A-WOL in Key West, FL

[alpha]

Long trailer haul from Detroit, 1800 miles. But worth the drive.

[pathalla]

Well, it looks like you guys are having fun! What did you haul your boat down with and what kind of mileage did you have? In Ohio here and contemplating hauling my rib down (permanently) to south florida but not going quite as far as you did... that's a hike from Michigan or Ohio for that matter... How many hours to get it down there?

[alpha]

Hauled the boat on a aluminum bunk trailer . Pulled trailer with Ford F350 diesel.
1st day drove 14 hours to Atlanta and spent the night. 2nd day left Atlanta around 7:00 AM
arrived in KEY WEST around midnight, after 17 hours it felt good to get out of the truck.
friends were waiting with ice cold beer. As for fuel mileage I really did not keep track.

[Stoo]

Originally Posted by alpha

As for fuel mileage I really did not keep track.

Sometimes it's just better that way! I have yet to dip my 590 in salty water. I used to take my SIBS to the keys to dive every winter, but it was a lot less complicated...

I don't want to get my trailer all rusty!

Your boat looks great BTW...

[alpha]

I used to take my sib to Tobermory to dive the wrecks, back in the mid 1980's. We would
set up our tent next to our boat in a campground on big tub, near the light house.
I probably stayed there about 8 or 10 times. I learned alot about boating and diving there.I also learned on one trip to tobermory to check the weather before leaving out for a day on the water. I am not really proud to say but I had the pleasure of a ride on the C.G Tobermory
not once but twice. Nice guys those Canadian Coast Guard.

[Carl]

$2.92 a gallon,yes please

[Stoo]

Originally Posted by alpha

I used to take my sib to Tobermory to dive the wrecks, back in the mid 1980's. We would
set up our tent next to our boat in a campground on big tub, near the light house.
I probably stayed there about 8 or 10 times. I learned alot about boating and diving there.I also learned on one trip to tobermory to check the weather before leaving out for a day on the water. I am not really proud to say but I had the pleasure of a ride on the C.G Tobermory
not once but twice. Nice guys those Canadian Coast Guard.

Damn small world... I managed Big Tub in '81 and '82... it was my first job after school. That campsite was THE place to be back in those days. I don't know if you are aware of this, but a huge gas storage bottle exploded there a few years ago, killing a local guy. That was the end of diving at that resort. Most of what was campsite is now the CG base and the National Park Marine Base... The Coasties are good fellas... many are friends of mine. I'm glad they could give you a lift. Presumably you were on the old 42' MLB... They have a nice new cutter there now. They have a huge territory to patrol... all the way from Southampton up to the North Channel....

And ya, we get some interesting weather there... Ever been down to The Caves... the ones in the 70' cliffs?

[alpha]

Stoo here are a couple of old photos from the early 1980's.The 1st photo is at the CG station
on little tub.The CG also had A couple of large ribs on trailers beside the building,I think one of these boats was a 733 hurricane ,could be wrong but I do remember it was A IB/OB
diesel Zodiac.The 2nd photo is a shot of my 1st SIB at a place I think was called the grotto or
the caves.THE boat on the left was white over blue in color and I believe it was known as the
"MAMMY.

[Stoo]

LOL... Yup thats CG 108. In that pic, it's docked literally across the harbour from my place. The CB base is over in Big Tub now, where that campground used to be. I was on that boat more than a few times, just cruising around. Up here, the CG is not a military organization, so the guys were a rough bunch. They had a bad accident a few years after this... A local civilian was out "on patrol" with them and fell overboard, never to be seen again. The Captain and crew were severely reprimanded and the crew was scattered all over the country. I think the Captain ended up in the arctic someplace, busted down a few ranks.

In your other picture, those are the same cliffs that are in my pics above. The "Mamie" is still in operation. It's still used as a dive charter boat at G+S Watersports. The boat behind it is the "Arcturus". It couldn't pass updated commercial certifications, so it is now a local guy's private boat.

I can't imagine that we didn't cross paths up there back then... I had a boat much like yours at the time.. a 12.5' SIB with a 25 HP Merc on it.