June 2026 – Exhale on the Water

The Keys are hot, Hot, HOT

There is a legitimate reason Exhale traveled north during most summer months in the past. It is freakin HOT in the Keys!! The temps have hovered in the 90s for weeks. In the words of Dirks Bentley, “What was I thinking?” click and enjoy! Okay, the lyrics have nothing to do with the Keys, but wasn’t that a fun moment!

Why did the chickens cross the road? To get off the hot pavement!

We know the heat will continue until late September so Capt Rick is now focused on keeping the air con ON – it has been a BIG challenge – in deep competition with every other boat in the marinas we visit. Boater’s Tip – low voltage at the power pedestal is the direct result of high demand. Too many boats, not enough watts. Yes, it’s a first world problem. And no, it’s not as deadly as France, nor have we experienced devastating earth quakes, a heart breaking condition in Venezuela, so I am done complaining. For real.

Good news – the water conditions have been better than usual. Capt. Rick reminds me it’s a tradeoff. Buttercup prefers smooth water, I prefer cooler weather.

This Girl is on Fire

Still on the topic of hot keys, here’s another music reference for Kat and Jean. Alicia Keys, American singer, songwriter, pianish, actress and record producer, was born in Hells Kitchen. That’s also hot. Perhaps you know her song “Girl on Fire”. Go ahead, click on the title and take the time to listen! Hopefully in a cool setting.

Key West – Little White House

Did you know that President Truman was a fashion influencer? With a little support from a brilliant vendor, he made a familiar look, especially for Capt. Rick, the encouraged attire at his key west respite.

Look closely at that group pic – Truman is in the middle! This closet contains a replica of his cherished wardrobe.

Let’s talk about house boats. A common sight in the keys.

A very special houseboat – The Larooco.

Sometime in 1924, Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) and his friend John Lawrence purchased a 71-foot vessel they named the Larooco to cruise the Florida Keys during the winters – yes, he was smart enough to avoid the summer heat. FDR did use the warm winter waters and sunshine for polio rehabilitation. Sadly, The vessel was destroyed in a 1926 hurricane.

The houseboat Larooco, owned by FDR & friend John Lawrence, 1924 to 1926.

Key West Tropical Forest and Botanical Garden, Cow Key

Thanks Gail B for finding this treasure! What thrives in heat? Cactus.

The gardens were well worth the stop, shade alone made it delightful. Here’s an unusual tree trunk, notice the tight curl, followed by a very strait rise to the sun.

Curious what type of tree we were viewing, I zoomed in on the descriptive sign:

Beautiful rainbow bridge for Morgan, and all the other people out there who have lost a loved one.

This was my favorite, the caption below the photo explains.

Hogfish Bar and Grill

Burger time! Capt Rick declared this was the BEST burger, EVER! That’s a strong statement for a man who has been ordering burgers at nearly every port we visit. True.

Known as the VandenBurger, the patty included Sirloin, Brisket and Chuck, topped with bacon, grilled onion, mushroom, cheese and onion rings! insane.

Marathon Yacht Club (MYC)

It was the first time we docked at MYC – what a lovely experience! We often eat there, but have never gotten a dock. Boater’s Tip – it is so popular people book for a full month, or even a full year. So plan ahead, it’s worth the stay.

For Ray and Caryl, time for taps.

Safe Harbor Marathon, Vaca Key

Always reminds us of Tom & Faye, we left at 6:59 am (that’s for Dave Lubs)

Key Largo

One of our favorite stops used to be the Pilot House Marina in Key Largo – but this time the water was so shallow that navigation of the narrow canal was less than pleasant. Boater’s Tip, check the water levels before navigating the Pilot House channel.

Good news, it’s reasonable walking distance from a true fav, Snook’s Bayside, where the food is delicious (Capt Rick ordered a burger),

and the live music is delightful.

A little Bayside magic – a sweet moment for Maureen, Craig, and Sue

sunset at Snooks

Sending a hug to Joe Occhino.

Celebrating Milestones

Happy Canada Day!! July 1; Happy 250, July 4.

Birthdays: June 26, Joe Occhino; July 1, Becky Weaver Browne, the queen of boat lines; July 3, Kathy Avanzino; July 5, Gail Doyle; July 7, Rodger Dodger

Anniversary: June 27, David and Jamie; July 3, Rick and Mary; July 4, Tanja and Jason

What’s Next: Ocean Reef, reuniting with Greg, Pamela, Morgan, and Luca!! Oh yes, it’s ice cream time for Capt. Rick.

