jmarkb
Member
Posts: 467
Member is Online
|
Post by jmarkb on May 24, 2024 1:43:26 GMT -5
Late, but here it is. Ms PD and me left Port Saint Joe about 4:00 pm Thursday 5-9 and drove to Ocala. Spent the night and headed out to West Palm on Friday to my buddy's house. He and I have been friends for over 40 years, and still stay in close contact. Finished loading up their stuff Saturday morning, and moseyed on down to the Keys. Check in time was 4:00, so we didn't hurry and made several stops on the way down, several tackle shops, lunch at Mrs Macs Kitchen, and a couple of places that sold cool refreshing adult beverages. We took the ferry to FT Jefferson on Sunday and had a good time there. Flat calm the whole way there and back. It went downhill from there. The other couple woke up during the night feeling sick, and got worse over the next 4 days. We picked up our rental boat on Monday, loaded the gear and girls and tried to find a dolphin for dinner but no luck and the chop had the ladies giving us the "take us home now" looks about every 45 seconds. After just a few moments of that, they explained that any sexual activity that we might be considering (no, not any wife swapping) was gonna happen any time soon. The wind blew at abut 15-20 on Tuesday, not enough to keep me home but my bud was really getting bad so the boat stayed tied to the dock all day. Wednesday less wind, easily fishable but my buddy went to the emergency clinic where the doc told him he had a bad cold virus, pink eye and conjectivitis, and then yelled at him for not coming in much earlier. I took the boat back early after all that. Thursday me and Girl went back to Key West and walked around a while, which I hated. Been there too many times and am not a big party guy anyway. We did eat lunch at El Sibony in down town, though, find was fantastic as usual. hung around the house Friday, caught about 50 mangroves off the dock of which 3 were legal. Loaded up to leave Saturday morning, drove straight through to Clemont and stayed with Girl's mom until Monday am early. Back home 6 hours later. Being pretty much unconnected for 9 days was good (left the business phone with my son, with instructions not to call unless of fire or floods) but the lack of fishing and our friends both sick wasn't very entertaining, especially for them. So as vacation goes this one was a 0.5 in the fishing category, a 8-9 eating, Ft Jefferson 7-8, and rest full for me 9.5. Still bummed about the lack of fish killing. my guys did a good job while I was gone, the only time they called me was for fishing reports. Gonna go through my boat this weekend, charge batteries, load the new Navionic chart in the MPS, wash the boat, and rerig tackle from trolling back to bottom fishing. Season for the endangered and elusive Red Snapper opens a week from today.
|
|
|
Post by mackeralsnatcher on May 24, 2024 2:43:09 GMT -5
Sorry to hear about the problems BUT it is that way sometimes. I think we have all had a crappy vacation or two. hell, i remember buying four new tires for my boat trailer and due to a factory defect all four blew out on the way to the keys, the last one on the long key bridge (the people stuck behind us were not happy with that one.) Hopefully your next one is much better.
|
|
|
Post by ferris1248 on May 24, 2024 5:25:03 GMT -5
That's a bummer. Better luck next time.
|
|
|
Post by richm on May 24, 2024 5:40:06 GMT -5
That's pretty close to our last vacation - was in Cedar Key and 6 of 7 of us got sick. No. 7 tested positive but no symptoms. No fun being sick on vacation.
Same kind of stuff for the weekend - Saturday gonna mow lawn then help a buddy install a big stainless rail so he can get in and out of his pool... Then we'll see what happens on Sunday.
|
|
|
Post by illinoisfisherman on May 24, 2024 6:57:12 GMT -5
Sound great! Any time off is good even if it doesn’t go as well as planned.
|
|
|
Post by conchydong on May 24, 2024 15:30:16 GMT -5
You can’t always get what you want but sometimes you get what you need.
|
|
jmarkb
Member
Posts: 467
Member is Online
|
Post by jmarkb on May 24, 2024 18:15:21 GMT -5
I had debated with myself on pulling my boat down, and it just seemed like asking for trouble. It's about 13-14 hours to Key Colony from here. I should have done it anyway Four new tires on new wheels the trailer, two new spares and wheels, new axels, hubs, and brakes. Big floor jack, grease, spare hubs and 20 volt Dewalt impact tool. We would have got a couple days fishing at least. Hindsite I guess.
|
|
|
Post by swampdog on May 25, 2024 16:41:08 GMT -5
Yep I think we’ve all been there. Sometimes you gotta know when to hold them, know when to fold them, and when to walk away…You did everything right. Great you got a break from work.
|
|
|
Post by Mango Man on May 26, 2024 6:52:29 GMT -5
Sorry to hear about your vacation. Sometimes they get turned on their ear, sucks.
|
|
jmarkb
Member
Posts: 467
Member is Online
|
Post by jmarkb on May 26, 2024 13:57:45 GMT -5
Ain't nothing but a thing. ARS open 6-1, No way I'm gonna fight the googans at tha ramp, I'll wait until Tuesday or so then go. My boss is real good about stuff like that.
|
|
|
Post by cyclist on May 27, 2024 11:15:05 GMT -5
|
|
|
Post by richm on May 27, 2024 17:20:19 GMT -5
Where you at Pete?
|
|
|
Post by ferris1248 on May 27, 2024 17:24:19 GMT -5
Pete's in the mosh pit.
|
|
|
Post by conchydong on May 27, 2024 17:41:29 GMT -5
I think he mentioned he was going to a JJ Grey concert.
|
|
|
Post by cracker4112 on May 28, 2024 7:31:35 GMT -5
That’s a great venue Pete, hope you enjoyed it. I was last there for the Govt Mule/OCMS show in 2022.
If it’s the St Augustine Amphitheater, which it appears to be
|
|