Visitors to the Florida Keys can now pretend to be — and actually fly like — “James Bond” with a new watersport providing levitation-like flight. The Keys are the first place in the United States to offer the amazing experience to travelers.

Jetpack Adventures is based in Key West at the Galleon Resort & Marina. A similar experience is to be offered by Sundance Watersports at Hawk’s Cay Resort & Marina near Marathon.

Participants strap on a flight pack that looks like the one actor Sean Connery wore in “Thunderball.” A 30-foot hose tethers the apparatus to a tiny boat with a pump that uses seawater as propellant. Flight controls allow adventurers to take off, make soft turns, hover and land. To watch a more comprehensive video of the experience, click here.

Of course, flyers who want to conclude their astonishing experience like Bond did (see the classic “Thunderball” clip below) will need to provide their own expensive sports car and sexy companion.

Topics: Highlights, Key West, Marathon, On the Water, Voices Main Archive

New York’s landmark vote on gay marriage has certainly created an outpouring of good news for our community. The timing fit perfectly with our communities celebrating Pride across the country and throughout the world.

Gilbert Baker savors the moment as his 1.25-mile rainbow flag is unfurled down Key West's Duval Street. (Photo by Mike Hollar/Florida Keys News Bureau)

The Key West LGBT community always thinks of doing things that are outside the box, so for Key West’s 2003 PrideFest festivities, a 1.25-mile rainbow flag was sewn here by Gilbert Baker, the creator of the original rainbow flag, to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the original banner’s debut.

The original flag was created at the request of Gilbert’s good friend, the late Harvey Milk. Mr. Milk asked Gilbert to create something bright to replace the pink triangle that had been a symbol of “gays” for many years.

The Key West flag was created over three months and included more than 18,000 yards of nylon fabric and 25 miles of seams. Sewn in 100-foot and 250-foot sections seamed together, it weighed more than three tons.

Supported by approximately 2,000 volunteers of widely varying ages, ethnicities and sexual orientations, the world’s longest rainbow flag was carried the entire length of Key West’s Duval Street from the Gulf of Mexico to the Atlantic Ocean in a sea-to-sea showing of openness and pride. After its unfurling, the flag was dipped simultaneously into the waters of the Atlantic and gulf.

A section of Key West's rainbow flag makes its Broadway debut -- carried down New York's famous street by enthusiastic marchers.

Following that historic event, the sections of the flag were separated and sent to Pride organizations throughout the world.

I’m always asked where the flag is, and if (or when) it will be reassembled and grace Duval Street again. Though we won’t be able to reassemble it for one of our Pride events, our “sea-to-sea” rainbow flag brings its color and history to Pride events in many cities during the year.

In the last few weeks, sections of Key West’s iconic flag were carried in Pride events in Palm Beach, Fla.; New Hope, Pa.; Buffalo, N.Y.; Cincinnati, Ohio; and Houston, Texas — and right now a section is on the way to Fairbanks, Alaska.

But that’s not all. During pride and LGBT events over the last few years, sections of the flag have been showcased in Oslo, Norway; Vancouver, B.C., Canada; Manchester, U.K.; Anchorage, Alaska; Orlando, Fla.; Park City, Utah; San Francisco, Ca.; Koln, Germany; Saint Augustine, Fla.; and Stockholm, Sweden.

A section of the world-renowned Key West flag is displayed during its travels by a group from United Airlines.

Sections of the flag were displayed during the 2010 Winter Olympics held in Vancouver, B.C., at the official Olympic “Pride House.” Pride House is believed to be the first house at the Olympics for gay and lesbian athletes, their friends and families — and is seen as a positive force in tackling homophobia in sports.

We’re always pleased to loan sections of Key West’s famed banner to our friends for special events so members of our community can see and touch a piece of the world’s largest rainbow flag.

On another note, we recently hosted several gay travel writers for a “gay Key West” fix — and now I want to share links to their articles and a blog.

Along with sections of the flag, Key West's philosophy of open-hearted diversity is being carried to cities and countries around the globe.

Writer Tony Adams splits his time between New York City and Fort Lauderdale, and on his recent island escape said he “ate the best of Key West.” Jack Gonzalez, a world traveler whose home base is Brisbane, Australia, tells of his adventures in the island city. Travel correspondent Troy Petenbrink, based in Washington, DC, shared his experiences in Edge Publications and posted a photo slideshow on the Examiner.

I hope you enjoy their tales, and make plans to visit soon and create your own stories. Spend some time with us this summer and you can experience the Underwater Music Festival July 9, run with the “bulls” and Papa Hemingway, fly like James Bond on the water, party with the boys this August at Tropical Heat, play with the girls in September during Womenfest 2011, and picnic with the bears during September’s Key West Bear Fest.

Meantime, Look for me July 14-17 at the Key West booth during San Diego’s Pride.

