Sail Beausoleil

Sorry for falling behind with our posts. Cruising can be a lot busier than one might think!!! We’re in the British Virgin Islands right now, after having visited Georgetown, Rum Cay and Mayaguana – all in the Bahamas, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. We’ll get caught up and post details as soon as we can!

View of Downtown Farmers Cay

First Friday in February Little Farmers Cay Festival – that is what the 5F’s stands for…

By far Little Farmers Cay became my favorite spot in the Bahamas. The island is small enough to walk from one end to the other in less than an hour. The locals get you involved in what is going on there and what they are passionate about.

Jon and I with Terry Bain

We met Terry Bain, leader and spokesperson of the Save The Exuma Park (STEP) committee in his restaurant/bar where his wife cooks amazing local cuisine (the rum punch isn’t bad either!). Terry is very passionate about the STEP program, he and other Bahamian residents are very upset that the government is allowing development inside the “protected” Exuma Park. Terry is also very involved in the activities that go on in town for the 5F’s Festival. A true leader, Terry had quite a gathering of cruisers volunteering to head up an activity or two during the festival. Before I knew it I was raising my hand to help head up the scavenger hunt. Well, I did get a free rum punch (and a lot of new friendships) out of the deal.

Hermit Crab Racing

Ali runs a “bar”, I use that term loosely – it looks more like a small liquor store with a cooler full of mixers. When you order a rum and coke you get a can of cold coke, a 1/5^th of rum and a cup of ice for about $6.00. We carry our own mixer in the back pack and continue to refill the cup all day. You can’t beat that for the best deal in town! Ali has several sets of twins who have several children each. They all live with Ali so I brought him a bag full of hard candy to share with the little ones.

The Sky is on Fire

Outside Ali’s bar there is a table and stools set up for the local guys to play dominoes. While making their play they slap their domino as hard as they can on the table, “click, click, click” and they play the game really fast. They insisted Jon play with them, he had a lot of fun and did pretty well. Every time we walked by you would hear Kurt yelling “Jon, Jon, come on mon, come play!”.

Spectator Stands - New Airport Bar

I had my first order of cracked conch complete with Bahamian mac and cheese and peas and rice, it was amazing! I have been hunting for conch ever since to try my hand at cooking it myself.

All Lined Up for the Start

A large part of the 5F’s Festival is the Bahamian Class C Sloop races. The sloops come from all over the Bahamas to participate in this regatta. In all my years of racing in Marblehead I never saw so much “bling” on the trophy table! They are very serious about racing here, however they don’t seem to be too concerned about being punctual on the start time of the races. The finish line is the beach – first boat to anchor and drop their sails at the end of the course is the winner. It was a lot of fun to watch!

The Start (they don't raise the sails until the start gun goes off)

Go Team Thunderball

Racing Sloops Passing Beausoleil

Pick Up Crew

Second Place

Regatta Bling!

At the end of the races the Bahamian Marching Band (made up from high school kids from many of the islands) marched to the beach airport bar where the spectators were and put on a show – complex formations and excellent music, you could tell they had been practicing this for a while.

Bahama Marching Band Show

Best Seats in the House

Back down town in the harbor we came across a local making the freshest conch salad you could ever imagine. The conch are at his feet in the water, he cuts the shell open, pulls out the meaty conch and cleans it, chops it up along with onion, bell pepper, tomatoes, cilantro, jalapeno, and a lot of fresh lime juice squeezed over the top. The sting rays circle his feet waiting for the conch bit scraps he feeds them. Quite a sight to watch.

Preparing Really Fresh Conch Salad

The last night we were there we watched the Super Bowl from the Farmers Cay Yacht Club (FCYC). I wore my “lucky” Patriots tee shirt to no avail, maybe I shouldn’t have… It wasn’t a total loss, Jon won one of the quarters of the football square, almost enough to pay our tab for the evening!

A Lot of Sting Rays Here in the Bahamas

We hugged Terry, Ali and several of the other locals as we went into town to say “so long”. We will definitely go back to this island at some point and spend more time.

