Watch the crew raise the sails on Catchin' Rays for the first time. On this video, we take care of a couple small projects and then head out to sea for a perfect day of sailing.
Last night we attended our first Fantasy Fest (at least one day of it anyway) that's held every year down here in Key West and it did not disappoint. We were told it was Mardi Gras gone bad and that all the demented people gather here every year and let it all hang out - and they do. From old (and they were out in droves - I've never seen so many Grannies with their boobies hanging out) to the young (small children being towed behind in wagons) and everything in between.
The start of the Parade
S/V Saltruninvited us to join them so we could get ataste of a good old fashion party - Key West style. Yesterday's parade was the Masquerade March where anybody that is dressed up in some sort of costume can enter - and they just walk through the streets on a set route. While Chris and Joyce were both wearing great costumes of their own, they wanted to see the parade rather than be in it - so they hung out with us on the sidewalk.
The Prom King & Queen from s/v Saltrun
The thing I found interesting about the parade is how funny and creative people are - the Ebola Hazmat Team that was spraying the streets; a group of men and women all dressed up like Flo from Progressive Insurance. The blow-up doll that kept posing for pictures with her mouth in a perfect circle. Adam and Eve were another favorite mine and that were happy to pose for everybody that wanted a picture. With so many funny costumes and weird people, it was hard not to be completely entertained.
One of the Flo's from Progressive Insurance
The Hogfish
"My back's killin' me!!"
With the parade over, we decided to call it a night and skip Duval until another day - we still have a boat to launch, and times running out.
Check out the latest going's-on aboard Catchin' Rays here:
Our new friends at s/v Saltrun- Chris and Joyce were kind enough to invite us for our first ever lobster hunt. After purchasing a Florida fishing license with a lobster stamp, we set off with a boat full of scuba equipment. Chris ventured off about 30 minuets from the boat-ramp to one of his favorite spots and we dropped anchor.
Captain Chris at the helm
We decided that the easiest thing to do was to dive in teams so Saltrunwent first. After suiting up, they dove the anchor to make sure it was set, and away they went into the current as Justin snorkeled above to learn how its done. The trick to it (other than avoiding all the jellyfish that kept drifting by) was to keep up with everything needed to catch them - a tickler (encourages them out of their hiding hole), a net (to trap the buggas), and another net to contain the keepers.
Time to suit up
Fortunately for us, Saltruncame back with six beautiful keepers - now it was our turn. And although it had been about 7 years since either Justin or I have strapped on a tank, it was literally like riding a bike (and diving in 12 feet of water, if anything should go wrong, you can just drop your weights and go to the surface.) We descended to the bottom and off we went. You look for any formations where the sand is - basically anywhere there isn't grass. And then you look for their tentacles sticking out - and they were everywhere. Each place that you see that looks like a lobster should be, they were there. Justin was the "encourager" as he tickled them out of their home and I was the "netter" - snatching them up as they try and back into their hiding hole. But unfortunately for us, they were all too small - but catching them was a blast. Its amazing how fast they are - I'd even have them back straight into my net - but if I wasn't fast enough, they'd swim right out of it.
Gettin' my grove back
One of the lobsters we had to let go due to size
Sometimes, its good to be under-sized
Other than the gorgeous weather and good company, the best part about the day was just being on the water. It was just another beautiful Key West day - sunny and warm with a great ocean breeze. But it was time to go back to the boat ramp and back to Catchin' Rays. Chris was nice enough to let us keep their catch, but we didn't really know how to clean them or prepare them - so once again, they were generous enough to invite us over for dinner where they would show us how to prepare the lobster. We posed for the picture with the 6 lobsters and told everybody on Facebook that it was "our" catch - Chris said he didn't mind.
We'll still take credit for them
We then practiced pulling off the tails while trying to get as much meat as we could to stay with it, and Joyce showed us a great way to de-vein them. The meal was great, and once again, so was the company and conversation. Preparing and cooking lobster (well, Chris does the cooking) in their back yard that backs up to a gorgeous canal - it just doesn't get much better than that. We can't thank them enough for being so generous with their time and for giving us a much needed day off. Now its time to get back to boat work.
Here is the new video of some of the projects we've been able to complete during our latest "vacation". Was able to gather over 50 gigs of video and time lapse pictures during this latest visit - sifted through thousands of pictures and tons of videos, edited it all down to bite-sized clips, and then narrated it in my cabin and put it all together before we leave for Texas....enjoy.
Not that anybody thought that living in a shipyard was all that glamorous to begin with, but its funny to see people's reaction when I tell them that I'm going to Key West for a month to live on my boat. Granted, the weather is awesome - but this is no vacation - except for one, I've spent every day working on the boat in some form or fashion. Some days are spent shopping for parts in the morning and installing them in the afternoon, other days are spent going to the grocery store and laundromat, then working on the boat....
