We anchored off Fleming Key just south of Man O War harbor. Clearing in took only a few minutes thanks to the ROAM app from Customs and Border Protection. After the lengthy process of clearing in and out of Mexico, Mark was apprehensive about the amount of time clearing into the US and was pleasantly surprised that I was able to do so quickly and efficiently.
We intended on taking the dinghy round to see if there was a free mooring ball at the City Mooring field. We were pretty disheartened to see that there were non available. We then went to check out the dinghy dock at Garrison Bight. While the manager was very polite, we quickly realized that coming in from the mooring field into the dinghy dock at Garrison Bight was a bit of a hike. Not only that, but once you arrived you had a long walk in the sun to get to where you would want to be. Convenient to Publix, the best grocery store option and Home Depot but a far bit away from attractive neighborhoods for strolls and saunters. I am all about the stroll and saunter, so we looked at our other option, registering for a dinghy pass at Key West Bight marina.
Key West does a lot of things right and the dinghy dock access is certainly one. You sign up for weekly pump out service (which is currently free) and once you are on the pump out list you can purchase a dinghy pass for the day, week or month. This pass allows you to park your dinghy, dispose of any garbage and access city water. You can also purchase an additional pass for showers and laundry. Key West really does make it easy for sailors to do the right thing and the staff at both Garrison Bight and Key West Bight were helpful and polite so we will tick the favorite places box on Key West for certain.
Dropping the hook in Key West was not just about hanging out in a great town. Ceol Mor still had a bandaged backstay that needed Mark’s attention. Priority one was to replace the broken backstay and replace the forestay out of an abundance of caution. Easy, peasy right?
Ha. Nothing on a boat is ever easy. The first challenge was in finding a supplier of the wire, fittings and swaged fittings we needed. The second challenge was in finding moorage that would not be so expensive that the budget for repair materials is eaten up by dock fees. This is where we were very, very fortunate indeed. Fortunate because I count Vanessa- (a long time Key West skipper who seems to know everyone!) among friends. She was willing not only to allow us to have items shipped to her address, not only willing to drive us around to various yards and marinas to see what our options were but she also turned us on to the heroes in the next few stories- Brooks Jones and Morgan Jones of http://sailingservices.com She said they were the best in the business and boy was she ever right about that!
Mark is the epitome of carnaptious Scotsman. Praise from him is a rarity but that is all he has for Sailing Services. He will tell you he has nothing but gratitude and appreciation for the level of service and expertise Sailing Services provides. After much back and forth finalizing details on parts with Morgan, our order was placed and now we just needed to wait a little bit for our order to be fulfilled.
While we waited, Mark mapped out his plan of attack on the repairs. I knew the most helpful thing I could possibly do is to stay out of his way. The roominess of a boat and its ability to house multiple people diminishes as a function of how many work projects are currently underway. 2 projects you can maybe make work with 2 people on board but as many projects as Mark had planned? Time for me to make room until all the little projects are done and its time to install the stays. My birthday meant it was a perfect time for me to fly to Houston to see my family and friends and pick up parts from a favorite chandlery before flying back to Key West Just in time to assist with the re-rigging…
