2007 Life in the Keys

2007 was filled with teaching for me, friends coming to visit and Angela coming down every other week. During our weekends together we spent time diving, learning to spearfish, searching for lobsters and anchoring out at the different islands around the Keys and basically getting a taste what life aboard a boat will be like full time.

Here was the first marina I was at in Boot Key Harbour Marathon, FL. In addition to the tight turn around to get the boat out we also had to go through this bridge each time we wanted to go sailing.


To the left is a picture of me teaching a Live aboard class taking students down to Key West. To the right are two of my students, a father and son from Denver Russ and Ryan, one evening at sunset.

In 2007 we learned to catch lobsters while diving with a "tickle stick" and net. To the left was our catch one afternoon. We also took spearfishing lessons and this was our kill during our first lesson.

In June of 2007 Skip and Jimmy came down for a week long cruise out to the Dry Tortugas. We fished along the way and visited Key West as well as Fort Jefferson on the Dry Tortugas. The following are pictures from the trip with the boat in front of the Fort Jefferson, some of the fish we caught along the way, Skip, Angela and I in Key West, and Jimmy, Angela and I looking out of the windows of Ft Jefferson.

In October of 2007 we decided to move the boat to a new marina where it would be easier to get out and we would not have to deal with any bridges to go out sailing. This was also a "real" slip without all of the "locals" that hung out at the City Marina where we had been for over a year. Instead we now have the ocean to look at off our back deck!

To the left is the walkway down Marathon Marina which is our new home. To the right the boat in slip #85 at sunset.

It was a great year in the Keys in 2007, no hurricanes, beautiful weather, lots of visits from friends and a few lobsters and fish along the way. On Thanksgiving weekend we decided to run Hakuna Matata in the Annual Boot Key Harbour Thanksgiving Regatta. Angela did not want to race at first but as we left the start line in FIRST place she started to REALLY enjoy the competition. We ended up in second place for our class and it was a great end to a great year.

The one and only "racing" plaque that Hakuna Matata will most likely ever see!!!