Close Race

A Plane Takes Off While the Marching Band is on the "Tarmac"

Jon Checking the Anchor

Only a few miles away from Staniel Cay, yet a whole different world. Black Point Settlement is a true Bahamian community. The harbor is very protected from a north to east wind.  There is an “all age” school where the students wear matching uniforms, several churches of different denominations, at least three restaurants and bars, a grocery store and a very nice laundromat (one of the nicest I have ever been in).  Ida, the owner of the laundromat and marine store, will even cut your hair – men $10 and women $15. Unfortunately, I found out about Ida and the opportunity for a hair cut in the back yard overlooking the beautiful harbor the day before we were leaving. It seems I am always “a day late and a dollar short”. Maybe it was that, maybe it was that I don’t quite have the nerve (yet) to let someone I don’t know, and that I haven’t seen the outcome of their work, cut my hair.

Another Cave on the Beach

We met a lot of nice people here, two women who are single handing their own boats from Florida, many Canadian cruisers, and other cruisers who we were anchored near in Staniel Cay but did not get a chance to chat with. We even met a couple that shipped their folding kayak from Idaho who are completing a circumnavigation of the Exuma Islands, camping on the beaches – they had completed more than half their trip and were making their way back to Georgetown, as you can imagine – they were in great shape!

Bahama Class C Sloop Sailing Upwind

Sailing Downwind

The topic of conversation seemed to be centered around Farmers Cay and the 5F Festival coming up the following weekend. We watched the local Black Point Settlement men in their Class C Bahamian Sloops practicing for the races. It was fun to hear the banter among the local guys regarding the races, who has the best mast, who can hike the furthest on the prie (the board that sticks out over the water on the windward side of the boat), which is the fastest boat in all the Bahamas.  

This is one of the biggest festivals of the year for the racers on all the islands, Jon and I decided we couldn’t miss it.

Hiking the Prie

While waiting out yet another front we paddle boarded through the harbor on our new Yolo Yaks (YOLO stands for You Only Live Once) and hiked the better part of the island. The chart mentioned a well marked hiking trail to get to the White Horses, a Blow Hole, and several other interesting places to see. The first day we made it to the Blow Hole, however the rocks and cliffs are very sharp and we were wearing flip flops. We agreed to set out earlier and with the correct shoes on the following day. We didn’t get out as early as we would have liked and it was a good thing I took extra water and several granola bars with us in the backpack, visions of the show “I shouldn’t be alive” kept coming to mind as we were forcing our way through bushes and growth where there was obviously no “well marked” path. Determined to see the White Horses from land we carried on, finally we were as far as we could go, we were on top of the White Horses cliff looking down at Dotham Cut. I am not sure, but I believe we were supposed to be looking up at the cliffs? It was an adventure. We kept trying to decide if we should find the real trail or just go back the way we came. With sunlight waning and the water rising with the tide over the path that we crossed to get up to the cliffs, we opted for the devil we knew and went back the way we came. It was a beautiful walk/hike along the Exuma Sound side of the island. We found a lot of shells, coral and other items that had washed up from the deep blue sea.  There are so many caves and cubby holes carved into the rocky beaches from years and years of waves pounding into the shore. We even saw a few local reptiles and an interesting spider. Good thing one of those didn’t end up on me while we were making our way through the brush!  Tired, hungry and sweaty as we made our way back to where we left our paddle boards, we paddled out to the boat and climbed aboard Beausoleil just before another beautiful sunset.

Salt Pond on Island

Colorful Spider

Still a Ways to Go - Hiking

It seems each island we visit now becomes my favorite! The last time we were in the Bahamas it was Shroud Cay then Staniel Cay, this trip it was Cat Island, now it happens to be Black Point Settlement. I guess we will see if Farmers Cay or any of the other islands in the Bahamas will win us over even more.