One Fish, Two Fish

Look at that gorgeous water! Within minutes of casting his line, Capt Rick caught his first fish of the season. His bait consisted of morsels of steak from dinner on board the night before.

The second fish was hooked so hard he needed help to release the barb. Unfortunately, the needle nose pliers were still inside the boat.

While Capt Rick waited for anyone (David B. was nominated) to bring him pliers, he was concerned the hooked little fish could die – you know the fish out of water thing – so he magnanimously lowered it into the water to keep it alive. Oh, SNAP!! A shark appeared, gulped down the fish, and broke the line.

Okay, not this shark – but you get the idea.

Faro Blanco, Marathon

Now that the fishing tale has been told, the timeline for this story is slightly out of sequence, so let’s go back to the prior stops.

This is for Craig and Maureen – who were with us at Faro Blanco shortly after the resort opened for business, when Rodriguez Cigars was in the house,

and there was a beautiful wedding!

In Marathon, we were also within walking distance of CastAways, home of the huge hogfish – for Tom and Faye.

Perry Marina, Stock Island

It was recommended by new friends Doug and Natalia on PiraSea that we order chicken wings at the Perry Marina. Boater’s tip – during happy hour all food is 25% off, and several of the drinks are 50% off. Which I think causes us to eat and drink more for some ridiculous reason. I also recommend the wings, made with a dry rub of Old Bay, they WERE so delicious!

And the general atmosphere was great.

Good advice for emails, texts, blogs, and old fashioned letters!

Dry Tortugas National Park

10 minutes before the official sunrise, at 0630, we departed the Perry Marina in Key West.

Destination – Garden Key harbor, a popular anchorage at Fort Jefferson. The run is about 70 miles, at the pace of a turtle. We gladly followed Tonto’s Reward.

Capt Rick and I have been to the Dry Tortugas twice before, once with Jamie and David, and once with Maureen and Craig. Both times we rode the vomit comet, aka Yankee Freedom, Dry Tortugas Ferry. With a capacity of 250, rough waters equal a very unpleasant experience.

Capt Rick promised me we would only go on our boat if the water was smooth, but let me tell you I did NOT expect flat, calm water! I swear, this photo is NOT modified in any way.

We rafted off of Tonto’s Reward; that means they dropped an anchor, then we hitched together the two boats, carefully lining up the doorways for easy passage.

The boats were neatly snuggled together.

Fort Jefferson was a short dinghy ride from our anchorage.

You probably know that tortuga in Spanish is “turtle”; but did you know the Loggerhead Turtle weighs up to 440 lbs, proven by these crazy skulls, and it has a lifespan of up to 67 years.

A warm shout out to Commodore Connie B – thanks for the salty treat.

Bucket List Item: Anchor Out at the Dry Tortugas. Check. It was spectacular!!

Once again leaving at 0630 – have a mentioned how I am NOT a morning person – it was about an 8 or 9 hour run, getting us in while there was still staff to help us tie up.

Key West

Hello to A & B Marina on the Harbor Walk.

Deja Vu – nearby Cuban Coffee Queen was exactly the same – this is for David Hendry, who generously brought me coffee from there more than once!

More photos of key west

Hemingway moment – David B and Rick G shared a Papa Pilar Rum moment with Ernest.

While in Key West we added a fun new art piece, so Purple Pete is no longer lonely. Say hi to Ernie!

Sending POSITIVE energy to Craig and Maureen. Wish our trips together to Faro Blanco, Key West and the Tortugas had been this smooth. We plan to see you in LA in the near future. And, sending positive energy to Caryl for her long awaited knee surgery on Monday.

Celebrating Milestones

Birthdays: June 17, Harrison Wilder Bishop; June 22,

Happy Father’s Day on Sunday, June 21

What’s Next? Heading back to Perry’s Marina in Stock Island.

“It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere”

We returned to SCYC, joining Tonto’s Reward to commence Part II of our Florida tour. A departure on June 6 at 7:00 am yielded a spectacular sunrise, for Dave Lubs. To our surprise, PC Gary Ralph left the dock before we did, a rare occurrence for that late riser.

