The fleet of nine sailboats had visited Marathon for three days. The forecast for the next five days was 20 knots and gusty from the NE-E, so we decided to head toward Key West.

The winds were 20-30 knots and seas were 3-4 ft. The fleet sailed the 25 miles under headsail alone to Newfound Harbor. Gettinair's hard dinghy took on water, then flipped causing Matt & Sue to stop at Bahia Honda Key to remedy the situation. Patience's centerboard cable broke making their 3'2"draft, now 6 feet. Gail, Walt & Matt were able to tie up and secure the centerboard in the protected Newfound Harbor anchorage.

We arrived at Key West on Saturday with several of the club members going to Schooner's Wharf to toast their arrival with rum runners. Actually, Schooner's Wharf became an establishment frequented often by the club members during their stay. The sailboats stayed at various locations around Key West Bight. They were evenly split between the marinas, moorings, and anchoring out at Fleming Key.

When Gettinair's and Pan Sophic's crews were visiting the club members staying at the The Galleon Marina, their dinghies were chained to the dock and held ransom. The grumpy dock master threatened to have them arrested for trespassing. Eventually they were allowed to have their dinghies back without paying the fee. Note to cruisers: The Galleon provides for difficult docking maneuvers due to its narrow and congested waterways which are subject to crosswinds. We recommend the Key West Bight Marina(with their dinghy dock) and the Conch Marina for their ease in docking and their sailor friendly staffs.

The sailors spent a week discovering Key West as the winds and weather did not cooperate for further exploration of the Keys or Dry Tortugus. The Conch Independence Celebration was taking place during our stay. We enjoyed the wonderful food & wine at "The Taste of Key West" plus lots of other events like "The World's Longest Parade", bed races, a chili fest, a craft fair and even a sea battle between the Conch Republic Navy and the Coast Guard. It was a great week to be "stuck" in Key West. We were even able to sneak in a day at the beach and a trip out to the reef for snorkeling with the Bob & Mary Anderson playing host on JourneyOn.

One afternoon, the group met at Sloppy Joe's for dinner and were entertained by the comedy-singing duo of Faust & Lewis. Our own Bill Lorton accompanied them during one song and received a standing ovation. "Big Bill" instantly became a local celebrity. We did have our share of typical sailor problems throughout the trip. We had our boats dragging into other boats, other boats dragging into our boats, a broken head that required immediate repair, a broken centerboard cable, dead batteries, etc. The local West Marine stores made out well during our three week adventure.

We had planned to start back on Monday, but again the weather wasn't cooperating. One night a storm blew through at 30-35 knot winds with gusts to 50 knots. The boats staying at the marinas reported heeling while in the slip. The sailors on the boats at anchor spent an uncomfortable night on anchor watch.

The weather report for the next five days was only getting worse for those wishing to head north. Five of the sailboats in the fleet decided to head back home on an all night sail. More Therapy, Pan Sophic, JourneyOn, Patience and Gettinair left Key West on Wednesday morning. The winds were only 15- 20 knots, but the seas were 3-5 feet. We sailed north on a close haul to beam reach for a rough and wet, but fast sail. We arrived in the Ft. Myers area that next morning. The remainder of the fleet decided to enjoy the Keys for a few more days and sailed home as their schedules permitted.

To sum it up, it was a wonderful trip with memories of fun times with great people, but "it blew like stink".

Sue Alaimo