WELL... this turned out to be an interesting day...

 

from the normal boat chores of

1.) topping up the dinghy gas tank;

2.) Getting a pump-out of the holding tank...then

3.) taking the dinghy down to Burdines to fill some Jerry Cans with Diesel, and Gasoline respectively. OH...and

4.) Letting Sydney swim for exercise... that was the morning...

Then we stopped at Ondra and Nelson's "s/v Last Boat" for a visit...and to see how their first day without "company" was going.... :)

Ondra made us lunch ----> Delicious!!!!

We made plans to go to the beach (Sombrero) with them in the PM...

Which we did, sort of....but we found them motoring back to the harbor about half way down Sister's Creek, as we were motoring toward the beach... OH OH !!!

Turns out their first day without company was not to be...

Different company was coming from Key West...and they'd called from their car...they'd be "here in 30 minutes..."  

Oh well... Life is what happens while you're making other plans...

But Susan and I went on to the beach and had a nice swim....followed by a fresh water shower... NICE!

The Radio net this morning mentioned a retirement party (surprise type) for Ray (the Marina Harbormaster), at 1830 hours... We decided to go... On the plus side there was to be cake and beer... not in that order.

Nice party...

However...in getting ready for the 1830 cake, and beer thing..we decided we'd eat an early supper...so I was out on the "porch" (aka aft deck) cooking on the grille, when I heard a splash from a nearby moored boat...

I didn't see anyone at first...then I noticed that the boat owner was, indeed, in the water... and could not get into his dinghy from the water.. (neither from the side, nor the stern).

Then I noticed that the stern ladder, on the main ship was not down either... OH OH...!!!

Big time no-no...

Then I watched him try to climb the "raised" stern ladder hand over hand...

(like doing chin-ups...) NOT!!!

Then he tried to catch the dinghy with his ankles and try to hoist himself into the dinghy.....DOUBLE NOT!!!! He was basically suspending himself, out of the water with his arms on the stern ladder, and his ankles, and calves in the dinghy...

He was in deep trouble, and I knew exhaustion was setting in...

... so I turned off the grille; jumped in our dinghy and sped over there...

I had the idea that he could just step up into our dinghy, using the hydrofoil wings on our outboard, like Susan does after snorkeling or diving....

But he was so tired, after all his efforts, and by this time I'm assuming, scared that he was going to drown, right there in the middle of 250 moored boats (most with people on them)...

Anyway...I was making headway with getting him to release his grip on his stern ladder (which there was no-way he could climb, being an out-of-shape, older gentleman, that I know smokes all the time).... when Frank Gillig (from s/v Heron) shows up in his dinghy...

Together we came up with an acceptable way to save this gentleman's life...

Frank untied the stern ladder while I gave the gentleman a hand and kept him afloat by our dinghy... Once the ladder was down...Frank and I coaxed, and physically pushed him, 'til he was in his cockpit...

That was a close one... A little longer and I doubt he could have held onto his boat...

even standing still, in a harbor, He was expended physically.... and never yelled for help...

How strange that would have been... had he drowned right in the middle of this mooring field...

It was just damn lucky that Frank and I happened to be out on deck..., and somewhat alert.

Like I said... Interesting day...

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Auction for the Relay for Life - Boot Key Harbor - Marathon FL

The auction for the "Relay for Life" was a definite HOOT, and "winner" yesterday...
See the video attached, (if it loads)...
They had a retired professional auctioneer, and tons of "stuff" to auction off...
I wanted to bid on about 5 items.... and did..  and got 5 items.. but not all the items on my list...
Susan bid some other items and won them.

Our prizes were a full set of XL foulies, a code "A" flag (universal Dive Flag), a pine needle basket, one set of sterling silver earings, and a bottle of Margarita Mix.

Wild and Crazy girls at Dockside - Susan, Suzy, Ondra, and Carrie
Saturday - Prime RIb Night at Dockside

Saturday night was a fun night at Dockside with the crew...

Dancing to the Tom Zee Band...  Fun Night.



More Later...  Breakfast time at the Legion with fellow cruisers (sunday AM).

Sunday night we had 10 people on the AB for Happy Hour(s), and music.

Fun evening...

 

Dark and Stormy Night under the Tiki - Harbour Cay Marina - Music

The title "Dark and Stormy Night"...leads you away from the actual weather... it was beautiful.
The Dark and Stormy is a mixed drink that we were all having.... 
We had given Deb, and Frank a "KIT" to make this drink for Deb's Birthday a couple weeks prior to this party...

Nice night under the Tiki hut at the Harbour Cay Club on the bay side of the key.

Music under the Tiki Hut - Harbour Cay Club - Bay Side.

Frank and I (Dean) played...everyone sang.... Of course, I knew very few of the songs that people were requesting....  So many different favorites of people.... wow...many different genre's.

