Day 94: Sick

KEY WEST, FL USA


Well the owner has decided that he would like to stay here for possibly two more weeks and get some projects done on the boat.  He may leave for awhile and head back to Chicago before we leave for the Bahamas.  The dockage in Miami was much more and Ft. Lauderdale is always expensive to get work done, and you have to be careful because they will take you to the cleaners.  Unfortunately there is a sailboat regatta coming in on the 12th and there may not be any room here.  I have to work out the details tomorrow with the dock master.
On another note I am sick...awesome.  I woke up today with one of those headaches that is there just enough to make your day miserable.  There was pressure on all sides and any quick movements were not comfortable.  I am achy all over my body and this morning had a pretty bad stomach ache.  I still managed to get some things done today however which was nice.  I washed most of the boat and the dinghy and did some research for our next step down the road.  As I sit down to a nice macaroni dinner I am starting to feel better, I took some medication so hopefully that will help.  It feels like one of those 24 hour deals, so hopefully tomorrow will be better.

I am a little nervous for the projects ahead because it requires me to bring more people in to work for me.  In Sarasota I had a nightmare experience trying to get other people to commit to a schedule and am afraid the same thing, if not worse, is going to happen here.  I did learn some things in Sarasota however so hopefully I can use those lessons to approach projects a little differently here in Key West.

The town was still alive today as different bands came and left at the schooner bar across the marina.  The tour boats were in and out all day, and biplane rides were constantly buzzing over head.  I could just see the radar arch over A&B Lobster House for the cruise ship that was docked over at the city dock, and heard her bellow as she left the docks this evening, full of tourists claiming they have now experienced the true Key West (half of them probably didn't even leave the ship).  I find myself already getting bunchy to leave the docks and head for the next place.  It was such a relief to leave Sarasota and now I feel like I am just going to be sitting here again.  At least the water is a nice blue and it is in the upper 70's now...so I should probably stop complaining :-)

This is a place I will never forget.  A stiff breeze keeps the air fresh with a salty smell as the flag whips gently on the aft deck.  For the second time the guitar player across the bight at the schooner bar sings his signature song about how he is sick of playing in tourist bars, hoping for a tip or two.  It is a slow song, and his voice sounds so depressed.  There is a bit of a humor to it at the same time however.  A horn sounds as the "pirate ship" pulls out of her slip full of tourists looking to catch some wind and maybe a good sunset.  The "Party Cat"  is filling up with people looking to have a good time as some guy comes over the loudspeaker trying to get everyone pumped up for a good booze cruise.  Another parasail boat comes flying in to the fuel dock that is right next to our slip.  His prop wash is so strong that it puts a strain on our lines.  I've never seen boats dock so fast.  Pelicans buzz through just under our bow pulpit inches off of the bright blue water.  There is nothing quiet about Key West but at the same time there is something so tranquil about sitting on the bow and watching the frenzy unfold.  There is so much to take in but at the same time nothing to look at.  I can't quite put my finger on it, but there is something special about Key West, and I hope that before I leave I can figure it all out.

As I finish this journal entry my mind wonders what is on HBO tonight, and while I hope it is something good I know that I probably won't make it through half of it.  My belly is full after a whole box of Kraft Mac n' Cheese, some left over chicken and a finger full of fruit.  Nothing better than a relaxing movie with a full stomach.  This sick boy needs a good nights rest and with the owner and guests out on the town it should give me plenty of time to get in to a deep sleep before they come barging back.  I know they will have a good time!  As for tomorrow I hope that I am feeling up to a nice run through town.  I have been wanting to get in to a rhythm, today just wasn't a day to start that rhythm.

Sound Waves Out.