MTOA Rendezvous, Fernandina Beach, Florida
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MTOA Low Country Boil & Crazy Hat Beach Party

Lots of Crazy Fun at the MTOA Low Country Boil As you can see there were a lot of fun and creative hat constructions during the Crazy Hat Beach Party and MTOA Low Country Boil event on Wednesday night during the MTOA 2012 Southern Rendezvous. MTOA members pulled out all the stops and showed up in some very colorful and creative hats. We'll let the photos speak for themselves – the MTOA Low Country Boil sure was a lot of fun.         We think Robert, here with his wife Kaye, on C-Life,  should have won first prize for his…

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MTOA Rendezvous, Fernandina Beach, Florida
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MTOA 2012 Southern Rendezvous – Amelia Island, Florida

Pirates Galore at the MTOA 2012 Southern Rendezvous Since pirates played a major role in the settlement of Amelia Island the local gang helped kick off the start of the MTOA 2012 Southern Rendezvous, in Fernandina Beach, at the first-morning meeting. MTOA is only one of a couple of the boat clubs we belong to. The club is non-profit and member-operated – the yearly events are lots of fun. Every time you volunteer to contribute to the club or an event, you gain a turtle pin. It's not hard to see who the hard workers are as the turtle pins…

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Shrimp, Fernandina Beach, Florida
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Our First Ever Shrimp Boil on the Docks

MTOA's Southern Boaters Put Together a Shrimp Boil Friends Ellen and her husband, Roy, on Our Turn, came up with the idea to have a simple, but festive, shrimp boil on the dock tonight and procured shrimp from these fishermen (above and below). This was only the first 150 lbs she bought, it was such a popular topic on the docks, people wanted to buy more the next day, so Ellen ended up purchasing the rest of the catch these guys had to sell, another 150 lbs. This all transpired the day before the rendezvous started, people were still arriving and…

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Eating Ice Cream Cones
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Fernandina Beach Marina

We were happy to meet up again at Fernandina Beach Marina with the crew on Mosey (above), we last saw them in Marathon in February. Also in attendance at the rendezvous was the crew of Active Captain (below). We had left the marina for a little cruise and to get a pump out. The paper mill (see the smoke behind the boats) was an interesting sight. Fernandina Beach Marina for the MTOA 2012 Southern Rendezvous.     On the way out of the marina for our pump out, we got some good photos of Roy, Ellen, and Lucy, on Our Turn (above)…

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Launching Kismet, Fernandina Beach, Florida
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Fernandina Beach, Florida – Here We Come

Our last stop in Florida this year is Fernandina Beach to attend the MTOA 2012 Southern Rendezvous. We've never had the pleasure of visiting Amelia Island when going up or down this coast, but we've only heard good things about this friendly little resort town. We were surprised that, since we got there late in the day, we were able to park and stay on the boat in the marina parking lot overnight without being hassled. We think Fernandina is making a few exceptions during the rendezvous because it is a big event for this town and they'd like MTOA…

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Kismet Cruising Canals, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
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Idling Up New River – Dinghy Ride – Fort Lauderdale, Florida

We ventured out on a long dinghy ride today – up the New River and into a few side channels. We were just a short distance away from the marina and it was hard to tell we were so close to such a big city as Fort Lauderdale. We must have been gone several hours as there are a lot of waterways to cover on the river with a few little offshoots to explore. As an extra bonus, we got to see all different kinds of boats – old, new, big, small, and some very unusual ones. Jim said that…

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Crew of Sea Gator, Marathon, Florida
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Rendezvouing with Sea Gator in Marathon

When I was in the planning stages of putting together our book, Women On Board Cruising, an acquaintance introduced me via email to Pat Erhman, a long-distance cruiser, along with her husband Rick on their boat, Sea Gator. I was so happy about the introduction because Pat and I corresponded quite a bit over the course of creating the book and I hoped someday our paths would cross on the water. Today it finally came to be. A friend, another contributor to the book, Ellen, ran into Pat in Marathon earlier in the season and told her we were also…

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Key West Harbor, Stock Island, Florida
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Stock Island Stay

We can't say enough good things about Key West Harbour, on Stock Island. Our second stay here, for the month of March, was ideal. Great slip right by the tiki hut on the outer rim, open-air showers under the hut, and a spot to enjoy happy hour under the other hut. Life is good. We were happy to meet up with Brenda and Vern, on Trouble II, they were our neighbors at Key West Harbour in the winter of 2010.

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Better Than Sex Restaurant Sign
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Better Than Sex?

On this particular day, we had just consumed a huge lunch at our favorite Cuban restaurant, El Caney on Stock Island. Later that afternoon, we drove to downtown Key West to take a long walk and watch the sunset. We really weren't hungry for dinner, but we thought maybe we'd just get dessert somewhere. That was when we remembered several people telling us about a dessert restaurant named Better Than Sex, they only offer dessert on their menu. "Why not," we said, "how about we just have dessert for dinner?" Music to the ears of our server. As you can see…

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Shrimp Boat, Stock Island, Florida
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Bringing Home the Shrimp – Stock Island, Florida

Not only did the fishermen "bring home the shrimp," but we also brought it home, to the boat that is. Freshly caught shrimp for dinner tonight, what could be nicer? Fresh seafood all within a mile of the marina. Fishbusterz usually has a full array of fish and shellfish available. The Lobster Company, closer to the marina, has more including stone crab claws, a new favorite of ours. This is just one of many reasons we love to stay on Stock Island. The shrimp boats raft off each other in the basin behind Fishbusterz. We originally thought there were docks…

