Ahoy out there in SCJR nation!! After the turmoil of the first day with Ramon breaking his ankle, Friday dawned bright and sunny and again the waters as per the pix were very flat. As part of the club ride I took most of the riders to an island in the ocean about 10 miles south of Holiday Isle called Indian Key. It is a small island just off shore with a very rich history. In the 1840’s it was a real hub of commerce. Their main source of income was salvaging the wrecks along the keys. In fact, it was the county seat of Dade County. Most of the foundations of the hotel, post office and many homes are still there and visible. And all of the streets are still laid out and passable. It was a very viable point of commerce, at least until the Indians attacked. But that is a story for another time. It is still an active archeological dig. We brought our lunches and found a nice clearing on the island and ate our lunch. Then we hung out on the sandbar at Holiday Isle for awhile before heading back to the ramp. Saturday the folks that stayed at the condo at Kawama Yacht Club launched at the Kawama ramp and headed out for a civil war wreck that is in shallow water and loaded with beautiful coral to see. But alas, the wind kicked up and the ocean became quite choppy. So we visited a sunken concrete barge and then did some mangrove trails back south to Adams Cut. That is where the pic of David and Miriam Hughie was taken with the castle looking house in the background. Then we traveled out into the ocean and hung out at the sandbar at Holiday Isle for a few hours and did what you do on the sandbar, people watch. We also lounged in the water before heading back home to the condo.
The grand finale was the lobster dinner Saturday nite! Skip Beling and Jim Brazell went to a local fisherie and scored some great lobster tails. They then made two big bowls of salad, and baked potatoes along with baked bread. The feast was to die for and everyone burped at least once appreciatively. Skip and Jim outdid themselves. Everyone had a good visit until the wee hours trading jetski stories and other bits of information and trivia. I just want to know who was responsible for emptying the very large bottle of scotch? Anyway, the trip proved fun and rewarding for the folks that stuck with the program and everyone arrived home safely on Sunday. As always, RIDE SAFE-RIDE SMART- Capt Curt