We
have just one slip move to make before we will be settled for a few weeks in
the same spot in Key West (4/18). Thanks
Key West Bight Marina for squeezing us in a few days ahead of schedule. We made the move in the early morning before
the wind piped up…and even before coffee?!
The move has us tied in slip A14 on the port side which is why I scampered to
get the starboard side stainless cleaned and polished before the slip switch
(previous slip A9 was a starboard side tie).
After coffee we settled into a few small boat projects. Chris replaced the old, corroded drain valve
on the forward water tank with a shiny new one. I wiped down the stern lazarette containers
and chucked a few old items no longer needed.
They
say that a watched pot never boils and that is how we feel as the final few
hours tick down before friends from Boston arrive for a visit. We tidied up a bit (it is positively decadent
to have a huge trash bin within short walking distance of the boat), walked on
and off the boat willy nilly and picked up the alteration items from the Seam
Shoppe. Yippee – Lino and Phyllis have
arrived! Off we went to the Green Parrot
for live music a la Bill Blue at Sound Check at 5.30pm (4/19). As usual, the crowd spilled out onto the
sidewalk and the popcorn machine perfumed the air.
Lino
and Phyllis are part of our frequent-flyer-program so we all quickly slid into
an easy routine. We had breakfasts at
Harpoon Harry’s and the Old Town Bakery, relaxed and read, had drinks at
Tattoos & Scars (check out their crazy cool mural), listened to live music
at Schooner Wharf and had dinners at Mangia Mangia (amazing homemade pasta and
sauce), Chris’ pizza aboard and B.O.’s Fish Wagon (burgers and onion rings to
die for). And don’t forget oysters and
buffalo shrimp at Happy Hour at Half Shell Raw Bar. Heck, even we feel like we are on vacation
with boat projects placed on hold.
Weather
has been low humidity and positively divine – I have even had a fleece on in
the mornings. Easy walks around town
have all of us oogling the cozy cottages, lovely Victorians and lush gardens…all
with a touch of whimsy. It has also been
no problem to catch the Bruins hockey playoff games. Island Dogs is a Boston sports bar hangout
and their hot dog was, indeed, delicious...with great street side seating for
fun people watching between periods (https://www.islanddogsbar.com/). Time is never long enough with these guys and
we are already having our last dinner together.
Tonight, it is Sarabeth’s on the shaded garden patio that explodes with
colorful blooming flowers (4/24).
Goodbyes were quick because we will all be back in Boston in about a
month or so for more shenanigans.
Our
friends are off and we are back to integrating boat projects into the frivolity
that is Key West. Chris finished the
water system reconfiguration with the shipped and received parts…and a visit to
the Cubanos Marine Hardware across the street (4/25). I cleaned and polished the port side
stainless around the windows (4/26). The
windows are not a monumental task but they are the trickiest and most time
consuming stainless section on the boat.
The reason for this is that water cannot be sprayed to rinse with
abandon otherwise the interior (mainly the master and guest beds) would be
drenched. It is a lot of inside then outside
then inside repeated over and over. We
have settled on Starbrite products for the job but it is a measured decision. We are careful with abrasive cleaners that
run onto lovely paint as rust stains are wiped away. The process goes like this: screens are
removed and rinsed of salt, gloved hands apply and rub (and rub and rub) away
rust stains with the cleaner, fresh water rinses away the cleaner (by hand on
the inside with a bowl/rag and with the hose on the exterior hull all the way
down to the water line), vinegar and water solution does a final clean of the
stainless and (once dry) polish is applied and buffed away to discourage rust
from attaching again. Finally, Chris
ordered engine replacement hoses via sent photos, emails and telephone chats –
there are 17 hoses in all so that will be a big job. Temperatures have turned hot and humid which
has us cooling off inside with the AC between parts runs and project breaks.
Our
visit to Key West has us overlapping with the Conch Republic Independence
Celebrations. Honest, it’s a thing. There is a week long celebration of sea battle
re-enactments, a parade, a Pirate’s Ball, sailing races and on and on…each with
its own award ceremony where the rum flows and the music plays well into the
wee hours. It might seem a bit
tongue-in-cheek but the events are rooted in real events that caused great
frustrations and genuine concerns for the Conch Republic (defined as Monroe
County – the islands of the Florida Keys and a portion of the Everglades on the
mainland...of which Key West is the Republic’s capital). The first event was in 1982 when the US
Border Patrol put up road blocks to search every vehicle for narcotics and
illegal immigrants. At the time there
was only one airline flying into Key West which had the bulk of tourists arriving
in Miami and driving on the single-lane highway into Key West or paying elevated
airline ticket prices. When City Council
complaints went unanswered the Mayor proclaimed Key West’s Independence (April
23, 1982), declared war on the USA, quickly surrendered after one minute and
promptly applied for $1 billion in foreign aid.
