Brian and Jewell Pahl from Warsaw met us in Key West on Wednesday, 3/03 for a few days of Florida Keys adventure and we think the timing was impeccable.
After a rather interesting and stressful trip from Bradenton to Key West, the Pahls finally made it and moved in. After a nice lunch of Carol's chicken salad, we headed to town to see the sights. Sunset on Mallory Square is always an important part of a Key West visit. Though the sunset wasn't very colorful, the street entertainers were.
From the number of people in Key West, sans masks, you would never have known there was a pandemic in progress.
Brian & Jewell Pahl
This young man did a great job engaging the audience and putting on a fine show, all for tips.
Thursday morning, before leaving, we had our requisite safety and systems orientation. That, of course, leads to a detailed demonstration of how you conserve toilet paper on the boat. You would be amazed at how much you can do with just 1 sheet of toilet paper!
While Brian took point on the bow pulpit, Carol and Jewell managed the boat - - for a little while.
Then, it was down to the bow to enjoy the ride.
During our 32 mile trip to Bahia Honda we had a number of dolphin encounters - - so kewl!
It didn't take Brian long to feel comfortable driving the boat and dodging crab pots which were everywhere.
As we approached Bahia Honda, the Coast Guard flew by, checking us out. We think they must have heard Brian was piloting the boat - LOL.
To get to our destination marina, we had to pass through the broken-down part of the first bridge and turn into a tiny canal that led to the small marina.
It was a small state park marina with only a few other boats inside.
Notice the sign pointing to Wabash, Indiana - - who woulda thought?
The park had a beautiful, well-protected beach. Brian couldn't wait to get wet, even though it was a bit cool.
Later that evening, Jim's brother Mike & his wife, Beth, joined us for sundowners and a lovely grilled, fresh tuna dinner. Mike & Beth just happened to be staying nearby - - what good luck!
Friday morning dawned clear and calm, a great indicator of things to come as we made the 34 mile trip to Indian Key.
We even had time for a cup of coffee before snagging some yummy cinnamon rolls from the park's little restaurant.
Indian Key was the site of the first Florida settlers. Now a state park, it's history was fascinating. Once anchored, we headed to the island to see the sights.
The anhinga greeting committee was guarding the broken-down dock.
The Florida state park system provided a great, downloadable, guided tour of the island. This was originally the home of men who assisted shipwrecked sailors and salvaged the many shipwrecks in this area. They had a little town, complete with streets, buildings, a city square and cisterns to hold fresh water.
Notice the large cistern in the middle of the picture.
We were listening to the story of the island on Brian's phone.
There were lots of butterflies and flowers scattered throughout the island.
There were street signs throughout the 12 acre island indicating the original "streets".
A nice dip in the cool ocean felt pretty good after our hot hike around the island.
Brian and Jewell tried their hand at blowing the conch horn in celebration of the beautiful sunset.
Saturday morning, we had just enough time for a cup of coffee before raising the anchor and heading the 20 miles to Key Largo. Thunderstorms and high winds were in the forecast for the afternoon so we wanted to make sure we had a safe harbor before that hit.
Jim raised the anchor while Brian pointed the way to the chain and Carol provided guidance on when to raise the chain.
Crab pots - - we had crab pots. The question is, which one is which?
Because of tide timing, we anchored Samba outside the channel that led to our marina. Since we figured we'd be there a while, Jim took Brian in the dinghy to the marina where he hoofed it to get his rental car. Jim went back to the boat, picked up Jewell & the luggage and transported her to the marina to meet Brian.
By the time we put the dinghy back on the boat, the tide had risen enough that we could start up the long, narrow canal that led to the marina.
This is what happens to scallywags who spend too much time in the sun with their bottle of rum.
Our marina, the Pilot House Marina, should be a great place to wait out the coming storms and 35 knot winds. We figure we'll be here for the next 5 days, waiting on the wind to die enough to allow us to continue our trip north toward Stuart where we'll leave Samba for the summer.
This is what happens to scallywags who spend too much time in the sun with their bottle of rum.
Our marina, the Pilot House Marina, should be a great place to wait out the coming storms and 35 knot winds. We figure we'll be here for the next 5 days, waiting on the wind to die enough to allow us to continue our trip north toward Stuart where we'll leave Samba for the summer.
