This Week on the Island 01/22/2012

'This week on the Island' is written by Doug Bennett and is an update to friends about happenings in Key West last week. Everything is true except for those parts that are lies.
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The pictures this week (click to enlarge) are ‘Sail Boats’. The first one is from the Citizen Newspaper, the second and third are from Cayo Bo’s Facebook page.

Weather: The warm weather is back. Last weekend and the first of this week I wore jeans and a hoodie for 6 days in a row. It is a good thing I have 2 of each. That is way too much cold for Key West. Most of us live here because we like it hot.

This week I finished reading ‘Double Dexter’ by Jeff Lindsay and started ‘Stairway to the Bottom’ by Michael Haskins. This is a great book if you know Key West and would like to follow the main character around town. I loved it.

The Snottie Yatchies are in town. They are at the Truman Waterfront and the Key West Bight. They have also blocked off Caroline Street at Whitehead to set up their tents for headquarters.

The power boat races are held just off Mallory Square, so we locals get to watch. The sail boat races are held a few miles off shore, so we locals cannot see anything from Mallory Square. Many of the sail boats go by Mallory Square on their way to the race spot, but they use their motors so we don’t get to see the boats with their sails up. The Power Boat racers have a parade and display their boats. The sail boat racers get very upset if anyone comes close to their boats. I wonder why we don’t get excited about the sail boat races.

I published my 9th book this week. The names of all my books are ‘This Week on the Island’ and the year. So now I have 2003 thru 2011.

A great blog on Dogs in Bars: http://keywestmusic.blogspot.com/

There is a celebration today, Sunday, 22 Jan 2012. One hundred years ago Flagler’s first train from Miami to Key West rolled into town. Now people from the island city could leave or arrive without going by ship. Flagler opened the Keys and the east coast of Florida to anyone with the train fare. He also built Trumbo Point, from the bottom of the ocean, as a train depot. It is a big day in Key West history.

-------------Sailing Terms-------------------------
A ‘Square Rigger’ has square sails and is what they called the old sailing ships like those used in the movies in the filming of the Pirates of the Caribbean. A ‘Schooner’ has triangle sails and is lighter and faster than a Square Rigger. A ship with square sails on center mast and a triangle sail on the back was called a ‘Brigantine’.

Key West, You have got to love it
'Living the life that others dream'
Doug Bennett
Lat 24.5591N, Long 81.8016W

You may join this group by going to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ThisWeekontheIsland/

Sassi dancing to Schooner Wharf Bar Dog.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbxD3D-rPqo