"Commotion on the Ocean" at Key West

     Yesterday was a relax day as we prepared for our evening cruise along the waterfront of Key West.  The event was called Commotion on the Ocean as Debbie and I, along with 136 other “tourists” took a 2 hour sail to see the sunset on Key West.  The vessel was a 59 ‘ Catamaran, with live entertainment, cocktails and hors d’oeuvres.  We traveled down to the waterfront to board the Fury, and found a section of Key West that we had previously missed.  The marina was alive with hundreds of boats of all shapes and sizes.  There were charter fishing boats parked along the wharf, with each Captain hawking the tourists about their vast experience on the waters surrounding Key West and the exorbitant amount of fish they catch. They make their living off of the tourists, so I guess you can’t blame them.  There were 70’-80’ yachts which were absolutely magnificent.  Of course our eyes focused on the smaller trawlers since we had previously thought about going that route before switching our plans to the RV.

 
     At 5 PM we all boarded “Fury” and eased our way along the waterfront past hundreds of tourists who were gathering in Mallory Square enjoying the nightly tradition of “Sundown at Key West.”  We waved to the people on shore, ( I think that's Debbie's hand in the photo!), as Debbie recalled her days on Lake George watching the tour boats traveling up and down each day.  She certainly does enjoy being on the water, and we seem to take every opportunity that crosses our path to get out on the water.

 
      Once onboard, we settled down in some comfortable seats along the stern of the catamaran.  (This nautical talk reminds me of my days cruising the Mediterranean.)  The hosts on the boat were very cordial and came around quite regularly to refill our glasses.  I tried the margaritas, but soon switched to a light beer.  Debbie seemed to settle into the margaritas, and we both passed numerous times when we were offered glasses of champagne.  The music was lively, and you'd swear Jimmy Buffet was aboard.

     We met another couple, Fred and Mary Lou, who were visiting Key West for a few days.  They had many stories to share regarding travel around the U.S. along with travel around Europe.  They highly recommended the Viking Cruise Lines which offer river cruises throughout Europe and Asia.  Debbie and I had been thinking about trying Viking in a few years, and had hoped to meet people who had traveled there previously.  Trip Advisor is useful, but the opinions tend to range from wonderful to lousy, so it’s hard to gauge the legitimate response. Mary Lou is from Jersey City and Fred is from Augusta, Ga.  She's been trying to convince Fred that he needs to travel to NYC and see the Christmas decorations, which he is dreading because of the cold.  So we helped him along, saying we'd meet them in NYC in Jan 2015 if they decide to go.  As you can imagine,he was very grateful.   After the cruise, Fred and Mary Lou joined us for dinner on the waterfront at Schoonover Wharf Bar where we continued with our questions about Viking Cruises.  After dinner we walked along the waterfront and found several huge tarpon swimming next to the dock.  We were told that the blue lights from the boats attract them into the harbor.  Gotta keep those fish in mind next time we go snorkeling!

     Sunset on the ocean is always spectacular, and we enjoyed watching the day come to an end in such a glorious manner.  Mother Nature treated us well with calm seas and a warm breeze, and the evening was enjoyed by all.

Tomorrow Debbie has me headed back to the beach for some snorkeling.  She's forgotten about the tarpon already!  Actually it's gonna be great!