Janet, Deb, and Susan under the tiki,
with their "Dark and Stormies"

 
Frank Gillig (s/v Heron), and Bill Brown picked us up in their rental car, so I could bring both the Dobro and the Gibson guitar.  Otherwise I would have just slung the Yamaha "traveling guitar" on my back and we would have bicycled down to their marina...  

The musicians (dean and frank)

The people from surrounding boats started to fill in the spaces at the tiki hut...  Turned out to be quite the gathering....  Fun Evening !!!

beach Party at Sombrero

After spending most of the lunch hours talking to Verizon trying, and then succeeding in commissioning our new Hotspot (MIFI) device.  (Turns out that Verizon, or whomever packaged this device, and accessories... Packed the WRONG password page for the MIFI connection; So no matter what you did... when you typed in the password it would reject the connection.  Only by double checking every number inside the phone/modem...did we come up with the correct password)... UnREAL! )

Other half of the Beach Party Group

Overall view of Beach Party Group

Anyway, after that success, we took off for the beach to meet Sue, and Robert from the S/v Suzi-Q, and Linda, and Rick from s/v Options.   We didn't know that Ondra, and Nelson Gainey, and their friends Sue, and Bob would be there...  So it was, indeed, a "gathering".

We took steaks, beans, wine, and beer... for the cookout.  Robert brought the charcoal.  

Sombrero Beach - Party

Sue, Robert and Abby from s/v Suzi-Q (organizers today)

All in all, a wonderful afternoon for Valentine's Day.   We got a chance to play some music, enjoy some conversation, and fill ourselves to the limit at the dinner table; Then returning to the boats well after dark...  making the trip up Sisters Creek in the blackness somewhat interesting.

Nelson, and Ondra Gainey _ "Beach People"

great day!    (I did select a "location" to be put at the end of this posting... We'll have to see how this feature works... Could be interesting addition for travels).

CSY Gathering at Boot Key Harbor - FEB 13, 2012

A Gathering of CSY Owners was held today under the Tiki hut at Boot Key Harbor.
There seemed to be an unusually large number of these boats in this harbor this year... SO...
a meeting was called.

Below are the notes from this meeting... ( One word of caution... I could not read some of the writing...and some email addresses (at least the way I read them) do NOT work ).

Attendance Notes from Meeting of CSY Owners

Sydney recovering from Surgery

Sydney seems to be making a super recovery from ACL surgery this past week.
She stepped in a hole, at the beach over last weekend, and tore her ACL.  So we took her to a Vet Hospital, here on Marathon Key.
We were relieved to hear that they could repair the damage... to near 100% of the original strength... (perhaps stronger with this micro-fiber string)...

Sydney resting in cockpit of AB after surgery on ACL

She's already putting weight on the right rear leg...  The Vet. said the normal is "toe touching" after the first week; a little weight the second week; and full weight by the third week...
So... this is good progress...   Especially because of the movement of the boat, and all the "ups, and downs" on the boat (just to get around normally).

The thing she misses most is the swimming... (NO swimming until the staples come out the third week of FEB). 

Well... that's the story on Sydney... 

WW II planes at Local Air Port

All week long we've heard the sound of World War II bombers, and a P-51 Mustang (fighter plane) flying over Boot Key Harbor... and Marathon Keys.  It's been GREAT!
What a sound... there's just nothing that matches the sound of four large motors of a B-17.

there's also a B-24 Liberator bomber here...  They were very prevalent in the Pacific (late in the war).  My father (A.K. Perry) was on Okinowa, in the Philippines where they'd load a squadron of B-24's with so many bombs (to bomb Japan) that as the planes would leave the air strip (on the top of a lofty cliff above Na ha harbor), the planes would literally fall to near ocean height before they'd pick up enough speed, and lift to overcome their over-loaded weight.   Some didn't make it... and crashed into the sea...(if a motor failed, or didn't produce enough HP when needed...   

Low Altitude pass (B-24) over moored boats - Boot Key Harbor

Anyway... The B-24 that's here brought back some memories... and I remember seeing pictures from one of my uncles.. of B-17's coming back to Burma from missions with holes so large you could drive a truck through the air-frame, missing tails, half-wings missing, etc.
Wonderful aircraft...  
 
and of course the P-51 Mustang... that's doing high speed runs down the harbor... Wow.

B-17 Bomber

B-17 Bomber over Boot Key Harbor

B-24 Liberator Bomber taking off over Marathon Keys

Interesting Weather !!! Tropical Disturbance

Interesting weather we're having right now..(In the Keys)... a tropical disturbance has been labeled by the Nat. Hurricane Center.. as forming near us...

Normally a May occurance...NOT FEBRUARY!!!

Key West got nearly 4 inches of rain overnight...  We are, ostensibly, in the "marathon Bubble" at the moment...  we got only a sprinkling... the dinghy was just barely wet.

We're taking Sydney in for her ACL operation in a few minutes (0830)... 

So...more later.