Authors Note: Any spelling or grammatical errors in the following log are the fault of the editorial staff, but since we can't afford to pay them, we let it slide.

1/1/04 - Happy New Year! Had to move off the mooring today and find a spot to anchor. Later on Vinny & Mary (friends from Hull that now live in the keys) came over by boat to visit. Tomorrow we head to Bahia Honda Key and state park.

1/4/04 - Key West! Anchored in Bahia Honda Nat'l Park. This was a pretty spot but the northerlies were running and it was a bit lumpy. We did tour the park and beach and did a little snorkling off the boat. The next day we went to Newfound Harbor, Big Pine Key. This wasn't worth the trouble of dodging shallow spots and anchoring in shallow water. I would try to find a different place in this area.
After motorsailing 5 hours in big sea swells and 15-20 kts of wind, we made it to Key West harbor (just behind to very large cruise ships). We motored by downtown and around Fleming key to our home for a month at Sunset Marina on Stock island. Once we got signed in and cleaned up we hopped on the bus and went in town to explore. We walked around the waterfront and then down to Duvall street. We listened to a couple of terrific bands and chatted with some fellow travelers. This should be fun. Tomorrow we rent bikes as our primary transport (my legs are already complaining about it). So we are landlocked for a month. No more planning our next voyage each morning. Nice to have a break from moving all the time.

1/12/04 - Well we've been here a week now. (note - sorry for the lack of new pictures, I promise to get the camera back in action soon) The weather has been great for the most part (except for a couple of gray, cool days, it's been sunny and in the high 70's - sorry to those folks back home in the deep freeze). Been getting to know our way around and trying not to pickle our livers by the end of our stay. There are certainly no shortages of interesting drinking & eating establishments here and most of them have live music just about all day. It's fun just to sit at a sidewalk table and watch the variety of characters coming and going here. We've been to Mallory square for the famous sunset gathering. We've rented bicycles for the month to get around (downtown KW is about 4 miles away) and given the bus system a try on occasion. Also had some time to finally do some work on the boat that's been needed (give it a good wash & wax, install some tank monitors). Key West Race Week starts in another week and some boats have already arrived. Larry is on his way down with Wildwood Flower. It'll be fun to see them for a week. Well gotta go - need give AA a call and get the local meeting schedule.

1/14/04 - Went downtown for a stroll and to take pictures for the website (posted). Boats are beginning to arrive at the waterfront for race week. As sunset neared we went to Mallory square to watch the show. Betsy got herself volunteered as an assistant to a high-wire / juggling act. There she stood with her "Miss Sunset" banner on trying to help the guy up onto his tightrope and then handing him his juggling implements. She's a natural! Then we went to watch the trained cats go through their paces. Sunset itself was pretty much a bust, too many clouds. Though this doesn't seem to dampen the crowds enthusiasm.

1/16/04 - Went to our friends Vinny's house today for an evening BBQ. It's in a great little neighborhood on Big Pine Key with lots of trees and wildlife around (see photos of the deer that walk around in the yard). They've done a lot of work on the place since they moved here last year. Larry had already arrived there and was working on his boat getting it ready for race week (see photo). The rest of his and Vinny's crew will be here tomorrow. Time to go racing!

1/24/03 - Sorry for the gap in reports (especially to Chet!) but we've been busy racing and hanging out with the gang from up north. I've been out too late and up too early to do much writing. Most of the crews all head home today and Key West will go back to "normal" again. The racing was fun but rough, with winds in the upper teens and twenties most days (hitting 30's on friday) and of course it got gradually colder as the week went on (I know, no sympathy from the folks up north). You can check out the race results at the Premier Racing site. Larry & Vinny raced in Division 4. I only raced with Vinny for 4 of the 5 days and I feel like I've been hit by a truck and left by the side of the road. We had a surprise addition to the crew on Sassy Lil Rascal - RJ DiMattia jumped on for the last 3 days and helmed the boat. He was very happy to beat Larry in 2 races on thursday (but Larry did manage to score 2 bullets during the week and collect a daily 3rd place trophy on Wed). Larry and some of his crew tried their hand at the Knots and Shots competition at Schooner's Wharf on monday with varying degrees of success (don't let Steve tie any bowlines for you - ever). I think everyone on Larry's and Vinny's crew got more than their share of racing and nightlife in during the week. Unfortunately, they all have to head back to the cold and snow. There were a few sad faces at the Green Parrot bar last night.
As for the rest of the time between the last report and now, Betsy & I met up with our friends Bill & Linda from Scituate (see 10/13/03 report) that we met back in NY also cruising their way down the coast. They arrived in KW on tuesday and we had dinner with them after racing on thursday night. They were heading to the Dry Tortugas the next day. Betsy's sister Suzi came for a 4 day visit last sunday. And she'll be back again with her husband Boomer and a couple of friends next week for a 5-day stay. We all have a snorkeling trip to the tortugas planned for then (on a charter - not our boat). We discovered this great slight-of-hand magician at the Schooner's Wharf bar. He has a little corner in the bar where he performs card tricks and tells jokes. We watched the Patriots win the AFC title on Sunday (YEAH!). We still haven't seen all the "tourist" sites here or even half of the great restaurants we've been told about but we still have some time. (Though right now the idea of riding a bicycle after racing for a week doesn't appeal too me much. As a matter of fact, I'm heading over to the jacuzzi here at the marina to ease my tired bones.)

1/27/04 - Almost recovered from race week. Good thing the marina has a jacuzzi and pool to help the healing process. Betsy & I went kayaking around the nearby mangroves yesterday. Not much wildlife visible but the water was warm and it was good exercise. The weather has turned warm again after the week-long cool spell (once all those sailors from up north left!). Saw more snow is hitting back home - sorry about that.

1/29/04 - More company. Betsy's sister Suzi, her husband Boomer and two of their friends (Bert & Kathy) are visiting from Sanibel Isl. Also, Betsy's friend Cindy from her old job at South Shore Hospital is here for a short stay. They all arrived on wednesday and we spent the evening catching up and enjoying the relatively warm weather. On Thursday, six of us went out to the Dry Tortugas national park and visited Fort Jefferson and did some snorkeling around the fort. The ride out was a bit rough due to the high winds the day before. Some of our fellow passengers were making us of the "barf bags" but the six of us made it without any incidents. The scenery at the fort was beautiful. The water around the reefs was a gorgeous bright blue. The sun was out and the weather was warm. The area around the fort is the nesting ground for many species of birds and also for loggerhead turtles. The fort itself is an amazing feat of construction considering it's size (15 acres) and when it was built (1800's). It is supposedly the largest masonry project in the western hemisphere, constructed entirely by brick (more than 16 million). It played no real part in the civil war (no shots were ever fired at it or from it) but has a fascinating history none the less. It's most notable piece of history is that it once served as the prison site for Dr. Samuel Mudd, the doctor that treated John Wilkes Booth.

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