the oil on Vince and Spike, (our pet names for our twin 350 Caterpillar diesel engines) before we leave St. Pete for Sarasota.






A chilly but sunny morning as we cross Tampa Bay and pass under the Sunshine Skyway Bridge. This bridge is 5 ½ miles long and 431 feet high. Personally I think it’s the creepiest bridge I’ve ever crossed. The bridge deck rises at a steep angle to the highest point. I’d much rather pass underneath it on the boat.

In 1980 a freighter hit a support column during a storm, which sent 1200 feet of the bridge into the water. Six cars and a Greyhound bus fell 150 feet into Tampa Bay killing 35 people. That would definitely make my top 10 list of worst ways to go.

The bridge is said to be haunted and there have been at least 130 suicides and 10 attempts. A Rottweiler dog named Shasta either followed it’s owner or was carried over the edge by it’s owner (gee thanks, master). Shasta survived. The master didn’t. Sad.

Another thing the bridge is know for is the unannounced pendulum swing bungee jump done by a group of daredevils (or possibly idiots?!!). Led by a bartender. Can you believe it, a bartender? Not a physicist, a bartender!! Anyway, they all arrived in a stretch limo, jumped out with their homemade bungees and Geronimo. Well, the bartender’s calculations were a bit off due to the G-force and everyone ended up falling 60 feet into the water. No one was killed but there were broken bones and neck injuries.


A boat we came across. This is what a boat
looks like at low tide, that ran aground at high tide. Wouldn't want to be them!







We arrived in Sarasota about noon at Marina Jack. Very nice place. Our next stop was the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art. It isn’t just an art museum but also explains the history of the circus and it’s place in the history of America.

A little back story on John and Mable. John grew up in Baraboo Wisconsin. He and his 5 brothers formed the Ringling Brothers Circus. Mable grew up on a farm in Ohio. John ran the business end of the circus and at one point was one of the 13 wealthiest people in the world. He and Mable loved Sarasota. They built this incredible home here designed after the homes in Venice, Italy. They had a very extensive collection of artwork and built a large museum on their property to display it for the people of Sarasota. There are room after room of original paintings dating from the 1400’s to the late 1800’s , mostly from Europe.

Like many others, Ringling over speculated and ended up losing almost everything. He left the museum to the state of Florida as a way to keep the collection intact. When he died, he only had a little more than 300 dollars in the bank.

FRIDAY JANUARY 1ST 2010

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! We started the new year off at Skyway Jacks for breakfast.








They don’t have a liquor license there so can’t sell drinks. But they can give them away. So on new year’s morning they have complimentary bloody marys. Sweet.

















The breakfast menu must have at least 50 items on it. Including scrambled pork brains!!



And no, we didn’t order any.


Ross and I opted for the hog jowls, collard greens and black eyed peas, served over rice along with a cornmeal muffin instead. Yep, really did. It’s a traditional new year’s day meal
called “Hoppin Jack” and is said to bring prosperity and good luck to those who eat it. Often a shiny new dime is thrown in to the cooking pot. If you find it in your meal, you will have an extra portion of good luck.


























Jennie and Cheryl at Skyway Jacks.


















In the afternoon Ross, Krista and I went to The Dali. It is a museum showing the works of Salvador Dali. He was the artist from Spain with the crazy mustache and painting things like clocks that were limp and melting over things. He always credited his wife, Gallah, from saving him from insanity. After viewing his artwork I’m not so sure she arrived in time. He was an incredible talent and we were glad the museum did such an excellent job explaining what most of the paintings represented.

THURSDAY DECEMBER 31ST NEW YEAR’S EVE DAY

Awake at 4:15 so we have time to eat a hot breakfast at the Dennys connected to out hotel. Even with wearing a wetsuit, we know it will be cold in the water. We arrived at Bird’s Underwater Adventure by 6 a.m. The manatees are most active when they first wake up and leave to go out to feed. Along with many others we were outfitted with wetsuit and snorkeling gear. We all watched a video about the manatees and the laws protecting them. There are large sanctuary areas roped off for the manatees and protected by federal law. After about a 20 minute pontoon ride we arrived at the King’s Bay hot springs. It was just beginning to get light out making it difficult to see much in the water. After about 45 minutes and only sighting one manatee just as it was returning to the sanctuary area, we were feeling very disappointed. The tour was set up for one hour in the water. The sun was now up making the water clear to see in. Suddenly there were manatees everywhere you looked. They were beginning to wake up and leave the sanctuary to go and feed. But first stopping to greet their adoring fans and get their tummies rubbed and have us scratch under their flippers. Here Krista is giving her new friend a friendly flipper itching. The skin on their bellies is very soft and smooth. The rest of their skin feels like wet leather. Some of it is rough where what looks like lichen grows. Others feel slimy and are covered with brown moss growing on them. Their faces, back and tails are covered with short bristly hair.

Manatees are mammals, so must surface for air every 3-5 minutes. During sleep they can go for as long as 20 minutes without surfacing. They sleep lying on the bottom and just float to the top, take a breath and sink back to the bottom without even waking up. They average between 10 to 12 feet long and weigh between 800 to 1200 pounds. Their closest relative is the elephant and they have no natural enemies other than man. Manatees are believed to live 60 years or longer. They are intelligent like dolphins. Although they have excellent hearing, they have very poor eyesight. Some of the manatees would swim less than a foot away from our faces to look at us. Their eyelids close in a circular manner, like a shutter on the camera.






Their flippers each have several nails on them.




There were so many manatees that at one point Krista was surrounded and being herded back along with them into the sanctuary.


Me, face to face with a manatee. Both of us no doubt thinking what an odd looking creature the other was.



Much to our great pleasure, the tour didn’t end after an hour. We ended up staying for two hours in the water. The cold was what finally drove us back to the pontoon.

After a hot shower and a nap back at the hotel, we checked out and headed back to the Tampa airport to pick up Ross. Once we had Ross we drove to St. Petersburg and the Oddysea. The past three weeks she’s been out of the water while the swim platform was reinforced. The swim platform had what Ross referred to as jungle rot. Since it supports the weight of the dinghy and the outboard we thought it best to repair it rather than wait for it to rip off. (which would sink us)

My sister, Jennie, lives in St. Petersburg and invited us to spend New Year’s Eve at her house. After a fabulous meal of crab legs we managed to stay awake long enough to ring in the new year.

WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 30TH

Ross dropped our daughter, Krista, and me off at the airport in Minneapolis for our flight to Tampa. Thanks to the Christmas Day “underwear bomber” we had to be there extra early due to increased security screening. The flight went fine and the warm sunshine and lush green colors of Tampa were a treat to the senses after the snow and cold of Minnesota. We rented a car and with me driving and Krista navigating with her handheld GPS we headed north to Crystal River. Crystal River is north of Tampa about 60 miles. The river is fed by numerous hot springs which attract manatees in the cold winter months. Those manatees are the reason Crystal River is our destination. Early tomorrow morning we will don wetsuits and snorkels to search for manatees near one of the hot springs.