First of all, did everyone see that goofy video of Paul playing around on the dink? It’s hilarious….
Anyway, back to the blog! We were still in Key West, and with the Yanmar diesel just hours beyond her most recent repair, the prospect of meeting our first charter customers drove us to cruise the local pubs for walking dollar signs.
As it turns out, spontaneously meeting would-be charter customers isn’t very hard if you visit the right place. The trick, however, is getting from draught-beer-driven conversation to a wind-driven, money-making charter. We learned the carbonated way that ya can’t put too much value on a good happy hour. We met so many people from so many corners of the world sitting at that tiny bar at Pepe’s drinking $1 Yuenglings and eating baked oysters I couldn’t ever hope to list them all.
One was an Australian sailor who’d circumnavigated twice. Another was a retired graduate school professor turned cruiser with long silver hair draped over frail but proud shoulders whose accent I couldn’t place if my life depended on it. This man somehow managed to convince me to go back to school, and then all within the same conversation, to avoid it at all costs. I asked if he thought I wasn’t cut out for it. “No,” he enthusiastically replied. “Graduate school isn’t cut out for you.”
I guess we sailors have a way of steering clear of the systems and standards of society. Sailing, at least for me, is becoming far more than a method of travel. In Flirting with Mermaids, John Kretschmer describes his relationship with sailing:
“Sailing is my lifeline. Sliding across an ocean, propelled by spirit and sail, is synonymous with freedom. It’s not freedom from responsibility, for sailboats are the most demanding of mistresses and nobody laughs at the concept of freedom like old Neptune. But my freedom is the ability to shake off the grip of society’s expectations.”
One particularly adventurous couple, Kim and Doug from New York, bumped into us at Pepe’s. We all hit it off from the very start. Kim and I were born in the same hospital in Corpus Christi, Doug is a musician turned pilot, and we all love oysters. It was love at first draught; we’d found the perfect match. After a few more oysters and Yuenglings, Kim and Doug agreed to become our first sailing charter. The trip was a huge success and we had far more laughs than we deserved. They even managed to play cupid and bring along a couple of cute med students for us to mingle with…. can’t be mad at that! Big thanks to both of you!!
We also met a number of especially hospitable locals, some of whom were’t exactly your typical “local.” As I’d mentioned, we were anchored just off Christmas Tree island, which as it turns out, is far more inhabited than it looks. A psychedelic tribe of camping/sailing rascals took us in like family and we shared many a night by the campfire cooking pasta and listening to Joey play classical guitar iterations of Bohemian Rhapsody under solar-powered neon lights.
Not to be outdone, the mainland offered just as warm a reception. Brian of Danger Charters, his sparky girlfriend Brooke of Schooners Wharf, and their entire group of awesome friends showed us a splendiferous time. Yes, I just said splendiferous. T’was that good. We met them at a little craft beer bar called The Porch, and by the time the night had passed us by we felt so at home we could have moved in next door and lived the rest of our lives.
Even the men’s room at the Porch is worth checking out! ^^
A few days later we met up with Brian at his house for a great BBQ after a few gourmet Bloody Marys a la the always exquisite mixologist Brother Pablo.
The BBQ was fantastic, the company was generous, and yet again we had more laughs than we deserved. Brian even had draught beer on tap!
(Yes, that is a big octopus hanging above Adam’s head.)
We even spontaneously jumped into a little sewing circle to make cornhole bags for Brian’s cornhole set.
Yet again, as had almost become habit on this adventure, we’d met the right collection of people that made us feel like we belonged.
A few days later, our college friend Allen and his law school buddy Chris came down from Jacksonville to meet us. As usual, we got ourselves into more than we’d bargained for, but suffice it to say that the nights lasted long and the company was again fantastic. As it turns out, Chris is an epic Super Smash Bros player, and I don’t say that lightly… because I am an epic Super Smash Bros player and I don’t like getting my ass handed to me. Chris, I demand a rematch.
We took a quick snorkeling trip to Sand Key just West of Key West. Its a gorgeous reef, and a common destination for local chartering companies…
One night at the dinghy dock, we saw four enormous and beautiful manatees grazing just below the surface of the shallow water. It was dark, and its hard to see in the picture, but Allen being Allen decided to slip in the water. He never tried to or intended to disturb or touch them, and he never did, but he wanted to be with them for just a moment.
By the time we had to leave Key West, I was fantasizing about living there permanently…
Then again, we were racing the wind till we discovered Paradise and we wouldn’t stop till we found it…