Topics: Arts, Events, Festivals, Key West, LGBT, Local Color

(Editor’s Note: This week’s Keys Voices, honoring the late Clarence Clemons, was written by Larry Kahn, editor of the “Florida Keys Keynoter.”)

"Big Man" Clarence Clemons, shown here onstage in the Florida Keys, was an unparalleled musician who loved the island chain. (Photo courtesy of Redbone Celebrity Tournament Series)

Saxophone player extraordinaire Clarence Clemons, 69, for nearly 40 years Bruce Springsteen’s No. 2 man in the E Street Band, was well known in the Keys for playing gigs at various bars, sitting in with whatever bands were playing.

They include the Schooner Wharf in Key West; the Brass Monkey Lounge, Castaway, Dockside Lounge and the Hurricane Grille in Marathon; and Woody’s, the Lorelei and Cheeca Lodge in Islamorada.

Clemons, who died June 18, was also a staple fixture at a group of Florida Keys fishing tournaments that raise money for cystic fibrosis treatment and research.

“He always showed up with his sax and played, even though I never was presumptuous that he would play,” said Gary Ellis, founder of the Redbone Celebrity Tournament Series.

Ellis said that even though it wasn’t widely known, Clemons had an affinity for sportfishing.

“He was totally taken by fishing,” Ellis said. “He was all about Keys fishing … for tarpon and bonefish.”

Shown here releasing a bonefish, Clemons found great enjoyment in fishing Keys waters. (Photo courtesy of Redbone Celebrity Tournament Series)

In the Keys, Clemons’ special place was in Marathon. His Stirrup Key home overlooks Florida Bay.

Clemons’ 2009 autobiography, “Big Man: Real Life and Tall Tales,” has a chapter called “Marathon Key.” In it, he writes following back surgery:

Most of my time lately has been spent in Florida healing. It’s a slow process but I’m doing well. I feel strong every day and look forward to dancing across the stage again on the next tour. As I write this, I’m sitting on my porch looking out at the bay toward the horizon where the ocean meets the sky.

The book also has a chapter called “Looking Back from Islamorada.” That recounts his chance meeting with singer Jimmy Buffett, who was signing books at an Islamorada bookstore, likely Hooked on Books.

Clemons went into the bookstore and saw a bunch of Parrot Heads {as Buffett fans are called}.

Clarence plays the Brass Monkey in Marathon in May 2010 at the Save the Monkey party. (Photo by Ryan McCarthy, "Florida Keys Keynoter")

I walked up to the head of the line and waited for Jimmy to notice me. It’s very hard not to notice me. Especially in a tiny Florida bookstore a few feet off the highway.

“You’ll have to get in line with everybody else, sir,” said Jimmy when he finally looked up.

“I don’t think so,” I said.

“I don’t think so either,” said Jimmy, smiling. “Big Man! Look everybody, it’s Clarence Clemons.”

The folks in line smiled. Two big stars for the price of one in a very unlikely setting. Well, one big star and me. They applauded.

(Editor’s Note: Andy Newman contributed to this piece. An earlier version of it appeared in the Wednesday, June 22, edition of the “Florida Keys Keynoter.”)

Topics: Arts, Highlights, Islamorada, Marathon, Profiles, Voices Main Archive

One of my friends is moving from Marathon to the Lower Keys. Her days are filled with plumbers, pool cleaners, and absent cable installers. Her speech is disjointed; her eyes glitter feverishly.

Is this the face of a boot thief? (Photo by Joanne Denning)

I recognize her symptoms from the time, years ago, when I moved home to Key West with my then-boyfriend Gerry after 18 months in Nashville. In fact, I still can’t look at a moving van without twitching uncontrollably.

It all began with Clyde.

Nashville, Sept. 29. We hire a mover despite his peculiar nickname (Clyde the Magic Mover), and he asks how many boxes we have. Gerry and I are not fooled. We have moved before. We do what any other experienced householders would do. We lie.

Nashville, Sept. 30. Clyde the Magic Mover and his partner, Ezell (E´-zell), arrive. Both are in their mid-50s and so strong they have enough energy to joke as they lift our 300-pound couch into their moving van, a vehicle seemingly big enough to hold Sloppy Joe’s Bar.

When all our belongings are safely stowed, we hop in our car and follow the van south.

Exuberant blossoms add a lush beauty to Key West homes ... like our beloved cottage.

Key West, Oct. 1. Arriving at our new cottage during an island rain shower, we realize our attractive tropical yard is filled with tropical mud. Unfortunately, we must cross it to get the furniture in the back door.

Undaunted, we do what Keys residents have done for generations — we improvise. We lay a large board from the moving van over the mud. Clyde and Ezell speedily unload our household goods and disappear. With their board.

