Sundog Update

It was just ten days ago that we spent our first night on board the F/D Sundog, but they were ten days full of new experiences, the good kind that result in learning something new.

We sealed the deal with Roger on April 25th, a Monday, and set off to make everything official with the "authorities" -- Monroe County for title; registration and sales tax; City of Key West for a lease, payment of three months of rent, and the feared "transfer fee", a $5,000 tribute to the City for the privilege of leaving her where she is (boats are shes and hers, but you probably knew that); and the insurance broker who got us a City-required $300,000 liability policy in case anyone is injured due to our negligence.

Most of that was done before the end of that week.  On Thursday, we bade farewell to Roger and Jake on the bow deck.  Back to Elizabeth Street then to finish our packing, and on Saturday  we moved everything we had left, in a well-planned maneuver involving four friends and two trucks.  Sunday and part of Monday was for cleaning at Elizabeth St.  But we spent our first night  aboard Saturday after relaxing on the aft upper deck, luxuriating in the coolness of the 20-30 knot breezes blowing in from the Gulf to our east, across Key Haven and into Garrison Bight.

We're now tackling the parallel tasks of cleaning and fixing as we go along, while looking for places and spaces in which to put things, and deciding what else we can pack and put into storage on Stock Island with the stuff already stashed there.  If all goes as planned, we'll be ready for guests by the end of May.

And in response to our daughter Betty's suggestion, here are eight photos of the Sundog that Roger posted on his Facebook page while he was still Captain.  We'll be making a new set after we get finished, and will be posting pictures of the neighborhood too.

The aft upper deck.  That's Jake in the chair.

Kitchen, looking aft.

Kitchen, looking starboard.

Looking out at Tarpon Pier from aft upper deck. 

From the head of Marlin Pier.  There are now two other boats
on our port side.

The lower salon.

The master bath.

The upper salon.