Key West February 2022

Total Miles Traveled 1532

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Historic Mallory Square, Key West

In 1823, Commodore David Porter established a base of operations for an anti-piracy squadron on this property.  After piracy was suppressed, this area became a hub for the wrecking industry.  Buildings on this property were then used for storage and auction of goods salvaged from shipwrecks.  In 1961, the City of Key West and the Old Island Restoration Foundation decided to restore this area.  Buildings on this site were restored and repurposed to create a center of activity where the community could gather.

Mallory Square is the location of the “Sunset Celebration”, which is considered one of the main tourist attractions of the city.  The Sunset Celebration involves hundreds of tourists and locals who arrive each night to view the sunset over the Gulf of Mexico.  The celebration includes arts and crafts exhibitors, street performers, and food carts.  It begins two hours before sunset every day of the year.  In 1984, the city opened a pier right on Malory Square.  The decision was met with considerable opposition from people who felt it would disrupt the tradition of watching the sunset.  In response to this, the city passed an ordinance requiring cruise ships to leave port two hours before sunset, enabling them to return after sunset without an additional docking fee.

We have had several nice days cruising around the area in our dinghy.  One of our favorite spots is the Hurricane Hole, located at Cow Key.  There are a few charter fishing boats moored here and the restaurant serves fresh local seafood sandwiches. 

Looks like this was a good fishing day.

Returning to Stock Island on the Atlantic side.

The “Sand Bar” is another favorite spot.  It is just off the coast of Boca Chica Key, home of the largest Naval Air Station in south Florida.  The sand bar is submerged but we can wade around and swim in waste deep crystal-clear water.

We took our boat out to Western Sambo Reef, about 6 miles offshore from Boca Chica Key.  The reef covers 9 square miles and is one of two Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Ecological Reserves.  Anchoring and fishing are prohibited but mooring balls have been installed for boats bringing divers and snorkelers to the reef to explore.  We spent all afternoon enjoying the crystal-clear water of the Florida Keys.

I tried to condense this video so it could be viewed from this page but the file size still exceeded the file size limits.  It might take a while to download depending on your connection speed.

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1-DTVuTsLW1DxgdqJ5nY6Nv9kAf0lMUZx?usp=sharing

We’ve noticed a couple more manatees have been visiting around our dock.

When I'm in the engine room working on preventative maintenance tasks, Moni is busy with her Rock Art......

Our friend Rick from Indiana came down on the Key West Express from Fort Myers.  The 170-foot catamaran is jet drive-powered and cuts through the Gulf waters at an average cruising speed of 34 knots, about 39 mph.

Rick happened to be here on Taco Tuesday which was also National Margareta Day.

It’s getting to be that time of year when cruisers that are doing the Great Loop are starting to head north.  We have several friends that will be leaving shortly on their Great Loop adventure, so we rented a car and drove to Marathon to attend the annual Looper Sunset Celebration at the Banana Bay Resort and Marina.  We had a great visit and are looking forward to seeing them again this fall as they stop by our home port at Green Turtle Bay, Grand Rivers Kentucky, this Fall.