Key West, Oct. 2. While I wander the Historic Seaport, glorying in being back on my island, Gerry stays home to unpack. Unfortunately, another tropical shower turns our backyard into a mud puddle again. Carrying boxes in from the car, he removes his favorite cowboy boots and leaves them outside the back door so he won’t track mud inside.

Shortly afterward, he spots a floppy-eared puppy racing past the kitchen window with something in its mouth. At first he thinks the object is a dirty rag — but then realizes it’s one of his boots! Frantically, he gives chase but can’t catch the culprit.

After returning, I quickly headed down to the Historic Seaport.

When I get home, Gerry is pacing the kitchen (barefooted) muttering to himself. The remaining boot sits on the counter.

Gerry does not handle this kind of thing well. Indignantly he relates the boot-snatching episode. I collapse into a chair, laughing uncontrollably.

Later, as we dine on Key West pink shrimp at the Hogfish Bar, Gerry says,  “I’ve heard that animals do only what they need for survival. So why did that dog need my boot? He can’t wear it!”

We fantasize briefly about a local dog pack indulging in boot worship on Dog Beach beside Louie’s Backyard. I try to finish eating my shrimp, but can’t stop laughing.

Key West, Oct. 3. Gerry starts the day in his flip-flops. He’s not amused when I hum “These Boots Are Made for Walking.”

The missing boot reappeared behind the Southernmost Point marker, delineating the southernmost spot of land in the continental U.S. (Photo by Rob O'Neal, Florida Keys News Bureau)

Outside, savoring Key West’s tangy salt air, I begin chatting with two kids trying to crack a coconut on the sidewalk. Gerry unobtrusively searches the area for a boot.

Finally one of the kids says, “Mister, are you looking for something?”

Gerry relates the whole sorry tale.

The older kid grabs Gerry’s sleeve and urges him down Whitehead Street. There, behind the Southernmost Point monument, the boy indicates a boot. It’s muddy, bedraggled, and appears to have a few bite marks.

Gerry snatches it up with a glad cry.

Key West, Oct. 4. I bike over to Fausto’s Food Palace for groceries. On the way back, I encounter a puppy that looks suspiciously like the boot thief Gerry described. He’s carrying something in his mouth … but nevertheless, he manages to give me a wide canine grin.

Topics: Animal Ambassadors, Key West, Local Color, Quirks, Voices Main Archive

Key West Pride ended Sunday, June 12, with a fun and wacky parade down Duval Street, a mob scene at La Te Da’s Tea Dance, and parties at the clubs. I was pleased to welcome journalists Joe Jervis from the joemygod blog, Tony Adams with South Florida Gay News, and Troy Petenbrink who writes for Edge publications and the Examiner out of DC.

During Key West Pride, and all year long, blog author Steve Smith welcomes visitors to Key West.

These three attended most of the events during the festival, starting with the Key West Business Guild’s kickoff mixer at the ever-popular Island House. FYI, Island House opens its doors twice a year to the public. More than 300 residents and visitors cheered the beginning of the festivities.

In addition to competitions for Mr. Pride, Miss Pride, and Ms. Pride, pool parties were hosted at the Equator Resort and Big Ruby’s complete with food, beverages, and entertainment. In addition, there were water adventures on the Fury and the Blu Q. And Saturday brought a street festival, a pool party at Bourbon Street’s Garden Bar, and a comedy show at the historic San Carlos Institute featuring Michele Balan and Jason Stuart.

The lovely Deja, dressed in rainbow finery, was selected Miss Pride during Key West Pride 2011. (Photo by Kenné Tucker)

But that’s just the beginning of summer festivities on the island. Not long after Key West Pride comes the July 4 weekend, another special time.

For the 27th year, our Hospice and Visiting Nurses Association holds an Independence Day picnic at the historic Casa Marina Resort. Join hundreds of locals and visitors strolling the Casa’s lovely grounds and beach while enjoying a generous buffet.

All the proceeds from the picnic benefit Hospice/VNA — and for a small additional donation, you can have a table on the beach and watch our fireworks display over the Atlantic Ocean from your seat.

And don’t forget the annual Miss Firecracker pageant held Friday, July 1, at the Bourbon Street Pub’s Garden Bar. The pageant benefits AIDS Help, our local AIDS community service organization.

If you think July means it’s time to slow down, think again. Come July 19, we welcome the 31st annual Hemingway Days to Key West.

The events include a look-alike contest for stocky white-bearded men (think bears!) who resemble Ernest Hemingway, a literary evening featuring Hemingway’s author granddaughter Lorian Hemingway, the zany “Running of the Bulls,” a great street festival and more.

Sultry sun and sizzling fun can only mean one thing: Womenfest in Key West!

After taking a slight breather, we usher in our 6th annual Tropical Heat summer party (I’ll tell you more about this fun event in the upcoming weeks). Then we welcome thousands of women for our annual Womenfest. For over 20 years the island has opened its arms, and doors, to women from all corners of the world.