Looking Down from Cliff

Next stop – Farmers Cay and the 5F’s festival…

Shawna Creates a "Shell Being"

A Hole in the Rock

Years of Wave Action

Cave from Inside

Cave in Staniel Cay

We left Cat Island in the early morning hours while it was still dark. Although we were following the same line on the chart plotter as when we came into the harbor I was on the bow with the spot light, wanting to make sure we could see a coral head if there was one anywhere near our path. We needed to make good time to get across the Exuma Sound and enter Dotham Cut on a rising tide so we would have the best steerage and complete control of the boat while heading into the current (instead of the current pushing us through the cut). We had a beautiful motor sail through the Exuma Sound, I put out the fishing rods with a cedar plug and a mahi jet determined to catch a fish. Unfortunately I didn’t get a single bite! I guess it will be steak, pork or chicken again for dinner unless Bellissimo (who is meeting us in Staniel Cay) has had better luck…

Dotham Cut - White Horses

Dotham Cut is gorgeous, huge white cliffs on the Great Guana Cay side of the cut, they call them “White Horses” because they resemble a herd of running white horses. It is a big wide cut with plenty of water depth, once through the cut you do have to follow the route south, into an S curve to get around the shifting shallow sand bars. The change in water color helps with this navigation in addition to just looking at the charts. VPR (visual piloting rules) are always a requirement when you are making your way through the Bahamian waters, you get to know how to read the color of the water pretty quick, or suffer the consequences in the shallow depths. We make our way around the point of Harvey Cay and head to Big Majors Spot. This will be our home until it’s time to move again.

Thunderball Grotto Opening

We were invited to have dinner on board Bellissimo and watch the sunset from the back deck. It’s nice to be with our friends again. We checked the tides and the weather for the following day to see if it would be a good day to snorkel the Thunderball Grotto. This is an underwater cave that has been used as several settings for Hollywood films, the most famous of which was the 007 / James Bond movie “Thunderball”. You want to be sure to snorkel near low slack tide due to the current and the level of the water that covers the entrance to the cave. If the water is too high, you have to free dive to get into the cave opening, if the current is not slack it can be very strong and carry you off in a hurry. We picked the best day and time to snorkel the grotto. Paula packed us each a little baggie full of chip crumbs to feed the schools of expectant fish. The sergeant majors line up as soon as a dinghy picks up the mooring near the grotto, they are certainly not shy. There are so many different types of fish gathered here, it is pretty amazing. Both the inside of the cave and the area surrounding the grotto is beautiful, scattered with colorful fish and coral, it is the highlight of the snorkeling we have done this season so far. I eye a big yellow tail snapper and think “lunch!”, but since this is a protected no-take zone that fish is safe…

Feeding Sergeant Majors

After our snorkel we head into downtown Staniel Cay for lunch. The special at the Staniel Cay Yacht Club (SCYC) is a grilled mahi mahi sandwich, since I couldn’t spear and cook the snapper this is the next best thing. We walk off our lunch by exploring the island, the cliffs, the beaches, all the grocery stores, we order coconut bread from the bread lady and pull off our sandals and walk in the water at Pirate Trap Beach. We walk up the hill to check out Club Thunderball, it is still empty, weathered and even more worn than the last time we were here. The docks are in shambles, results of neglect and the hurricane that touched the Bahamas last season.

Beausoleil at Anchor

Speaking of the hurricane last season, there is a lot of construction going on here on the island. Roof repairs, new houses, a new restaurant, busy busy. We also noticed several trucks with local construction company names emblazoned on them. It looks as if there is a job for all who want to work. Another discovery – the bread lady not only makes the bread for the visitors, the grocery stores and the restaurants, she is also on the wait staff at the SCYC. Berkie, the owner of Isles General, one of the grocery stores that is also a hardware/rental property/laundry/docks facilities, is also the minister at the local church and the dock master at the SCYC. We also met Chubby working on a roof at the pink grocery, we were looking for fresh fish – he promised to hook us up if the fishermen went out that day. We didn’t have any luck in getting the fresh fish from the fishermen so we tried our luck fishing off the stern of Bellissimo. Dave caught a shark, threw that back, then he caught another fish we didn’t recognize. While we were trying to find the picture that matched the fish, he decided to throw it back in the water before it died. Turns out it was a Jack Crevalle, good looking fish, great size too, good thing we threw it back in because the chart says the food value is “poor”.