Buttercup has settled in

In the salon we have fresh violets for Maureen, it reminds us of a certain small town hardware store during an anniversary trip to Canada. Thanks Craig and MO for the sweet memory!

First stop on the new route was Naples City Dock. Boater’s Tip – this location is a reasonable (doable) walking distance to downtown. Sending happy thoughts across the rainbow bridge for Mike Gillespie and Chris Occhino, good memories at Bleu Provence.

To our delight, PC Gary Ralph joined us in Naples!

PC Gary Ralph, David B, Gail B,
Buttercup (on the floor, hoping for crumbs)

Naples Yacht Club

We had an interesting dinner at the Club

Gail B, David B, PC Gary Ralph, Capt Rick, Mary S

Gail ordered the Veal Chop – Milanese (not a familiar cooking term for Gail or me). The dish was massive, to say the least.

We now know what “Milanese” style means … It’s made by bludgeoning the veal cutlet to an even, thin thickness (about ¼ inch), coating the heavily clobbered meat in flour, egg, and breadcrumbs, plus Parmesan cheese and herbs, then frying the pummeled carcass until cooked through. Gail usually orders her meat rare, so this was NOT what she expected. She had hoped for something more like this

Eating very little of the miserable mega milanese, she said the best part of the dish was the arugula salad, leaving LOTS of left overs for David.

Naples Sailing and Yacht Club

We had a lovely Sunday brunch at NSYC (highly recommended). Grandpa Rick said the yogurt with M&Ms is for Tyler. Ynot.

Marco Island Yacht Club

It was a beautiful run from Naples to Marco Island! With PC Gary Ralph in the lead boat, Knot Dreamin’ NP44 Sedan, Exhale second, and Tonto’s Reward taking up the third position. Gary had just reported, “It’s so smooth out here you do not need stabilizers or a SeaKeeper today!”

Wait, what’s that bobbing in the water nearby? The fin of some sort of large fish? Maybe an unmarked hazard to navigation?

Before answering that question, let’s step back in time, just a few short minutes, when Capt Rick found himself in shallow waters, with immediate results. Now then, I’m Feeling a little Jimmy Buffet Vibe – from “It’s Five O’clock Somewhere”. Go ahead, click to listen with me!!

Jimmy Buffett: “Alright, we just want to make sure you can keep it between the navigational beacons.”
Alan Jackson: “Between the buoys, I got it.”

Good advice boys.

Extending our thanks to the fishing family in the center console who pulled Exhale free from the sand bar, and who retrieved the floating object. So sorry I did not take any photos of the effort.

Are you still wondering, what exactly was that thing bobbing in the water?? Answer: Exhale’s sheared off stabilizer. Sigh. Oh, and thanks, Gary, hopefully you are right, we “don’t need [no stinkin’] stabilizer[s]”.

Running Aground – Good News, our experience was not as crazy as Past Commodore Greg Rocque – you might recall the slide show from the PC’s roast, even more insane – this boat on the rocks is a North Pacific :-) For real!

As we have said before, if you claim you have never run aground in Florida, the question is, “has your boat ever left the dock?”

Seriously though, it has been a long while since Capt. Rick decided to sand surf, or clean the barnacles from the keel. Good news, Exhale is still operable, we did not take on water, and we got off the sand bar before Tow Boat US arrived.

Although it was NOT 5 o’clock, yet, it was definitely time for a stiff rum drink – thanks David and Gail for the arrival/survival drink delivery!

Hey PC Gary Ralph, thanks again for joining us. It was a lovely evening in Marco. Look have smooth that water is.

Marco Island Bridge, view from the yacht club

Zoom in to see the Local Youth about to take a plunge!

We are happy to report that last night we got a free boat wash, we say, bring on the rain! Fill up Lake O, please.

FCYC Update: Marco Island Yacht Club marks club number 17 for Exhale and Tonto’s Reward.

Celebrating Milestones

Birthdays: June 2, Sue Gillespie; June 3, Lorrie Swink; June 9, my younger sister Frances Straley; June 10, bonus cousin Debra McDaniel McGhan; June 15, Heather Rutherford

Anniversary: BELATED congrats to the beautiful Carly and Brandon Maurer, celebrating 17 years :-), June 14, Paul and Celeste celebrating 51.

Next up:

We will anchor for one night at Cape Sable, and then head south towards the Keys. Welcome back, Caryl and Ray, we hope Sideways is on the water soon.