My daughter wasn't even 3 years old and our two sons hadn't been born yet. Many of you may recall a place called The Moorings Village in Islamorada, FL. It used to advertise in the magazines and was once a big windsurfing destination, and even hosted a big annual winter race. It still exists but doesn't emphasize the windsurfing anymore from what I can tell. I don't think the windsurfing rental outfit mentioned below is there anymore...I think this part of the Keys have become more of a kiteboarding destination lately.
Has anyone been to Islamorada recently? Is windsurfing still alive down there? I would love to know....
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[One of my favorite pictures ever...my daughter and I over 7 years ago...she's already getting so big.]
We went to Florida and had key lime pie and saw a full moon. It wasn’t just any key lime pie, mind you. Nor was it just any full moon. It was the best damn key lime pie I’ve ever had. And yes, you guessed it...the full moon wasn’t bad either. Top it off with New Years Eve and that’s not a bad deal. Oh yeah...I windsurfed too.
Kris, McIntyre, (wife & daughter) and I flew to Miami, hopped in a rental car, drove to Orlando, and went to Disney World one day and Seaworld the next. The theme parks were for McIntyre to enjoy and for Kris and I to watch her have a blast and just smile.
After two days of more crowds than we could stand, we got back in the car and headed back towards Miami and drove further south. We ended up in Islamorada. Islamorada is almost halfway between Miami and Key West. It bills itself as the sport fishing capital of the world. If you ever watch ESPN on Saturday mornings, you’ll usually see some folks fly fishing for bonefish in flat bottom skiffs surrounded by Caribbean blue crystal clear water. They are doing this in Islamorada.
We found a little slice of paradise by staying at The Moorings Village. The Moorings Village is owned by a windsurfer and is very windsurfer friendly. It is the site of the nation’s longest running Pro-Am windsurfing regatta, held every year in November. Open up a windsurfing magazine in January or February and it usually has an article about the race and it’s host, The Moorings Village. What makes this place so special is it’s natural charm and beauty. The owner didn’t cut down any trees or build any high rises. The property is approximately 17 acres and the lodging consists of small, medium, to large size houses, each with it’s own style and appeal. Each of the houses sit among the palm trees. There is a large white sandy beach that is covered in palm trees and offers a lot of shade. Then there is the water...crystal clear blue water. It’s knee to waist deep for hundreds of yards out. There are many picturesque spots on the beach and elsewhere on the property. I have read in the past that this is a popular place for modeling photo shoots.
The afternoon we checked in, the wind started to pick up. Right in front of our beach front cottage was a windsurfing board and sail rack. There was some pretty good gear sitting there all rigged up ready to go. I had called a few weeks before to reserve windsurfing gear from the only place that rents performance gear on the island – Bump and Jump Windsurfing. The owner, Gilles, must have dropped my gear off before I got there. I picked up a Bic Techno 283 and an Aerotech VMG 7.5 and hit the water. I got in about an hour of good sailing as the sun began to go down. I came in for a breather. A guy came up to me and informed me that I was on his rental gear. Horrors! I couldn’t believe what I had done. I should have known better than to just grab a rig and hit the water without finding out if it was my rental gear. My starvation for wind clearly blinded my better judgement. I apologized profusely. He was very nice about it and didn’t give me any grief. As it turns out, he was from Norfolk and has his own place in Nags Head. I told him to hit the water before the wind died. The next day, I ran into him again. His name is Arthur and his son, Brian, was with him. We joked about my thievery the evening before and talked about windsurfing on the Outer Banks. Arthur’s place in Nags Head is just an hour and a half from his home in Norfolk and he goes there every weekend. I invited him to join us at Windfest and I got an invitation to his place in Nags Head.
This day didn’t have much wind, but it was the sunniest and warmest day we had all week. I did get out there on a big wide longboard with a small sail and just played around. I also took McIntyre out in a sea kayak and we paddled to wherever the birds were. As Kris, McIntyre, and I sat on the beach and basked in the sun, a small group of people were gathering at the water’s edge. We sat up and watched as a priest walked up to them and another person was carrying a small box. The priest said a few words and then a prayer. Some other people said a few words. A woman walked to each person in the group and poured them each a cup of what looked like lemonade. Then three members of the group walked out in the water, said a few more words, then one of them poured ashes out of the small box into the water. Everyone took a drink from their cups then poured the rest of it into the water. The memorial service ended and the group broke up. The man who poured the ashes walked by us and said “Another fisherman left to the sea…that was my dad”. The place is so beautiful, I could see why someone would want to have their ashes spread out there.
That night, we ate at Manny and Isa’s, a Spanish American eatery. The menu said they had “the best Key Lime Pie”. So of course, we had to see for ourselves. After eating our main course of Cuban style Yellowfin Snapper and Picadillo, we got two slices of the pie to go. We took it back to our place and ate it under the full moon on a hammock on the beach. The moon was so bright, it made huge shadows of the palm trees on the white sand.
The next day was cloudy all day with very little wind. We spent the day sleeping, reading, and just hanging out. That night, we ate dinner at the Moorings-owned restaurant, Morada Bay. Morada Bay is on the bay side of Islamorada across from the Moorings. It sits right on the water and has a big sandy beach right off the outdoor dining deck. They had a full moon party going that night. They had bonfires burning, a live band playing on the beach, and the ever popular glow sticks for the kids. The fresh fish was great and fun was had by all that night.
Our last full day consisted of rain. Again, we began the day sleeping and reading. But later in the afternoon, the rain began to subside. Between bands of rain, the wind would pick up. So I got out there for two separate sessions between the heavy bands of rain. This time, I was on a Seatrend Allstar 70 and an old Aerotech VMG 8.0 race sail that must have been 3-4 years old. This set-up used to belong to a professional PWA racer. They added a fifth camber to the sail and the flapper on the Seatrend board was modified to a hard plastic shortened piece, instead of the normal flexible rubbery flap normally used. It was amazing. The entire rig got me on a plane with almost no effort. When a gust came along, it didn’t tug on me like most other rigs. It just got faster with no effort on my part to stabilize it. I experienced first-hand what a real racing rig is like and it was pretty awesome. The one knock I had read about flapper boards was true though, and it’s that the board would slide out from under me as though the fin wouldn’t keep it in a straight line. I have read that this is just a matter of learning to sail that type board over time to get over that problem.
That night was New Year’s Eve. We spent a quiet evening at the house and hit the sack before midnight, but were awakened by fireworks when the clock struck twelve. The next morning, we left to go to the airport just as the sun was coming out from behind the clouds...figures. We had a great time and there was something for everyone.
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ReplyDeleteI'm agree with you, the photo with your daughter is so beautiful, thanks for share!!
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