Wednesday, July 04, 2007

Flexibility is the key to a positive Tortugas experience.

So...

Original plan-
Leave Jax at 9:00 PM
Arrive in Key West at 5:30 am
Shop for last minute grocery items at Winn Dixie
Arrive at Coast Guard dock at 7:30
Depart for DRTO/Loggerhead 9:30AM
(Sleep Enroute)
Arrive at DRTO/Loggerhead 3:30 +/-
Orientation at 4:00pm
Alone on deserted island, 6:00 pm.

Real world:

10:00 am
Receive word from DRTO that CG/Supply Boat not running.
We are riding on Yankee Freedom Ferry Boat. Be at the dock at 6:30 to load gear.
Just lovely.
Leave Jax 9:45 PM
Rain 60% of trip to KW
Arrive Key West 6:15PM
Shop like crazy for 20 minutes.
Arrive YF dock 6:45
Load gear, groceries 7:00-7:30
Get car to parking area, taxi back to dock. Arrive 8:00.
No sleep on boat ride.
Arrive DRTO 10:30.
South Beach closed due to mating sharks (holy crap!) and there are 25 Cuban migrants on Loggerhead.
Lovely.
USCG not able to send a cutter to pick them up.
(Xxxx xxxxxxxxx xxx xxxxxxxx) to take them back to Key West.
With all the hullabaloo, there were not enough resources to get us over to Loggerhead, and get the current volunteers back over here for transport.
So... We slept in the Crews Quarters, and expect transport in the morning.
No Problem.
Right.
2 Campers woke me up at 11:45.
Cubans on the beach.
Lovely.
21 Cubans (14 Men, 7 women including a 2 year old girl.)
And a dog.
(That's a first.)
A couple of the guys were celebrating with Cohiba cigars and a bottle of Havana Bay rum.

We got them and all their crap up off the beach, searched them for contraband and weapons, and got them to the holding area.

This morning I saw the one thing that really pissed me off...

Apparently, the first thing they did when they arrived on the beach, even before lighting up their stogies and drinking their rum, several of them took a nice healthy shit on the beach.

When I saw it this morning I about had a fit.

That's the first thing you do when you enter a new country? Shit on the beach??

Happy Independence Day.

---------

In theory, we're heading to Loggerhead this AM.

TBG out-

4 comments:

Luc said...

I can tell you're enjoying every freakin minute of it.

Regards to the family. Have fun guys.

Anonymous said...

Jay,
Did you forget about the fort factor?..... Things never go as planned. I hope when you get to Loggerhead all is calm. By the sound of things you'll be very busy. SEND PICS.
Tammie

Anonymous said...

(Xxxx xxxxxxxxx xxx xxxxxxxx)???

Anonymous said...

hang on to it and when they are deported back - throw it at them and tell them they forgot something