So, we are still enjoying the now warm slice of paradise down here in Key West — the lower latitude definitely makes for a good attitude!

The last two weeks have included some conch blowing fun and dockside music jam sessions by our fellow boaters at Stock Island Marina. As the sounds of conch horns announce the sunset, the guitars, accordions, and other musical accoutrements come out, for some good time jam sessions under the stars.

We also had a surprise visit from one of the notorious D’Allessandro boys who was hanging in Key West for spring break.

Hanging out in the Chart Room with Anthony D’Allessandro (aka “Waterboy”), where the bartender gave him free drinks after hearing his story of how he arrived in Key West from Blacksburg, VA (something to do with stops in Roanoke for dinner and drinks with Rick Patterson, snow storms, an all night party in Atlanta with a friend, plains, trains, automobiles, buses, bicycles, and boats). Glad you caught up with us, Anthony!  And, glad you made it back to school safe and sound 😎.

It was definitely spring break as the normally absent Key West police were out in force this week keeping everybody safe.

We also checked out the 53rd Annual Conch Blowing Contest, which was held at the Oldest House Museum in Key West. My conch blowing captain wished, afterward, that he had entered the contest 🐚. There were three categories: longest blow, loudest, and most creative. I definitely think he could have won the longest blow … Maybe next year?

Today, the conch is mostly used for fun to announce the sun setting on the horizon.  However, it does have important historical significance … It was used as a means of communication by the Calusa Indians, early sailors used it as a fog horn, and the Key West citizens of the 1800’s used them to signal salvagers of ship wrecks offshore.

We spent an afternoon kayaking the mangroves and salt ponds. It was blowing a steady 20 knots that day, so in traversing the open waters, we were glad we had rented the tandem kayak. Very cool, and even met some interesting folks living in the mangroves along with the other wildlife we saw, including a manatee.

We’ve wanted to snorkel the reefs but the winds have kept the waters too rough.  We did get out to the Cottrell Key reef 7 miles northwest on the Gulf, and while it was still a good foot chop, we did get in some fun snorkeling and saw lots of sea creatures, tropical fish and coral.

Caleb had his portrait done at the art festival, and what a dashing young pirate he is … Arrrrghh!

We watched a rescued turtle be released back into the sea. He was named Grinch because he was found on Christmas Eve. He had an obstruction in his intestine, which the turtle hospital cleared and now he is on his way back to his life in the sea.  They tag the turtles with a tracking device that allows the turtles whereabouts to be recorded.  It is amazing to see their migration patterns, and how far they actually travel (www.conserveturtles.org).

We enjoyed a night of cabaret at The Garden Hotel bar, by our dock mate, John Benson, and his little dog Foxy.

Yes, that is a dog inside a very nice hotel!  Love Key West for its dog friendliness. Even the big dogs squeeze in. We met this happy fellow at Schooners Wharf bar.

Of course we had to go back for some dollar beers at Pepe’s.

And, there was this woman going crazy on Caroline Street … (For the uninitiated, that’s Jimmy Buffet speak).

Found the locals spot, a sandbar off Boca Chita Key. Absolutely beautiful. Saw several starfish and some miniature horseshoe crabs.

Love, love, love Key West! It’s funky, laid-back, and full of interesting people. Anything goes here. The people are friendly, and we like their “One Human Family” attitude. There is so much more off the beaten path of Duval Street, that we have enjoyed our stay way more than we expected.  We had been concerned about staying in one of the “downtown” Key West marinas, so finding the new Stock Island Marina (on Stock Island) made our stay so much nicer.  It allowed us to be out of the busy Key West Duval and Front Street area, but close enough to enjoy it when we wanted.

But, alas, our time here is drawing to and end.  The weather is getting warmer and we will be seeking the less tropical temperatures by moving northward. We will be spending the next few days preparing for our departure on Wednesday, the 18th of March. Our plan is to sail north across the Gulf to just off the coast of the Florida Everglades where we will spend one night on the Shark River before pushing further northward along the Gulf Coast to Marco Island. We will spend some time in that area, then head to Ft. Meyers and the Okeechobee waterway across to Stuart, Florida on the east coast. We figured we stay U.S. based (this time).

Until next time, these Brackish Water Conchs (as opposed to Salt Water or Fresh Water Conchs, meaning been here, but not from here or a come here 😉) are headed out for some last fun in the Key West sun!