The second event was in 1995 when the Army Reserve conducted a mock
island invasion but did not notify Key West officials or any citizenry. Subsequently, the (same) Mayor sent a schooner
out to attack an incoming Coast Guard Cutter with water balloons, conch
fritters and stale Cuban bread. The
Coast Guard responded with their fire hoses which quickly ended the battle. Mayor Wardlow certainly had an eye for the
dramatic with a touch of brazen humor. Today,
the events are remembered mostly as a tourism boost with clever t-shirts
emblazoned with the slogan, “We seceded where others failed.” And the “Sovereign State of Mind” seeks to
bring more "Humor, Warmth and Respect" to a world in sore need of all
three (according to the Republic’s late Secretary General, Peter Anderson). Happy Conch Independence! Wow
- the sea battle re-enactment comprised
of biplanes, the Coast Guard and the Conch Navy (with heavy duty water
pumps on deck for battle accuracy) was given extra drama this
year with strong winds and a fiery sunset (4/26).
Keeping
to our bit of boat work mixed with a bit of fun Chris changed out the generator’s
zinc and the wing engine’s fuel filter (pristine fuel means maintenance is on
schedule). In the meantime, I boxed up
beach treasures for transport to Boston, made a supermarket run and checked on
the water levels at Lake Okeechobee (4/27).
We always have one eye on present weather and one eye on conditions for our
next hop. Our initial plan was to return
north to Stuart via Fort Myers and the Okeechobee Waterway. However, due to dry, hot conditions it looks
like water levels will be too low on the Lake for us to pass. We are looking at the water level reported by
the Army Corps of Engineers and need to see no less than 11.4 feet – that depth
is measured “above sea level” and translates to a route depth that would allow
us to cross the lake (http://w3.saj.usace.army.mil/h2o/currentLL.shtml). Okay, so be it. Not to worry because there are options and we
will likely re-route to Stuart via the east coast of Florida past Marathon,
Miami, etc. Phew - glad to know this
before we went toward Fort Myers and had to back track.
Now
it’s time for some fun in the form of dinner and a show. For dinner, we got out the grill for some
cumin rubbed pork tenderloin with guacamole salsa and Spanish rice (recipe
below). It was flavorful deliciousness! The show was a Nashville songwriters “in the
round” with Ron Hatch, Justin Wilson and Paul Jenkins at the Key West
Theater. Holy cow – we were in the
second row…and there is drink service to the seats. It was like
hanging out chatting in a friend’s basement or family room learning how chart
topping hits came to be such as “I Don’t Dance,” “Later On,” “Life Ain’t Fair,”
“Don’t You Wanna Stay” and many more. The songwriters perched on stools with
guitars on their laps and drink stools within easy reach. Each songwriter was funny, down to earth and
(obviously) very talented.
Next
up – the windlass, anchor chain and anchor (4/28). We dropped all of the chain into the harbor
(since we are tied to the dock) in order to empty the chain locker for cleaning. The rust was removed, grass/dirt/debris
cleaned and we were onto the windlass.
Okay, lubricate bolts, re-grease and re-paint. What?!
Where did that one dark (wet) cloud come from as soon as the primer was
applied where the chain stripper touches the windlass?! Yes, a spot where aluminum touches stainless
steel so corrosion needs to be managed and minimized. A make-shift cover seems to have worked for
time to pass while one coat of primer and two coats of paint dry. All we can do now is wait so we wandered to
Sloppy Joe’s. The original beginning of
Sloppy Joe’s was in 1933 when Prohibition was repealed; however, it was around
before that as an illegal speakeasy operated by and for Key Westers who viewed
Prohibition as nothing more than an “amusing governmental exercise.” The current bar is one large room with
twenty-foot ceilings smack on the corner of Duval and Greene Streets. The raw size of the open room is immense…think high school gym. This massive size
makes the place feel more like a village square with a roof rather than a
neighborhood bar. And the actions of the
patrons reinforce this vibe; an entire wedding party in full length gowns and
regalia fit compactly at a few tables to the side and a reunion of friends flowed
smoothly with more and more arrivals but was barely noticed beside the live music
being performed on stage. You just never
know what might happen at Sloppy Joe’s.
