After the Miami Boat Show, we headed South down into the Keys! We had a short stopover in Marathon before continuing on to Key West for the next few months. We’ve been going to Key West for close to 20 years and we love the eclectic vibe, history, and especially the amazing people! It feels a bit like home to us since we’ve been going so long and every trip down has addied to the great memories!End of
Our first visitor in Key West was our Niece, Josie, who flew in from for her first trip to Key West! We hit several of the great touristy spots and few historical ones as well. The Butterfly museum, which many folks don’t realize is there, is a great spot to get up close to thousands of butterflies and a couple of Flamingo’s! With an abundant supply of fresh caught, local seafood, we gorged ourselves on some favorites and a few news items!
Sunset at Mallory square is a must see for anyone visiting. Watching the sun drop into the water never gets old and that night didn’t disappoint at all! Josie was a huge admirer of all the chickens that roam freely throughout the city. I guess we’ve been going there long enough that we don’t pay much attention to them but for a first time visitor, it’s something to see!
We took a quick trip up island to Marathon to visit the Turtle Hospital. This is where they rescue and rehab injured and sick turtles that are found throughout the Keys. They do amazing work here and it’s mostly made up of volunteers and donations. If you’re ever passing thru, it’s worth stopping by for a tour of their facilities to see the great work that they do!
As her trip was winding down we gave her a couple of options on what she wanted to do next. She picked jet skiing which we were all up for… or so we thought. It’s been a few years since I’d been on a jet ski and let’s just say I was feeling it the next day! We had a blast cruising around the island with a guide exploring Key West by water.
It was so great to have her down for a few days and we are so proud of her. She’s finishing up her degree this year and will be an elementary school teacher back home. We think she’s going to make a great teacher and help shape the future of the next generation!
Next up!
Some fellow boating friends came down for a visit as well and spent a few days soaking up the Keys hospitality and sunshine. They even brought their furry friend Smokey, who found the helm chair to be quite comfortable. We did a lap around Key West on the dinghy and were able to get fairly close to the Southern most point without running aground.
It was great to spend time with some fellow boaters and look forward to crossing wakes out on the water soon!
Key West has a unique vibe to it and one that attracts a wide variety of folks. One of the tours that we did for the first time was the Ghost Tour. We’ve seen them go by throughout the years but this was the first time that we actually signed up. What a hoot! We learned so much history of the city and got to see Duval St. and many other famous landmarks at night, which is quite dramatic.
Speaking of drama, we were in town for Conch Republic Week which is a celebration of when Key West “seceded” from the Union back in 1982! It’s a hoot to be in town for this which included several events such as “Drag Queen” races and the “Bed Races”, both of which feature teams dressed in various outfits racing down Duval St. It culminates with a re-enactment of the “invasion” of Key West by the Coast Guard! Locals will go out on boats and “defend” the city from the Coast Guard (who sends out a Cutter) firing water pistols back and forth. There even bi-planes that fly overhead dropping “bombs” of toilet paper onto the Cutter. It’s really a hilarious event and steeped in tradition with the locals and all in good fun. I’ll include a link that you can copy & paste to your web browser if you’d like to learn more about it. https://conchrepublic.com
We always have a great time in Key West and we were able to celebrate our 19th anniversary at our favorite Italian restaurants – Antonia’s. The pasta is all homemade and the service is impeccable. Some friends knew we were going their to celebrate and had a bottle of Champagne sent to the table – what a great surprise and thank you so much Beth & Greg!
After 2 months in Key West it was time to head North to Key Largo!
Marlow was holding their first Owners Rendezvous in 3 years at the Ocean Reef Club and we weren’t about to miss it! With the Pandemic, there hasn’t been an Owners Rendezvous since 2019 and this year was looking to be well attended! We saw several owners pass us on the way up to Key Largo and in all, around 30 Marlow’s and their owners made it to the event.
On each night at the Rendezvous, there is a theme to the evening. On Friday night, it was “Spies Like Us”. Our good friends, Mike & Cathy joined us aboard and we had been planning for this night for months. Figuring that everyone else would go with a James Bond type outfit, we decided to try something a bit different and went with an Austin Power’s theme. Needless to say, we wow’d the crowd with our outfits and took home 1st Place for best dressed of the evening!
A friend of our’s sent us this video as we left our slip and headed South after a wonderful Rendezvous.
After a successful Rendezvous, it was time for the Crew to head South to Marathon to drop Mike & Cathy off at their home before heading on St. Petersburg. It was another beautiful day on the water with near perfect conditions!