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Dinner with Friends
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The Charlevoix Gang Converges on Key West

We're all dock mates from our long-time homeport of Charlevoix, Michigan (the only people missing is our dear harbormaster, Hal, and his wife Mary Ann). Although we have not been back to Charlevoix by boat for many years the friendships have endured. Our first get-together this winter was hosted by Jean and Gary on the porch of their downtown Key West rental. Porch dining was a first for us and somewhat of a tradition in this eclectic little town where many houses feature a big front porch. Jean and Gary cooked us an amazing dinner with crab cakes and salad…

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Fishing Dock
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A Favorite Haunt – Stock Island Lobster Co.

One of our favorite haunts this winter was the Stock Island Lobster Co., just a short walk from our marina. Unfortunately, the whole month of March was very windy and the boats did not get out to get their catch like they, and we would have liked. Some days they had nothing to sell and others they could only sell a limited amount to us, but we did get some lobster a couple of times and some snow crab claws another.

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Jim, Key West, Florida
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Tropical, Eccentric Key West

Not only does it boast a colorful, tropical splendor but Key West is a little unconventional with its kooky signs and unusual, creatively painted or put-together, bikes, and vehicles. Here is something new we saw in Key West this year. Not sure what to call it but doesn't it look like fun? A solar bike with storage to boot. Who would have thought?  Lots of sunshine in the Keys, so why not? One of our favorite signs in Key West is Love Lane. The crew on Illusions (Ranger Tug R27), Mike and Jess arrived in Key West with their friends,…

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Shaving Brush Tree Flower
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Mother Nature’s Tropical Artwork

Our first walk in Key West led us to find these beautiful tropical flowers (they had fallen below the tree just as you see them here). Apparently, they are from a Pink Bombax, Shaving-Brush Tree, this deciduous tree is native to tropical Mexico. The tree is mostly leafless this time of year, better to see these pink beauties. They start as a brown/yellow banana-shaped bud (below-left) which peels down to reveal the pink "shaving brush" flower within. Just one small reason why we love tropical Key West.

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Kismet Docked, Key West Harbor, Stock Island
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United States’ Most Southern Destination, Key West, Florida

After three grueling days camping out on Kismet in the boatyard, putting bottom paint on, we arrived at our most southern destination for our winter 2012 boating season, Key West – Stock Island actually, one island up from Key West. We'll be docked for a month at Key West Harbour. Stock Island is close enough to Key West to have fun in the popular tourist town when desired and far enough away to enjoy a relaxed marina setting with beach and pool amenities. This year we procured a slip in the outer basin which is lined with mangroves. We are nestled into…

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Tiny Mah Jongg Game
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Mah Jongg Crazy

After the AGLCA Sunset Celebration came to a close, Cheryll (above left) and Jess (above right) and I decided we still had plenty of evening left to play a few games of Mah Jongg in the boater's lounge while the guys watched TV. I always carry a miniature game on board in hopes of bumping into someone who'd like to play or learn to play. It's a crazy game with lots of weird procedures and rules but once you get the hang of it, it's a fun game to play. I had taught Jess to play during the Ranger Tug…

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Friends at AGLA Looper Party
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2012 Third Annual Looper “Sunset Celebration”

The 2012 Third Annual Looper "Sunset Celebration" was a huge success with over 120 in attendance. It was a little windy (not a problem for Loopers) – lots of good food was shared along with a chance to reacquaint ourselves with old friends. Thanks, Patricia & George Hospodar for organizing the event and providing Loopers in the area with an opportunity for this fun reunion.

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Dinner with Friends
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Tug Nuts Reunite in Marathon

Just a few days before our week-long visit at the Harbour Cay Club in Marathon came to an end, Mike and Jess (below-middle), on Illusions (shown above) and Rich and Cheryll (below-right), on Roam (both couples own Ranger Tugs) joined us and before we knew it, we were having a mini Ranger Tug Rendezvous in Marathon. We had all recently met in Fort Myers Beach during the First Annual Ranger Tug Southern Rendezvous. We communicated often as we were traveling different routes down to the Keys with the hope a get-together would be possible – at least for a few days. As luck would…

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Seven-mile Bridge, Marathon, Florida
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Bridge Walk – Seven-Mile Bridge

We got up early this morning to do a four-mile walk on the Seven-Mile Bridge, two miles out and two back. It's a fun walk, we almost always see some aquatic life in the water below while walking. Today we saw several stingrays. The Seven-Mile Bridge is a famous bridge in the Florida Keys. It connects Knight's Key (part of the city of Marathon, Florida) in the Middle Keys to Little Duck Key in the Lower Keys. Among the longest bridges in existence when it was built, it is one of the many bridges on US 1 in the Keys,…

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Snow Crab, Keys Fisheries, Marathon, Florida
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Happy Hour Special – Stone Crabs at Keys Fisheries

Amazing as it seems, Jim and I have never tried stone crab claws, so, off we go for the well-known happy hour at Keys Fisheries Restaurant in Marathon. This is a good way to try this seafood special at a great price and we love the atmosphere. We've been here before for lobster Reubens, another unusual treat for boaters from the Great Lakes. We're glad to report the claws, along with the tuna sashimi we also ordered, were absolutely yummy.

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