The Return to Miami, Impressions of the Boat, and Random Musings!
When we last left off, our stay in Key West was pretty much wrapped up. We awoke Monday morning with thoughts of home on our mind. I was thinking about the movie "Planes, Trains, and Automobiles," as we would be boating 165 miles, catching a plane 1200 miles to Chicago, and driving home from O'hare Airport. If everything went according to schedule, we would be leaving Key West at 10am Eastern Time, and arriving at home at approximately 1am Central Standard Time. A long day to be sure.
Pat and crew showed up from their fancy digs on Sunset Key with a laughably expensive itemized bill, including a "Valet Fee" for an island with no cars! We gassed up and hooked up with Laszlo Lukacs and his crew in another 37 Active Thunder, and pointed bows north..into the wind. Yes folks, there had been a steady wind out of the north all weekend, with seas forecast to be 5-7 feet, we were hoping for the best. With that forecast, I was happy to leave the driving duties to Pat. Leaving Key West, the waves were not bad at all, but as we progressed northward towards Marathon, they grew and grew. Add to that the fun we had with the occasional rain shower, and it was an interesting ride to be sure. We were passed by a 40 Skater JUST before things really turned ugly. The seas were tossed washing-machine style, probably a solid 3 foot with occasional 5 foot holes. The Skater never left our horizon, and slowly but surely came back to us, even though we were only running about 45 mph....my guess is the difference in comfort between standing and sitting in that water was what motivated the Skater captain to take it easy on his crew. Pat expertly guided the boat...dodging crab traps and bigger holes the entire way, and losing Laszlo in the process (he wisely went at his own pace). We stopped for lunch at the Tiki Bar at Marathon, then I climbed behind the wheel for inside run (no waves!). After very nearly running out of gas, we splashed some more in the tank ($5.20/gallon!!!!) and continued on to Miami.
Upon arrival in our destination city, Pat made an executive decision to head out to the Atlantic rather than idle through downtown Miami to return to the trailer at Haulover. I was driving, and he turned to me with a smile and said "You should probably let me drive. In about five minutes, you will wish you did anyway." I deferred and gave him the wheel. It turned out, he was wrong. It was only about THREE minutes until we hit the nastiest water we had seen the entire trip. Pat did his best to keep us dry, but it was somewhat in vain. The waves were solid 5 footers, with an occasional ocean roller towering overhead. We could only run about 30 mph, but, once again, Mr. Active Thunder safely guided us through the melee, and after a LONG 15 minutes or so, we shot through the Haulover Inlet and back to the waiting truck and trailer....our aquatic adventure concluded.
After briefly considering pulling the entire rig up to the departure gate at Ft. Lauderdale International, we went back to Active Thunder central, changed clothes, said our repeated "thank yous" and goodbyes, and headed to the airport. Our flight was only slightly delayed, and we crossed the threshold of our homestead right on time....1am...exhausted, but very, very happy.
The BOAT
Now its my turn to attempt to justify my journalism degree and create a short review of our newly purchased floating hunk of fiberglass fun. Many have asked "How did you like the boat?" or "Was the boat everything you thought it would be?" My answers have been more definitive than any others that I could give with regard to this entire adventure...YES...I LOVE THE BOAT. Granted, proper journalism would maintain an objective perspective, and I can hardly be considered an objective source since I had just spent a couple dollars on the actual PURCHASE. However, I am allowed to say that the boat was nice as I had expected, and more. We ran it through water that, unless we are somehow caught in a majorly unavoidable situation, I hope to NEVER have to deal with...and the boat handled it with aplomb. This greatly helps my confidence as an owner and a driver, knowing that it will get me and my crew home safely, even in the nastiness. Then, there was the cabin. One of the main reasons we wanted to get a larger boat was for a more spacious cabin, and that of the Active Thunder has few competitors. We jumped right in and slept on the boat three nights in a row, and it was AMAZING. An actual usable head (bathroom for the landlubber) with hot and cold running water, a nice stereo, refrigerator, microwave, flat-screen TV/DVD, and air conditioning...it was like going from a pop-up camper to a Class A motorhome. Michelle had some doubts about the boat, but they were allayed with much haste and she likes it as much as I do. Success. Yet another thanks to Pat and Active Thunder. What an amazing product.
Random Musings
-One should avoid travel with me if at all possible. Of the 6 flights back and forth to Florida since July, 5 of them were delayed in some way. Weather, damage to plane, and even a pilot that didn't show up...travel with Mike generally sucks.
-Boating in Florida is NOT for me. Seeing salt spray on the boat makes me very unhappy...but salt spray is always there! I wash my boats too much as it is...I would go insane in Florida.
-Channel markers are to be taken seriously. If they are not, severe consequences will occur. Pay attention to your navigator(s). I had at least three navigators as all times.
-Duval Street is the most fun single street I have ever been on.
-Key West is a very strange mixture of extreme wealth and hippies that couldn't care less about money.
-I will most likely never spend that much money in fuel in one weekend again.
-Powerboaters don't do anything "small." A 37 foot boat that goes 85 miles per hour ostensibly should not be the smallest and slowest boat on any run...but it was damn close on this one!
-EVERY frozen and/or tropical drink should be ordered with a "floater." A shot of Bacardi 151 in a test tube on top! It is also very important to MIX said rum into the drink before consuming!
-Boating is really a great way to see the Keys
-Bicycles are a great way to see Key West
and, finally,
-You can do a lot with a dollar in Key West
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