Hooked on Boot Key

   Living on the hook (as in on an anchor, as opposed to a dock) means we don't have power unless we run our generator... which we don't do everyday, because let's face it, that costs money & we enjoy being frugal.  So at night we open up our doors and enjoy this incredible breeze out here on the mouth of the harbor; nature's air conditioning.  It is cool enough all night long & well into the morning that we have to bundle up under two sheets, not just one (no blanket required so far)! 
   When we want to go up on the hill (go to land, just fyi, so you can become accustom to the mariner jargon), we take our dinghy to the city marina & use their dinghy dock.  We keep our bikes up on the hill, there at the marina's bike rack all locked up safe and sound for the night.  I love my new beach cruiser!  A few years ago, I used to rather not enjoy biking, but now find I do not much want to disengage myself from Harold, my bike (we named Jay's bike Gerald, both are men's bikes).  We tool around the island day and night stopping when we see a cool new tiki bar we have yet to try and of course sticking by our favorite for happy hour, Porky's (from 3-6 $1.25 domestic drafts and some killer $5 dishes... but since we've been adopted by the happy hour crew as locals, we get an extended happy hour to 7!).
   Yesterday, while we were disembarking from the dink, we were told by another man on the dock to look to our starboard (our right)... and directly beside us was this huge, adorable blob of a manatee, as long and almost as wide as our dink!  "She's an old gal, been around for awhile" the guy mused.  Though I, myself, don't quite know how to distinquish this information yet... except that she was a mountain of a manatee, so old enough to get that big!  Earlier we saw some of the most active dolphins either of us had ever seen (they were jumping and rolling around on their backs, it was wild)! So all in all, another amazing day we enjoyed together on Boot Key. 

   Today has started out pretty spectacularly as well, but I must depart from you all now.  The sunshine is calling my name, and who am I to ignore such a calling!  And it's $1 tacos today down at Sombrero Reef... catch y'all later!

Me too!

   I've got 2 jobs now as well!  We are working together on sunset cruises & afternoon sails on a schooner! For as much boating as I've done, I've only sailed a hand full of times... & just enjoying the ride at that, not as a deckhand.  I am quite excited to learn the ins & outs firsthand on the Pirate's Lady, a 71' Gaff-rigged Trade Rover Schooner! 
   We are toasting our good fortune with a bottle of avocado wine. Just another day in paradise!

The Conch Republic

   So we now reside in Marathon, FL, Boot Key ... it is gorgeous, sunny & warm! We've made new friends with the local salties & some local manatees... & we both have jobs already! Jay has two places of employment- both boating type jobs of course!  & we just ate a conch pizza.... life is good!

Life on the hook

Living on the hook means a lack of battery charge for my computer... hence the lack of updates about our wily adventure.  We don't run the generator everyday, so we don't get to charge the computer much... because I sure don't want to transfer the comp to the dinghy & hope for the best along the often wet ride to shore. Best to just wait to unleash my more indepth thoughts til I recharge the battery... good things come to those who wait, so they say! Patience, grasshopper-son!

Birthday boat ride

      Tomorrow is Cap'n Jay's birthday and we will be at sea, so no crazy partying, just sunshine into a moonlit night upon the great wide open blue, and surely plenty of dolphins to frolic with us on our way.  We will experience our third overnight passage upon Miss Betty, where the darkness of the swells is our constant companion.  The fishfinder lights up with fish, looking more like a map of the stars above than a menu of what's for dinner below.  And the stars themselves, well they will take your breath away when out at sea; no city lights to crowd the view, just pure constellations to guide us and hopefully a bright moon to light us.
   Jay says he is extremely excited to be spending a birthday on our boat, out on the ocean; a birthday wish come true!  I'm so pleased to be a part of this dream come true; to be able to give the gift of us together out at sea (& the 6 pack of Carlsberg Elephant Beer he requested).  I think I'll stick a candle in a honeybun tomorrow though, just so he'll have something to make a wish on... even if he feels completely fulfilled at the time, it couldn't hurt to wish for some solar panels as well!
   So today we've been celebrating some up on the hill; partaking in some adult beverages & cheersing to this wonderful man... I pretty much cheers him everyday though!  Hip hip hooray, happy birthday, you old salty dog! Happy birthday, Jib!!
   Well, folks, I've got to be getting back to the Cap'n & me thinks we needs a refill.  Til tomorrow, friends!