Our
projects continued, live music flowed and errands took us meandering along
quiet neighborhood streets. The propane
tank was re-filled at Suburban Propane on Catherine Street, more supplies were
gathered from mail-order, Los Cubanos and Ace Hardware and ice cream capped off
the day at Flamingo Crossing. The
forward water tank was cleaned, the windlass re-assembled with anchor and chain
stowed and we tandem cleaned below tip top roof solar panels (wow - quite a 360
degree view if you can stomach the wobble).
Plus, I am super lucky! Julie of
Julie Pischke Needlework got me sorted out for another needlework
project. I love it! Julie’s designs are colorful, tropical and
fun (http://www.juliepischke.com/). We will enjoy another tid bit of Key West in
Boston (yes, we did get a disco ball for the guest bathroom and the gecko
needlework doorstop is a great splash of color).
There
does not seem to be a single soul in Key West that is one dimensional. There is the Sebago Watersports guy who mans
the kiosk under an umbrella…who previously made global boat deliveries for
decades. Or
the shoeless vagrant on the park bench who gleefully put money in the
fish food dispenser to show a tourist kid about feeding the fish.
Or the electrician who wrote a
novel – Tropical Quest (by Wesley Sizemore).
Or the jean and t-shirt clad guy sitting next to us at the bar
who is a master mason restoring the damaged coral block wall at the
Catholic Basilica. Our Happy Hours after boat work are always
interesting in wonderfully unexpected ways.
And
the boat work continues with replacement of gas springs on the hatch of the
back lazarette; drained coolant from the main engine (looks clean so
maintenance appears on track); main engine sea strainer maintenance (cleaned,
repaired weeping and replaced busted drain screw) and stainless cleaning and
polishing continues…and continues.
Humidity is adding to the heat of daily temperatures with us and neighbor
boats deploying window covers and all means of shade makers. Showers were taken and we were off to Mary
Ellen’s Bar for dinner (https://maryellensbar.com/). This is a neighborhood place with the only
exterior light coming from the open (standard size) front door.
Honest, not a single window. But
that is just perfect after a day in the blazingly bright, Key West sun. We sampled the cheesy tots, grilled cheese,
Caesar salad and buffalo chicken tenders.
And for dessert. Oh la la – it was
a frozen Irish coffee with crumbled oreo cookies on top (made with just vanilla ice cream,
Jameson whiskey and cold brewed coffee...maybe we can replicate this at home). The frozen Irish coffee was decadent and perfect for watching the entertainment. Entertainment…who knew?! It was vibrator races (tee, hee, hee) with
the winnings going to charity (Special Olympics). It was a hoot!
People bid on a vibrator (each with a VERY colorful name), highest bid won the
vibrator for the heat of the race and then they raced (four vibrators per race). The winning vibrator’s
owner split the pot with Special Olympics (and often donated their half, too). Patrons were raucous and energetic in their
bidding...without an ounce of awkwardness in sight (5/2). We'll
keep at this rhythm of boat work and neighborhood fun for a bit longer
as we enjoy a civilized wrap-up to this cruising season.
Cumin
Cured Pork Tenderloin with Avocado Salsa (serves 6)
Rub
2
Tablespoons ground cumin
2
Tablespoons ground black pepper
1
Tablespoon salt
1
shallot, chopped
3
cloves garlic, chopped
1
Tablespoon olive oil (or more)
2
pounds pork tenderloin, trimmed
Salsa
1
large Haas avocado, peeled and diced
2
Tablespoons lime juice
Zest
1 lime, finely chopped
1
Tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped
1
Tablespoon gold tequila
¼
cup green onion, chopped (green part, too)
1
jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped
½
cup bell pepper, diced
Salt
and pepper to taste
For
the rub:
Combine all ingredients (except pork) and mix into a paste, adding more olive
oil as needed. Rub paste all over the
pork tenderloin and refrigerate, covered, 2 hours or overnight.
To
cook the pork:
Cook on grill until done (approx. 25 minutes).
Or, Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Bring pork to room temperature.
Rub off extra spice paste. Heat 2
Tablespoons olive oil in a heavy skillet until smoking. Add meat and sear on all sides. Transfer to baking pan and cook in pre-heated
oven until internal temp is 150 degrees F (approx. 15 – 20 minutes). Rest for 10 minutes before slicing into
½-inch thick medallions.
For
the salsa:
Combine all ingredients and mash as desired.
Serve same day.
Assembly: Arrange 4-5
medallions per plate with 1/3 cup salsa alongside pork. Serve immediately.