We were approached by a local fisherman with the option to buy fresh lobster or conch (pronounced Konk). We ended up buying three large lobster tails for dinner that night so I made broiled lobster truffle/butter with creamy truffle butter mashed potatoes and green apple blue cheese salad (all of these recipes I learned from the amazing chef Martin Liz in Key West). The tails were so large that I ended up having to cut them in half to cook them all the way through! Delicious dinner and great times with our friends on Bellissimo.

Exploration of islands

One day we packed a lunch and went for a long dinghy ride. We took the cut between Big Majors and Fowl Cay Resort, around North Gaulin Cay and into Pipe Creek. Beautiful scenery, lot’s of boats anchored throughout the creek, we noticed a lot of development in the area as well as more “Private” signs on some of the cays. We were told that the beaches of all the cays in the Bahamas are public, even if the island says private. We found our own little private island with a beautiful protected beach and had our lunch. After throwing the stick for Angel for hours we jumped back in the dinghy to continue our tour.

Swimming Pigs - Big Majors

Jon leaving "Beausoleil" signature at the new pirates lair

After Bellissimo took off to head back to the States, Jon and I continued to explore the islands, feed the swimming pigs, check out the natural caves along the island, and even discovered a new pirates lair on one of the secluded beaches on Big Majors. It looks as if everything is very new and well thought out, there is a bar for the cruisers to bring their pot luck dishes, a sharpie pen to sign your boat name, a pit with benches around for beach bon fires, several lawn chairs and mini side tables, and a pick nick table complete with an umbrella that says “enjoy, m/y Pirate”. Too bad we found this the day we were taking off, it would have been fun to participate in one of these organized pot luck dinners. Oh well, I am sure there will be many pot luck opportunities in our future. Onward to Black Point Settlement and the 5F’s festival…

Beausoleil - All alone at anchor in Cat Island

Our first stop in our “around the world adventure” was Cat Island in the Bahamas. We arrived after a 53 hour motor sail from Marathon, FL on January 10th, 2012. It was exciting to finally drop the anchor and hit our SPOT (a device that sends out our current position and a preset message over satellite). We anchored off of Hawk’s Nest Point at the southern end of the island as we had made plans to meet up with our friends Dave and Paula on m/y Bellissimo the next day. Our friend Captain Graham, who we crewed for on the Cynthia Aguilar world record paddle board trip from Cuba to Key West, was there as well on the boat he now captains, this is their winter home. He answered our call on the VHF and came out to greet us with a big bag of fresh frozen Wahoo (see the recipe section of our blog – I made ceviche, fish tacos and prepared it as in the yellow tail snapper recipe – it was a big bag of fish!), given our luck wasn’t so great at catching any fish on the way over we were thrilled with this gift. We had to wait until the next day to check into the country and we had to pay an extra $100 due to the customs agents wanting to come aboard Beausoleil to complete the paperwork (this was a “travel fee”, even though our friend Graham brought them out to the boat). I guess we should have anchored near Smith Bay Harbor and went directly into the customs office, which is in the middle of the island, instead of heading to Hawk’s Nest Point. I had to wait on Beausoleil alone quite a long time while Jon was ashore waiting for the customs agents so I made fresh carrot cake – the customs agents each took a baggie full home.

Now that I could finally go ashore for the first time in three days, Jon and I dinghy’d into Hawk’s Nest Marina to meet up with Dave, Paula and Angel. I had made ceviche and brought that as a pre dinner snack. It was great to see our friends again and my favorite play pal Angel. We walked around the marina, watched the sun go down (again, we saw the green flash!) and watched the local fishermen feed the hungry sharks off the marina dock. (Note to self, “don’t, whatever you do, fall out of the dinghy on the way home in this channel!”). We had dinner at the Hawks’ Nest Marina, they have a beautiful big “living room” and the folks at the bar are very nice, if you are in the area have one of the local Cat Island Bahamian drinks (I think he put a little something from every bottle in the bar in this drink). After a late night toast to good friends onboard Bellissimo Jon and I safely made our way home to Beausoleil. Before we turned in we looked up at the stars, it was a beautiful night with a full moon, waters were calm and we were the only boat in the anchorage. Pretty amazing.

