Final Post of Crazy 8

New Year, New Boat, New Blog!

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Thanks for sharing our Crazy 8 journey. We are excited to begin our new adventures

 aboard Cloud 9!

We survived Key West!

It's been quite a while since we departed Key West and headed home in March. Life, in all its fury, definitely came "marching" in on us and we are now just catching a breath.

We arrived in Key West planning to stay a few days, but it turned into six weeks. Buster and Bailey perhaps had to make the biggest adjustment.

This is all the grass we get?

Compared to other places in Florida, Key West is definitely all sidewalks, streets and buildings.  The dogs learned quickly not to be picky in the places in which they need to do their duty.

The February weather in Key West was not the best, to say the least.  It was windy, cold (actually had to wear my North Face), and the seas very rough.  So, we found ourselves "stuck" in this quirky little town which quickly got under our skin growing an affection fueled by its funky personality and laid back charm. We enjoyed every minute of our confinement at Galleon Marina! The marina is definitely the best in Key West and be prepared to pay the best too!

Galleon Marina 

Of course, we saw most of the tourist attractions.  For some of them, we had the pleasure of sharing with our daughter, Sam, who arrived from Ann Arbor. She didn't exactly commiserate with our complaints of the cold weather, but what does she know about the cold??

Sam at Southernmost Point Cafe

THE "World Famous Conch Train"!

Personal attention from Tommy our conductor.

Hemingway's House with the  Poly dactyl Cats

Yep, there is one.

Name of all those felines who crossed the rainbow bridge.

Mile marker 0

Oh yeah, there are some famous bars here too!

These following photos belong in the category... "Only in Key West"!

Roosters everywhere!

Festive Bed and Breakfast birthday celebration!

Just keep walking Tom!

Better than Sex dessert restaurant.. A restaurant that does actually live up to its name!

Ash Wednesday! Love this!

Beautiful Sunsets!

But beyond all the tourist attractions, t-shirts shops, bars and restaurants, we loved Key West most for the beautiful unspoiled beaches, crystal clear water and the abundant sea life.  

Dinghy ride to the outer key islands

Experience little traffic!

Find unspoiled beaches

with no one in sight

and clear wonderful water!

The water is so clear we are able to see lots of sea life!

Barracuda

Turtles!

Manatees!

Sea urchin 

Starfish! ( all sea life was returned to their home!)

Finally,our time in Key West was wonderful due to the great friendly people we met along the way, especially our dinghy cohorts!

This post will end with a sad note.  We have said goodbye to Crazy 8.  She has taken us on many adventures these last 7 years:  from the Great Lakes, to the Ohio River, through the inland waterways and all the way to Key West.  It was a tough decision, but with our children getting older and the seas not as calm as our river travels, we have decided to acquire a new boat that better suits our current needs.  One thing is for sure, whoever captains  Crazy 8 next is not crazy, but extremely lucky and fortunate to have her.  We wish them the best and hope they enjoy her as much as we have over the years.  

Evan and Tom, Lake Huron, 2007

Jack and Tom, Cedar Point, 2007

Jack, Samantha, Evan, Put In Bay, OH 2007

2015 Bon Voyage Crazy 8!  (Don't t let the smiles fool you...we are sad.)

Until October, have a safe and wonderful summer!

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Sanibel Island to Key West, with stops in Naples and Marco Island

We leave Sanibel Island with the destination of Key West...eventually.   First port of call is Naples.

Away we go! Naples bound.

Again we are blown away by the homes as we navigate into Old Naples Seaport.

Crazy 8's fellow dock mates are not too shabby either. We also have front row seats for the private jets that seem to constantly fly over us to the nearby Naples Airport.  It is the beginning of  "season" and the arrival of the snow birds has begun.

We are the runt of the dock.

Jet after jet

We were blessed this stay to have two wonderful visits by friends!  First our friends from Cincinnati and then our Crazy 8 boat friends, Dan and Nancy, from the Dulcinea.

A visit from home town friends!  Nothing better!

Dulcinea and Crazy 8 docked together again at the same marina.

After the mandatory shopping at Fifth Ave South and 3rd Street South and some great Naples dining, we leave and head further south to Marco Island.

Last meal at the City Dock in Naples.  Onto Marco.

We leave Naples and head back to the Esplanade Marina on Marco Island.  The weather was not too kind to us.  For the most part, January has been cool, windy with some rain.  But, more importantly, the Gulf of Mexico was rough so we needed to wait out the weather in Marco before moving south. We love the Esplanade Marina, so it was no hardship, although we had a few nights with waves slapping and the boat rocking which did not offer us much sleep. 

Sunset from our boat slip. Marco Island, Esplanade Marina.

 The wonderful thing about Esplanade Marina is that we  can walk to just about anything.  There is a West Marine, Ace Hardware, Publix and a Winn Dixie along with countless restaurants and boutique shops.  There also is a great farmers' market on Wednesdays.  So, we took advantage of this downtime and Tom changed the oil and transmission fluid along with all the filters on the engines. We also had the dogs groomed, did tons of laundry (which was free!) and stocked up on groceries and other necessities.

Farmers Market on Marco Island

The people we met on Marco Island were just wonderful.  A big thanks to Brent and Susan for taking us to the movies (which is not within walking distance), to the wonderful marina employees who gave us great service and  helped with the oil disposal, and to the many fellow boaters we met along the way.  A special shout out to Rick and Tracy and their reduced crew of only 5.  Thanks for the hospitality! Safe travels to you all and hope our paths meet again.

Yesterday, with seas 2 ft and under, we leave Marco and head to Key West.  Key West is approximately 93 miles from Marco Island.  It is a straight shot, but you are cruising far into the Gulf and as the waters get rougher, land, cell phone coverage and fellow boaters disappear, but surprising those pesky crab pots do not.  It is imperative to be attentive and avoid damage as a breakdown this far out into sea would not be welcomed.

Our cruising path

The seas are calm for most of the trip,  About an hour or so outside of the marker into the Key West channel, the water churns up and the seas are about 3 to 4 feet, which makes our smaller boat roll and rock,  

Started out smooth and nice.

Okay...I have had enough.  I think I see land!

While the tail end of our journey was not the most comfortable cruising conditions, we arrive into the Key West Channel with no harm done. We pass by the cruise ship terminals.

Carnival Cruise at port in Key West

We also pass by Mallory Square, the Resort at the Galleon Marina, and finally into the marina itself.

Mallory Square, famous for its nightly sunset celebrations

Galleon Resort

Galleon Marina

The wind is blowing and the slips are tight, so docking the Crazy 8 was a little more challenging than other locations.  The marina assisted with the lines, so all was good.  Crazy 8 is all tied up at her newest home.  Key West is vastly different than Marco Island.  While 8 pm things wind down in Marco, the party is winding up here.  It should be an interesting few days!

Tight fit, but we are all set!