Leaving Key West

That's it! Went to the Turtle Kraals and nothing! Nothing kind of describes the Kraals too. Not only were we disappointed there was no sign of our pirate friend, but there was no wooden baker, and the Turtle Kraals was really a bust.
There is some history with the museum, but mostly its a lousy story about catching, cooking and canning turtles until they became endangered and the work was banned. There are behind the scenes, real stories, but its pretty unlikely you'll hear these unless you can talk to an old salt. He can tell you about fishing and the turtle industry from a perspective yet untold by the museum. That way you get it straight from someone who has been out to sea to learn by experience and not by someone who's been to college to learn by reading.
So, that's it. We will not be chasing off to another place looking for our friend. If more tips come in we will follow any lead, but for now we are heading off the Keys. Maybe one stop in Marathon. The Kid wants to eat at the Keys Fisheries.
As we purposely shunned the Turtle Kraals restaurant, we saw loose lips from Captain Tony's. The Kid wanted to grill him about the wooden baker story, but when he caught sight of us he ducked inside the place and since I figure he was just some nut case and I refuse to go into Kraals, we let it go.
"But it is 1 Land's End." The Kid tried to persuade me. "And what about the figure outside of Captain Tony's?"
I did agree to a cold one at Captain Tony's before we left. We only go to Sloppy Joe's to remind ourselves we never want to be tourists. When you are after an adventure, want to escape, or are gaining experience in life, don't be a tourist.
At Captain Tony's this Captain ordered a draft, it was too early for rum.
"This is for you." The bartender said as he handed me an envelop he had been using for notes.
"When did you get this?"
"Yesterday. Forgot about it when you were here."
"Who is it from?"
"Dunno. Was Stuck in the door when I got here."
Captain Tony's is all about escape and it never fails to live up to that reputation. Just when you begin to worry that the routine of day in and day out is about to claim you as one of its victims, the legend, the lore, and the mystery of this place hands you escape.
Inside the envelop was a simple message: "Sarasota. MNP Marina. Jack Clark"
I pushed aside my draft and tapped the glass to get the bartender's attention, "Rum."


The Captain and The Kid

Captain Tony's Key West

We stayed at Captain Tony's later than anticipated. The rain is spitting off and on, but there is a forecast for heavier storms later. The Kid decided to shoot some pool and promised not to hustle anyone. What I can see from my stool though is there is some sharking going on. At least that is up front, even though it doesn't always pay off as big.
The pool playing is not why we stayed late. As we were about to head out to snoop around for our missing pirate friend, a customer came in and began flapping some loose lips about a wooden figure. I thought that this may be the real clue needed to track down our friend and be done with this mystery.
A shadowy character slipped by the front door, but before I could think clearly, it was gone. I looked down Fitzpatrick, Greene, and Duval, but it was mostly tourists doing tourist things, so I went back inside. I sat closer to loose lips.
"Wooden figure, did you say?"
"Yeah, you know like one of those butlers, or baker figure things where they hold a tray or something."
"Not a pirate, huh?"
Loose lips nodded no, said he had to go back to the head, but instead slipped out the front door and quickly disappeared around the corner.
Captain Tony's is about escape. When you are inside you can go almost anywhere in any period of time. Unless you go out the front door, the world is not out there. The history of the place, of the man, and about the patrons who added to the history and mystery of this legendary saloon are all about escapism and other places.
This Captain first met Captain Tony years ago. Whenever This Captain and The Kid come to Key West we escaped with Captain Tony to more places than Buffett sings about in Last Mango. Captain Tony could escape in the blink of a story,and those eyes could take you to other places you did not want to return from, while at the same time making sure you bought another beer.
Captain Tony died November of '08, but the legend never dies, so the escape is always at hand in his saloon.
I asked the bartender if he knew where Loose lips saw the wooden figure.
Breaking up The Kid's game, we headed to the turtle kraals per the barkeeps tip.
This may be the end of the chase, but this is the best tip yet. Loose lips was hiding something, the figure by the front door , and all of this at the legendary escape place of all time, Captain Tony's. If this isn't it, we are heading off the Keys.


The Captain and The Kid

Key West. Clues and Cues

A mid-level low is currently spinning over the Florida Peninsula and interacting with a surface front to bring locally heavy rain to the Florida Keys. A mid-level high in this Captain and The Kid has us spinning in anticipation for our arrival in Key West and interacting with the locally heavy gathering of travelers, escapists, and local Conchs.
Mile Marker zero. In 1982 Key West seceded from the U.S.A. War was declared, no shots were fired, but the long siege did include shots. Immediate surrender followed, and the request to the U.S for 1 billion dollars in foreign aid and war relief to rebuild the newly establish Conch Republic was made. So far the aid has not come, but this Republic is thriving these many years later. Passports are not required, but are encouraged.
Key West is all about escapism. Its encouraged, sung about, written about, lived day by day in this southernmost point. This will be a good stopover. Who knows maybe Charlie and Spike will show up.
The Kid thinks this may be the clue to where our pirate friend has disappeared to, either willingly, or by being shanghaied. My only hope is that there will not be too many wooden pirates around town to make our search more difficult. Our friend doesn't say much, so we will have to find him by some effort on our part.
With great concern for being thorough in our search we went into Captain Tony's to get out of the heat and cool our core temperature by liquid infusion. We had been here before.
Some years back during a touristy run by some 'Northerners' I headed over to Bo’s Fish Wagon for a fish po boy while The Kid stayed at Captain Tony's. When I get back The Kid is hustling pool. The Kid knows better than to hustle locals, so it has to be tourists. I'm thinking money is tight and it looks like The Kid just handed $5 to the guy in the Hog's Breath t-shirt. The balls are racked, words are exchanged and Hog's Breath breaks, but nothing falls. The Kid chalks up and with some pretty sloppy shooting edges out the tourist. Hog's Breath hands The Kid a 20 and more words are exchanged. Balls are racked, The Kid breaks and runs the table this time. Hog's Breath crosses his arms, which are steelworker big arms, holds another 20 between his big steelworker thumb and finger, and stares a dare stare at The Kid.
This is about the time most of us would trade escapism for escape route. With great concern for what may develop this Captain ordered a rum with just a spritz of coke and sat back to see how The Kid would do facing a Great Lakes steel working tourist who had just realized he had been hustled and his hard earned money for his late night fun was about to walk out the door.
The Kid slipped the 20 from between the thick, muscular fingers and said, "Tell ya what, drinks are on me and you keep the change." We sat through two drinks each, swapped stories about days at sea, urban legends from Key West to the Caribbean and then let him escape into great feats about his life in Buffalo; then Hog's Breath the steelworker left happy with $5 and stories to tell back home.
Today we didn't shoot pool. Today we watched the rain lighten up and then pour down again. Some tourists stopped in, but mostly locals hanged out and we talked about food, and historical legends who had once made this town their home. No one brought up if so and so sold out and ruined being part of the escape that we all had come to enjoy.
Later we would ask about our friend. He may be in town. I head someone say something about a midnight sail, or sailor, or something like that.

The Captain and The Kid