Full Moon Over Cat Island

The next day Bellissimo and Beausoleil sailed to the New Bight anchorage. Yes, Beausoleil actually sailed, without the engine, with the main, mizzen, staysail and the jib at 6.5 – 7 knots when we had a 12 knot breeze – we were on a reach with the wind out of the East – it was awesome!

Beausoleil under sail

The Bight is the “down town” area of Cat Island (if you could call it that) where the police station, the Blue Bird restaurant, and the BaTelCo (phone company) are located. There is also a grocery store (actually one of the largest I have seen in the Bahamas) and a liquor store up the hill and a bit of a walk, but we didn’t have to walk – a friendly man driving a bus named Dan (from the local town council) gave us a ride and waited until we picked up what we needed at the grocery. He also brought us to the base of Mount Alvernia and the Hermitage, a must see, the biggest attraction in Cat Island. From the base we hiked up to the highest point in the Bahamas – 206 feet, this is a beautiful stone chapel/retirement home built by Father Jerome, the architect/priest, John Cecil Hawes, sent over by the Anglican Bishop to restore hurricane damaged churches in the Bahamas. Beautiful 360 degree view from the top of the hill, you can see both the Atlantic Ocean and the Exuma Sound.

The base of Mount Alvernia

After our hike we had a nice cold Kalik and a Bahamian plate of pork or chicken with peas and rice, and potato salad at the Blue Bird Cafe. Time for a nap!

We spent time in the dinghy exploring the island, the nooks and crannies and trying to find the snorkeling spots. We SUP boarded (stand up paddle) in the flat, calm waters to see what we could see. We enjoyed walking the beautiful sandy beaches and rocky shores and took our time trying to get into the relaxed way of life. It is truly a beautiful island, we felt like we were the only cruisers there.

Exploring Cat Island

Next stop, Staniel Cay…

(NOTE:  There are more pictures of Cat Island on the “Photo Gallery” page of our blog)

We are sitting in the Staniel Cay Yacht Club here in the Exuma Islands of the Bahamas, drinking a Kalik (the local Bahamas beer).  Carl and David are still the two main bartenders here at SCYC (same as when we were here in 2010 and probably even way before that!).  Beausoleil is anchored off Big Majors, where the swimming pigs refused to come out of the woods today for a treat.  We are really beginning to enjoy ourselves – even slipping into “island time”.  Our first stop was Cat Island (we motor sailed all the way from Marathon to Cat Island and checked into the Bahamas there).  It is a beautiful island with lot’s to do and see.  We visited with Captain Graham (one of our friends we met in Key West when he was the captain of Bellissimo) for a while and tried to find the diving/snorkeling spots he told us about.  Dave, Paula and Angel met us there on m/y Bellissimo.  We enjoyed both the Hawk’s Nest Point and the New Bight harbors, hiked the island and had some great Bahamian food (including peas and rice).  The water is really something to see – so blue, turquoise on the banks and azure blue where it drops off to where the depth sounder no longer reads…  We stayed in Cat Island a week and then headed to Staniel Cay.  We have been here since Sunday, January 17th and will probably be here a few more days waiting for a “possible cold front” to make it’s way through the islands.  We listen to Chris Parker each morning to hear the weather forecast and decide if we want to weigh anchor and head to the next stop – “Not today, maybe tomorrow” we say.  We are not in a hurry.

We were lucky enough to get internet access today, we will try to update the blog more often and figure out how to get the SPOT to update the “Where’s Beausoleil Page” – don’t give up on us

Well, today is the first day of 2012, so we’re going sailing! We’re leaving Key West this afternoon to finally begin the real cruising we’ve been working towards for the last five years. We’ll stop in Marathon, Florida for a couple days to wait for a weather window, then it’s on to the Bahamas. We’ll meet up with some friends (Dave and Paula on Bellissimo) in Georgetown in the Exumas for a few weeks of island hopping, The we’ll begin working our way down to the Leeward Islands and Windward Islands of the Caribbean.