Our mermaid bottleopener atop our storm anchor's line

Grog blog

To make the perfect grog you will need:
1 part sour
2 part sweet
3 part strong
4 part weak
(Ye be warned, this is not for the faint of heart!) & enjoy (if ye dare)!

St. Augustine days; a photo blog

Good morning! This was an AMAZING morning actually!
I also have a killer video of these guys, but I can't get it to upload, sorry!

Pretty dolphin off our bow, gorgeous blue water,
 this is my kind of day!

Coming into St. Augustine, by far our nastiest inlet approach,
with 15 foot seas against the current,
 as steep as the walls of a cathedral.
Pictures never do it justice...
plus taking photos, not exactly top priority
 when in these conditions!

St. Augustine Lighthouse viewed from our mooring ball.

Coming into St. Augustine, seriously gorgeous city!!
Kind of want to move here.

Stepping onto St. George Street can feel like stepping back into time.
Check out the Textiles & Colonial Goods Merchant, our friends run this
store, & it is definitely worth a browse about.  They sell gorgeous
period clothing & the guys are a wealth of knowledge.

Very good advice, as any seafaring soul can tell ya!

At the Taberna del Gallo, our favorite bar, Ever (see
the bartender, Bill, in period costume, so cool)!
I would post a video of the Bilge Rats performing here
but I seemed to have forgotten my vocals would also be
on the video, closer & thereby louder... alas, no video of the
phenomenally fun Bilge Rats shantying it up.

Haha. Almost every time we sat down at the Tavern
 I would have a moment of panic,
 thinking I needed cash, then relief! Letters of credit, indeed!

Dinner with new friends, Katherine & Alan; met them
at their Bilge Rats rehearsal.  We ate at Madre's, a yummy
little taco spot which most importantly was still open
after the late night of shanties, sangria and grog.

 Fort Matanzas

The Lightner Museum

Flagler College, and viewed in the next picture as well.

And what's a great vacation without a little face painting at a bar!

This was one of my faces for Halloween! 
Happy times in St. Augustine!

All in all, St. Augustine totally fulfilled the fun quota of a fantastic vacation, one I will never forget... even after all the grog!

A pirate gathering

   We made it to St. Augustine in time for The Pirate Gathering, a festival of sorts, celebrating the pirate way of life.  It coincided with Halloween, so the streets were abuzz with feather plumes and tight bodices... a lot of women dressed up as well.  I sure did!

   I was able to finagle a costume out of my closet; for Jay's we patroned a nice little thrift store & coughed up a whopping $6.00 for his threads.  After making our purchases, we asked the little old ladies who run the shop if we could borrow their scissors, & got to shredding his new pants.  They got a kick out of watching us transform from  nicely dressed kids, to a couple of wayward buccaneers.

   On St. George Street, there is a little dark bar called the Taberna del Gallo, or the Rooster Tavern.  If you are ever in St. Augustine, FL, GO to the Tavern!! It is hands down the best bar experience I have ever had.  They serve beer, wine, and sangria.  Get the sangria (3 different kinds, a red, a white, and a blush.  All are yummy!).  The joint has no electricity, the bartenders dress in period costumes and have a ridiculous amount of knowledge about St. Augustine.  Then, the coolest thing happened... we got to participate in the Bilge Rats' rehearsal.  The Bilge Rats are a group of awesome men and women who sing sea shanties at the Tavern.  A shanty is a shipboard work song, a lead singer will start the tune and the fellow crooners will call back to the lead.  It Was So Fun!  The Bilge Rats sound great (their lead, Katherine Younger is fantastic!!), and they let us sing along, so they must have a lovely sense of humor. 

   We are headed back to the Tavern tonight, stopping by a pizza place first with 2 for 1 beers and a free slice of pizza for happy hour. Loving St. Augustine!!  And leaving her tomorrow for our next destination, Fort Pierce... but we will definitely return to this amazing city; let the winds return us to the St. Augustine shores (just when it is warmer!).