Captain's Choice blog: A little bit of paradise with Allison

Allison couldn't have been happier to exchange the 6" of snow in NJ for the blue skies, sun and 80 degree temperature that she experienced while being here with us. Her only regret was that she wasn't staying longer "in paradise".

We had promised her a boat ride because when she was with us in Chicago the winds kept the boat at the dock. We set off for Key West on Sunday, about 50 miles from our marina in Marathon. The Atlantic had some rollers but it was a great ride. We've decided Allison fits into the "go fast" looper persona more than the "laid back" looper...10 mph is a little slow for her. What a treat when 2 dolphins ran along side of us for a couple of miles! The look on her face was priceless! We got to Key West early in the afternoon and passed 2 cruise ships at the docks as we made our way to Galleon Resort and Marina in downtown Key West. It's hard to put into words the thrill of knowing our boat is at the same destination as the cruise ships. Having been boaters for so long in the Great Lakes, I still have to pinch myself to make sure I am not dreaming this adventure of ours!
After rinsing the salt off the boat, we had plenty of time to stop at a couple of the watering holes on Duval St. as we made our way to the southernmost tip of the US, walking from the Gulf of Mexico to the Atlantic Ocean. Being in downtown Key West was fantastic and we highly recommend it to any of our fellow boaters!
Allison and I got in a little "retail therapy" Monday morning before meeting back up with Mark to head over to the pool at the resort. Besides the pool they have a small man-made beach, a tiki bar and a deck that looks out over the Gulf, sauna, rooftop viewing, laundry - it has it all. After swimming in the pool we sat by the deck to take in the view and watch the boats go by. We headed to The Waterfront Brewery and tried their craft beer before heading over to Mallory Square to see the sunset. The local vendors were out in force along with musicians, artists and jugglers. There's cameras clicking everywhere as people vie for the "best" sunset spot and everyone cheers as the sun sets. If you are into people watching Key West will not disappoint!
We wished we could have stayed longer in Key West but with Allison's short vacation window we had to head back on Tuesday to Marathon. Our hope was that the weather forecast for 5 knot winds would come true so we could stop at Looe Key Reef to snorkel. Mother Nature was with us the entire day as we left with calm winds and had the most fabulous ride to the reef and then back to the marina. The water was so clear and calm we could see the bottom in 25 feet of water. I remarked several times that I could actually see the ripples of sand on the bottom. Between the clarity and the turquoise color it was just exquisite. We saw sea turtles, dolphins, fish and these funny "dancing fish" that skidded along the water on their tails for about 40 yards. We laughed and laughed at their antics and we hadn't even gotten to the reef yet. The reef is about 25 miles from Key West and the 1/2 way point from Key West to Marathon. There are several sections of the reef and we tied to a mooring ball that had us in water about 30 feet deep. We tried it but decided it was too deep for us to really see anything, these moorings must be for people who want to dive the reef, so we moved to a mooring ball in about 10 feet of water. Were we glad we moved, it was like we took our boat and landed it in a huge aquarium. Immediately there were hundreds of fish that came and swam on the shade side of our boat. You really didn't even need to get in the water as it was so clear you could see all the fish and coral from the deck of the boat, but jump right in we did! It was absolutely amazing and breathtaking. We saw so many different kinds of reef fish, barracudas, a shark (I swam off the other way as to not become shark bait) and a Goliath Grouper. The grouper had to be at least 5 feet long and 350 lbs. - it was huge and just swam around in the shade of the boat. Because Looe Key is right on the barrier reef edge it has a large variety of depths and water conditions and is famous for having bigger fish. What a way to spend Valentine's Day, snorkeling in the keys in 80 degree weather, 75 degree water with Mark and Allison, just wishing our son Dan could have made the trip too!

Wednesday we took a quick dinghy ride to show Allison the iguanas in the mangroves before heading to Key Fisheries for stone crab and shrimp. Stone crab was the one last thing we wanted her to try before heading back to New Jersey and she loved it!

What an incredible few days we had with Allison and just so thankful the weather was perfect for our side trip to Key West. This trip is all about making memories and these will last a lifetime!