We have been relaxing and enjoying some warm weather here in the Keys. Our 2 weeks in Banana Bay had to come to an end, and we moved our boat to Sombrero resort and Marina in the hurricane hole inside Boot Key Harbor. We miss the people we met in Banana Bay, and are looking forward to making new friends here.
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| Fishing with his buddy |
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| Sombrero Resort and Marina |
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| Sombrero sunset |
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| Sombrero pool |
The resort is much bigger than Banana Bay, and the marina is spread out along the long shoreline. There is a nice pool and tennis courts, and we are across the street from the golf course. We are closer to shopping, and have access by dinghy to the beach and inner harbor and all it offers.
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| We were greeted by a pair of Manatee. You can see that one has had some sad encounters with boats, so we were extra careful to slide into the slip in neutral. |
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| They like the run off condensation water from our neighbor's air-conditioner. |
My sister Debora and Robert flew in from Santa Cruz, CA to spend the better part of a week with us here. What a treat to see them, relax together and share this part of our trip.
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| Debora and Robert |
They came on the first day of rain we have had since we arrived in the Keys - oh well - can't have everything. Since it was cold and windy the next day we took a drive in their rental car down to Key West. It was a fun day for doing the tourist thing. A little window shopping, a nice lunch, a stroll down Duval Street, and a ride out to the beach on the southern most tip of the US. There are so many cute old houses and funky bars and restaurants!
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| Only in Key West |
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| Shopping in Key West |
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| Key West roosters |
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| A wild Key West rooster |
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| A wild Key West Bar |
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| Key West Harbor |
The next day we took the boat out on the ocean and went southwest about 20 miles to Newfound Harbor. We anchored and took a refreshing swim off the boat, cooked a delicious meal and watched the beautiful sunset. I think there was some Chardonnay involved ... and some rum/pineapple punch ...
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| Debora, Robert and Jeff at anchor in Newfound Harbor |
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| The sunset |
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| Fancy resort in Newfound Harbor - the only access is by boat or sea plane. |
Next day we got up and dropped the dinghy down and went to explore the nearby uninhabited keys. The water was clear and shallow, so we could see the coral and grasses/plants on the bottom. We took another swim, then took off so we could go to Sombrero Reef to go snorkeling. It was cold and a bit murky because of the wind and waves from the recent cold front. We still got to see lots of fish and sea plants waving in the current. We quickly got ourselves warmed up and headed back to Boot Key - just in time for Robert and Jeff to enjoy watching the 2nd half of the 49ers come from behind win that will take them to the Super Bowl.
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| Debora and I took a walk in the golf course instead of football |
Next day we spent provisioning for the next leg of our trip, and took a nice dinghy ride through the canals and mangrove maze that makes up Sister Creek. Sadly, they had to head back home. We will miss you guys! See you at Amber and Dustin's wedding.
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| Ornate gate on the canal |
Last night we got a call from Ryan, and he is making plans to join us for a visit in Ft. Myers in early Feb. Now we can start planning our trip north, up the west coast past the Everglades and toward Ft. Myers, Sanibel, Punta Gorda and Gasparilla Island.
