Day 90 - Jell-O Shots — Captain Father John

Miles cruised 0, fuel purchased $0, slip fee $133, daily high temperature 80*f

Last night we docktailed with Tony,Taylor, Mark and Pam on the boat and then we headed over to the Half Shell Raw Bar. This restaurant is a Key West tradition with our group. We had conch chowder, conch fritters, oysters, yellow tail snapper and hogfish. Good eating! Then we wandered over to Duval Street to Fat Tuesday’s for frozen drinks. The highlight of the evening was JP doing Jell-O shots with his parents. What happens in Key West ——- gets posted in the blog.

Our plan was to go fishing on Monday morning if the the wind and waves died down. It has been blowing like stink since Friday. We received the call from Captain John Potter that we should meet him at the boat at 8:30 am. At 8:00 am he called and said he was in contact with two captains that went out earlier and were getting their brains bashed in by 4′ – 6′ seas. It seemed rougher on the reef than in the deep blue ocean. We went to plan B which is to fish off the dock at the Galleon. JP tried to buy a fishing license at KMart but their computer system was down so he went to the KW town hall building. In order to test JP’s patience to determine if he was worthy of being a fisherman, they dragged the licensing process out at least 30 minutes. He passed the test. We bought frozen squids for bait. This was JP’s only chance to fish because he is flying home on Tuesday.

This is some kind of jack fish.

Even-though we have crossed the gulf we still have sympathy for those Loopers stuck behind us on the Florida panhandle. “Good Morning Fellow Loopers! The truth is sometimes ugly.

Anyone with aspirations of getting across the Gulf by Christmas may want to consider putting their “Plan B” into effect now. George Washington had an easier time crossing the Delaware River on Christmas of 1776 than you would have crossing the Gulf of Mexico Christmas week of 2015. Eddie the weather WAG.”

We had dinner a Cuban restaurant El Siboney. El Siboney is the name of a Caribbean Indian tribe. The specialty of the house is the paella. Paella has saffron rice, chicken, shrimp, lobster tail and pork. You must order the paella at least three hours before arriving at the restaurant. Tony’s cousin Heny Fuller and his friend Kathy joined us for dinner. Henry will be playing with the Bubbas at Grunts on Christmas Day and at Margaritaville on December 26.

It is almost Christmas so here is the Sailors version of – Twas the Night Before Christmas.

Twas the night before Christmas, I swung on the hook. Passed out on the settee, asleep with my book. When up on the deck I heard footsteps and stuff: I’ve been boarded! I thought, and I tried to be tough. Then down the companionway hatch came a dude. He was dressed like a nut and I thought “I am screwed”! But he laughed and he hummed and he surveyed my junk. So I figured he must be the resident drunk. His eyes were lit up like a junkie on speed. But he gave me a whole bunch of stuff that I need. Like rum and cigars, new charts and a dinghy and some kind of fancy electrical thingy. I thought it was stolen but I wasn’t telling. I hoped he was giving and wasn’t just selling. I poured him a grog which he downed with a wink. Then I poured one for me (I sure needed a drink). Then he staggered above to the dark tropic night. As I peaked I beheld an incredible sight. Eight tiny dolphins and a beautiful sleigh. And the dude hopped aboard and prepared to make way. The dolphins were ready to power the sled, but the guy raised a jenny and mains’l instead. With a burp and a chuckle he gathered the breeze and called to the dolphins now swimming with ease. “On Fatty and Foxy and old Barracuda! On Teva and Mountgay, Antigua, Barbuda! Or whatever your names you cute little fishes, here’s to every last sailor, my best Christmas wishes.” As he sailed away leaving a wobbly wake, I hoped he had not many stops left to make. He got close to shore and he soon was aground, but the dolphins proceeded to pull him around. And I heard him exclaim as he sailed out of sight, “Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.”

Carl (Chef) Wooden -quote for the day.

“Waves are not measured in feet or inches, they are measured in increments of fear.” – Buzzy Trent.

Hypermasculine big-wave surfer of the 1950s and ’60s, from Honolulu, Hawaii. Trent was born (1929) in San Diego, California, the son of a mining engineer father and wealthy landholding mother, and the grandson of the architect John Parkinson, who desgined the Los Angeles Coliseum, Los Angeles City Hall, and many other landmark buildings in the region. Trent was raised in Santa Monica, and began surfing at age 12 at Malibu. In his midteens, he was mentored by eccentric surfboard design genius Bob Simmons, 10 years Trent’s senior. “They were a real pair,” Malibu regular Dave Rochlen later recalled. “The mad scientist and his big, burly sidekick.