We’re made some great friends here in Key West, and we hate to leave them behind, but we have to move on. Goodbye to Brett and Jill, Nancy, Bob, Sally, Steve, Bill and Sandra, Shan and JoJo, and everyone else in Key West. It’s been a great year! But all the projects on Beausoleil are done, and it’s time to move on.

Keep an eye on our Where’s Beausoleil link – we’ll update it with our location via a handy little satellite messenger called Spot from Globalstar. I’ll get it working automatically as soon as I have the time.

Well, we’re scrambling to finish preparations for Cynthia Aguilar’s record setting board paddle from near the coast of Cuba near Havana to Key West. The distance will be about 90 nautical miles across the heart of the Gulf Stream. The paddle should take about 30-36 hours. Our friends Dave and Paula Norris and Bob Olin & Nancy Jordan have agreed to have their boats, Bellissimo and Sunluver, be the support boats for her attempt at the record. Check out Cynthia’s website – make sure to view the video trailer too!

Shawna and I will be crew on Bellissimo, along with our other friends Brett & Jill.

This story was written by me for my grand-niece, Haylee and her second grade class. They had an assignment to mail Flat Stanley to a friend who could show them a different part of the world so that the kids could see how other people lived.

The Traveling Adventures of Flat Stanley

By: Shawna Gauthier (Haylee Holly’s “Aunt Shawna”)

Uncle Jon and Aunt Shawna were so excited when they heard that Flat Stanley was going to visit them in Key West, FL. Key West is made up of several islands – Key West, Stock Island, Sigsbee Park, Fleming Key and Sunset Key. There are so many fun things to do and see in Key West. The Gulf of Mexico is the body of water on the North side of Key West and the Atlantic Ocean is on the South side. The Atlantic side offers beautiful crystal clear blue water where Jon and Shawna love to play. They swim, snorkel, dive, fish, kayak, paddle board, sail, ride their bicycles, visit the local beaches, shops and restaurants and enjoy being with friends here on “The Rock”.

They welcomed Flat Stanley aboard Beausoleil, the 60′ sailboat on which they live. They gave him the tour of the boat. He had his own berth (bedroom) and his own head (bathroom).

He especially liked hanging out near the ship’s tide clock and the barometer. The tide clock helps keep track of high and low tides which changes the depth of the water and let’s you know if the tide is running, ebbing or slack (all make a difference when you are trying to sail somewhere).  The barometer on the right helps keep track of the atmospheric pressure which can help let Jon and Shawna know if a storm might be coming their way.

Flat Stanley even got to take a trip up the mast to help Uncle Jon work on the boat. The mast at the very top is 63.8 feet above the water. Now that is a great view. Good thing Flat Stanley isn’t scared of heights!

Flat Stanley got a tour of the Key West Harbour Yacht Club, which is where Beausoleil is docked. There is a Tiki Hut, a really nice restaurant with a beautiful view, a pool, a workout room, sea kayaks, a beach and a lot of friendly neighbors that also live on their boats. Flat Stanley and Uncle Jon posed for a picture under the stars at the Tiki Hut.

Aunt Shawna decided that Flat Stanley was a little over dressed for Key West, no one wears a tie here and it is too warm for long pants, shoes and socks. Shawna made him a couple of outfits so he could be comfortable during his visit. The first outfit was a tank top and shorts. He also needed a pair of sunglasses and a hat because it is so sunny and warm here in Key West. Flat Stanley found some shells on the beach!

Key West History is full of stories about “Wreckers”. These are people who came to Key West and made a living by salvaging ships that wrecked on the shallow reefs around the islands. During the winter and spring months there is a local “Wreckers Race” sponsored by the Schooner Wharf Bar (one of the oldest restaurants in Key West). This is where the sailboats, both private and commercial, of Key West race against each other from the tip of Key West out to a beautiful reef called Sand Key Light. Flat Stanley was lucky enough to get a crew spot on sailboat Tovarish with Captain Ron and his crew. Here is Flat Stanley helping flake (fold) the staysail.

