Waking up I quickly remembered why I don't like inside cabins. I had a choice. Stay in bed and then rush to get ready when Bob woke up or turn on the lights (which would wake him) so I could see to get dressed. I did the latter. 😏
We met Jon and Michelle at the buffet for breakfast before meeting for our tour on the dock. It was a hot sunny day and as soon as Jon walked down the gangplank he realized he forgot his sunglasses and had to run back onto the ship to retrieve them.
The gal who was rounding up the group for the Catamaran Sail and Snorkel tour warned us that the swells were a couple of feet high. She gave anyone the option to cancel if they were concerned about the conditions, but no one took her up on the offer.
The catamaran, operated by Fury Charters, was a large boat with shaded bench seats. Our snorkeling destination was a reef near the Sand Key Lighthouse located seven miles south of Key West. The crew put up the sail and then went through the safety information as we sailed for about an hour to reach the reef. There was unlimited water and pop available on the way out. The same, plus beer and wine were offered on the return trip.
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| Shaded seating on catamaran |
The lighthouse was first erected in 1827 but had been destroyed several times by hurricanes and storms. The 109-foot screw pile foundation, which stands today, was built in 1853 and was the first to use a hydraulic lamp. Today, it marks one of the most popular snorkeling destinations in Key West’s marine sanctuary.
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| Sand Key Lighthouse |
We had our own gear, but were required to wear snorkeling vests. In addition, I grabbed a noodle from the boat for a little added security. I had barely gotten into the water before I lost sight of Bob due to the waves. The coral was in poor shape and the waves made it tough to swim.
Jon, Michelle and Bob went closer to where the waves were breaking over the reef, but with the rough conditions I stayed closer to the boat in deeper water. I am always afraid of being too close to the coral but there wasn't much to see where I was swimming.
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| The darker water is the shallow area above the coral reef. |
I really wasn't having fun so headed back to the boat a little early. I got there at the same time as Michelle. It was her first time snorkeling and she had seen a shark! She freaked out and couldn't get back to the boat fast enough!
It was quite comical to watch the two of us trying to get back on the boat. There was a staircase leading down into the water and we were instructed to sit on the lower step and then scoot up each step on our butts until we were far enough out of the water to stand up. But...each time we would move up a step, a wave would wash us off and we would have to start over.
The catamaran docked right next to the ship when we returned. We went back to the cabin and quickly got into dry clothes. The four of us met at the buffet for a late lunch before venturing off the ship again. For Bob and I, it was our first visit to Key West. We walked past the expensive yachts and speed boats that were in town for the World Super Boat Championship Races.
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| Off to explore Key West |
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| Fast (and expensive) speed boats |
It was hot enough that we decided right away that it was too far to walk to get to the southern most point marker but we did walk down Duvall Street and cut over a block to get a photo by the Mile 0 marker. On the way we passed by some of the well known tourist spots in Key West.
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| World's Smallest Bar...or so they say |
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| Chicken and kapok tree. |
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| Harry Truman's Little White House |
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| I kept having to remind myself that it was really November |
After dinner in the main dining room, we made it to the theater in time for the Captain's welcome toast followed by the production show, Heat. Two of the Veendam dancers (and I think maybe one of the singers) had been on our Antarctica cruise back in February.
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| Cruise Director, Hanna Delaney |
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| Captain, Marek Zoll |
It seemed a bit weird to stop at a port on the very first day of the cruise but Key West had been a substitute stop once the ports in Cuba were cancelled. The captain warned that seas would be rough during the night and into the next day. Bob and I both took a dose of Meclazine just to be safe. I enjoyed being rocked to sleep...