Buzzy Trent

Miles cruised 0, fuel purchased $0, slip fee $133, daily high temperature 80*fLast night we docktailed with Tony,Taylor, Mark and Pam on the boat and then we headed over to the Half Shell Raw Bar. This restaurant is a Key West tradition with our group. We had conch chowder, conch fritters, oysters, yellow tail snapper and hogfish. Good eating! Then we wandered over to Duval Street to Fat Tuesday's for frozen drinks. The highlight of the evening was JP doing Jell-O shots with his parents. What happens in Key West ------- gets posted in the blog.Our plan was to go fishing on Monday morning if the the wind and waves died down. It has been blowing like stink since Friday. We received the call from Captain John Potter that we should meet him at the boat at 8:30 am. At 8:00 am he called and said he was in contact with two captains that went out earlier and were getting their brains bashed in by 4' - 6' seas. It seemed rougher on the reef than in the deep blue ocean. We went to plan B which is to fish off the dock at the Galleon. JP tried to buy a fishing license at KMart but their computer system was down so he went to the KW town hall building. In order to test JP's patience to determine if he was worthy of being a fisherman, they dragged the licensing process out at least 30 minutes. He passed the test. We bought frozen squids for bait. This was JP's only chance to fish because he is flying home on Tuesday.This is some kind of jack fish.Even-though we have crossed the gulf we still have sympathy for those Loopers stuck behind us on the Florida panhandle. "Good Morning Fellow Loopers! The truth is sometimes ugly.Anyone with aspirations of getting across the Gulf by Christmas may want to consider putting their “Plan B” into effect now. George Washington had an easier time crossing the Delaware River on Christmas of 1776 than you would have crossing the Gulf of Mexico Christmas week of 2015. Eddie the weather WAG."We had dinner a Cuban restaurant El Siboney. El Siboney is the name of a Caribbean Indian tribe. The specialty of the house is the paella. Paella has saffron rice, chicken, shrimp, lobster tail and pork. You must order the paella at least three hours before arriving at the restaurant. Tony's cousin Heny Fuller and his friend Kathy joined us for dinner. Henry will be playing with the Bubbas at Grunts on Christmas Day and at Margaritaville on December 26.It is almost Christmas so here is the Sailors version of - Twas the Night Before Christmas.Twas the night before Christmas, I swung on the hook. Passed out on the settee, asleep with my book. When up on the deck I heard footsteps and stuff: I’ve been boarded! I thought, and I tried to be tough. Then down the companionway hatch came a dude. He was dressed like a nut and I thought “I am screwed”! But he laughed and he hummed and he surveyed my junk. So I figured he must be the resident drunk. His eyes were lit up like a junkie on speed. But he gave me a whole bunch of stuff that I need. Like rum and cigars, new charts and a dinghy and some kind of fancy electrical thingy. I thought it was stolen but I wasn’t telling. I hoped he was giving and wasn’t just selling. I poured him a grog which he downed with a wink. Then I poured one for me (I sure needed a drink). Then he staggered above to the dark tropic night. As I peaked I beheld an incredible sight. Eight tiny dolphins and a beautiful sleigh. And the dude hopped aboard and prepared to make way. The dolphins were ready to power the sled, but the guy raised a jenny and mains’l instead. With a burp and a chuckle he gathered the breeze and called to the dolphins now swimming with ease. “On Fatty and Foxy and old Barracuda! On Teva and Mountgay, Antigua, Barbuda! Or whatever your names you cute little fishes, here’s to every last sailor, my best Christmas wishes.” As he sailed away leaving a wobbly wake, I hoped he had not many stops left to make. He got close to shore and he soon was aground, but the dolphins proceeded to pull him around. And I heard him exclaim as he sailed out of sight, “Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.”Carl (Chef) Wooden -quote for the day."Waves are not measured in feet or inches, they are measured in increments of fear." - Buzzy Trent.Hypermasculine big-wave surfer of the 1950s and '60s, from Honolulu, Hawaii. Trent was born (1929) in San Diego, California, the son of a mining engineer father and wealthy landholding mother, and the grandson of the architect John Parkinson, who desgined the Los Angeles Coliseum, Los Angeles City Hall, and many other landmark buildings in the region. Trent was raised in Santa Monica, and began surfing at age 12 at Malibu. In his midteens, he was mentored by eccentric surfboard design genius Bob Simmons, 10 years Trent's senior. "They were a real pair," Malibu regular Dave Rochlen later recalled. "The mad scientist and his big, burly sidekick.Buzzy Trent