Here is Flat Stanley keeping watch.

Here is Flat Stanley with the crew of Tovarish – can you find Flat Stanley?

Flat Stanley spent Easter Sunday in Key West with Aunt Shawna and Uncle Jon. They all went to their friend’s catamaran for Easter Dinner. Flat Stanley fit right in. He even tried on the bunny ears!

Flat Stanley had a lot of good food to eat. There was ham, lamb, crab claws, lot’s of different kinds of salad…

Flat Stanley especially liked the chocolate cake with strawberries,

And the chocolate Easter Egg cake and the brownies!

Key West is the southern-most city in the Continental United States. Highway U.S. 1 begins in Key West. All the tourists get their picture taken at Mile Marker Zero.

While Flat Stanley was visiting Key West, the 16^th annual Songwriter’s Festival was taking place. More than 150 of the industry’s top performing songwriters were on the island playing on all the local stages including beautiful beaches, resorts, boats, bars and theaters. Flat Stanley got to see: Marshall Chapman, John Pardi, Bobby Pinson, The World Famous Headliners, the Andy Velo Band, Jerrod Niemann, one of Jon and Shawna’s friends Scott Kirby, and the most entertaining performer of all – Robert Earl Keen! These people have written so many famous songs, mostly performed by Country and Western stars. That’s Robert Earl Keen performing on stage!

Flat Stanley went to bed that night wishing that Haylee could have joined him in all this fun. He dreamed about becoming a famous songwriter and playing in Key West someday.

Key West is also known as the Conch Republic. In 1982 Key West seceded from the United States and became its own nation known as the Conch Republic. While it was not a real secession movement, every year there is a Mock battle between the US Coast Guard and the local “Conchs” to remind everyone why there was a secession movement in the first place – they are seeking only to bring more “Humor, Warmth, and Respect” to a world in sore need of all three. Flat Stanley watched the battle from Mallory Square. This is a picture of the Western Union, the largest schooner in Key West.

Here is a picture of the US Coast Guard fighting back with water canons! Even though it was all in good fun, Flat Stanley had a hard time watching. It looked like the boats were going to run into each other. But they didn’t…

Yipee! The Conchs won the battle. The US Coast Guard surrendered and raised the flag of the Conch Republic!

Since Flat Stanley, Uncle Jon and Aunt Shawna were already down town, they decided to visit the Ice Cream Shop,

watch the sunset,

see the famous Cat Man show,

try on a few hats,

and visit the Key West Art and Historical Society Museum statues. This one is called “The Sunday Walk” by J. Seward Johnson Jr.

Stanley checked out the Mel Fischer Treasure Museum. This is a picture of Flat Stanley in one of the canons on display at the museum.

Flat Stanley visited one of the largest banyan trees on the island.

He even had Key Lime pie for dinner!

One day while Flat Stanley was having lunch on the Upper Deck, the Disney Cruise Ship Magic docked right out front. Flat Stanley talked non-stop about how much he wanted to go on a cruise on that ship some day!

The next evening, Flat Stanley, Uncle Jon and Aunt Shawna were invited aboard their friends’ 75-foot power yacht Bellissimo for a Sushi dinner.

They got to meet Underwater Digital Video Production Videographers – Joe and Ozlem Berg. They own a company called “Way Down Video”. Their goal is to show people how amazing the underwater life is with the fish, coral, and all the other creatures, and to teach people why it is so important to keep our seas and oceans clean. They brought one of their DVD’s and we watched it on the big screen. Stanley put on his shortie, snorkel, and face mask and pretended to swim with all the fish!

The Hermit Crab freaked Flat Stanley out just a little bit…

The next day there was another beautiful sunset at the marina! There were so many other things that Uncle Jon and Aunt Shawna wanted to show Flat Stanley, but they ran out of time. I guess Flat Stanley will have to visit again, hopefully this time Haylee will be able to come with him.

Have a safe trip home Flat Stanley! We love you, Haylee! We wish you could have mailed yourself with Flat Stanley for a visit to Key West.

Uncle Jon and Aunt Shawna