For those of you who happen to be in the Tampa and St. Petersburg area on June 25, I’ll be promoting the Keys at the 9th annual St. Petersburg Pride.  Stop by and get the latest information about the lively summer schedule in the Keys and Key West!

Topics: Events, Festivals, LGBT

In the late 1960s, Sally and Joe Bauer made a road-trip pit stop that changed their lives forever. Driving back from diving in the Florida Keys, they stopped at a store near the Miami airport called Stone Age Antiques.

Sally Bauer stands beside a diving bell after a dive in Norway in 2005. (Photos courtesy of the Florida Keys History of Diving Museum)

There they found an old diving helmet selling for $500, and bought it because they thought it was attractive. That simple act set them on a path that, years later, led to their founding the Florida Keys History of Diving Museum in Islamorada.

“When we purchased that helmet, we caught the collecting bug,” Sally admitted. “Like any incurable disease, it can’t be treated. You can suppress the strength of it a little bit — in this case by adding to the collection — but you never quite get over it.”

Under the influence of the “disease,” the Bauers eventually assembled the world’s largest collection of diving artifacts, antiques, books and prints related to the history of diving.

Sally wasn’t always interested in the underwater world. She grew up in a rural area near Youngstown, Ohio, and later studied medicine. She first met her husband of 42 years, the late Joe Bauer, when she showed up at his office seeking a summer job while in college.

“I started working for him, and then I worked for and with him all of the rest of his life,” she said. “We did everything together — that was my joy through life and my great tragedy when he died.”

Sally displays a wooden Griswood helmet underwater.

Sally and Joe began diving as a hobby that helped them disconnect from the world and escape the stresses of the medical profession. They kept diving because of their fascination with the marine biology of aquarium fish.

The Bauers took dive trips to the Keys to study the spawning behaviors of fish and bring them back to their Cleveland home for further research. As well as making important scientific discoveries, they also were the first to raise clownfish and peppermint shrimp successfully in captivity.

By the 1980s, their collection of artifacts was so vast that they helped found the Historical Diving Society of the United States and the United Kingdom. Concerned that the collection, and the history it represented, would be scattered and lost after their deaths, they approached the Smithsonian Institute, Disney’s Epcot Center and others — but got little response.

“When we moved to the Keys full-time in 1997, we realized that the Keys are the only place that you can drive and dive on a coral reef,” Sally said. “It just seemed natural that this is where we should have the museum.”

That realization sparked their creation of the world-class Florida Keys History of Diving Museum, located at mile marker 83 — which contains artifacts and other items covering an incredible 4,000 years of diving history.

The museum's highlights include an exhibit dedicated to Upper Keys treasure hunter Art "Silver Bar" McKee.

Highlights include an exhibit of dive helmets from around the world, and one dedicated to legendary Upper Keys treasure hunter Art “Silver Bar” McKee.

“The museum is not just for divers — it’s for anyone who wants to know more about man’s quest to explore under the sea,” explained Sally, who was inducted into the prestigious Women Divers Hall of Fame in March 2011. “Joe used to say, ‘It’s a little jewel that has not quite been discovered,’ and when people come in they’re astonished.”

Joe Bauer died suddenly in April 2007, but his legacy and knowledge of diving history live on through Sally.

“My challenge for the rest of my life is to put this history down so it’s not lost,” Sally said. “There are many more stories we want to tell about diving history.”

Topics: Highlights, History, Islamorada, Profiles, Senior Adventures, Voices Main Archive

Rob O’Neal wasn’t born with a camera in his hand (at least, his mother is reasonably sure he wasn’t). But somewhere along his journey from childhood to adulthood, from his former homes to Key West, the camera became an extension of Rob’s eyes and heart and brain.

Rob O'Neal's eye for a great photo leads him to shoot images like the "southernmost legs" in front of the Southernmost House in the continental United States. (All photos by Rob O'Neal)

He doesn’t regard that as remarkable; it’s simply the way things are. Just as Dylan and Springsteen translate their experiences into chords and lyrics, Rob translates his into photographs. His “Key West Photo Safari” book, a compilation of those experiences, is a quirkily vivid record of the world he inhabits — and a must-have volume for everybody who loves the island city.

Though Rob has shot thousands of photos of Key West and the Keys, until 1996 he was a land-locked guy who worked in the restaurant business in Dayton, Ohio. But serendipity intervened, and he wound up in Key West with a camera and a simple philosophy.

“The battle cry has always been, if it moves, shoot it,” says Rob, ”and if it doesn’t, shoot it again.”

From a helicopter, Rob captured the action of a world-class sailing regatta held each year in Key West waters.

Since his immersion in the world of Keys photography, Rob has found himself in some pretty unusual situations. For example, flying over Key West Harbor in a helicopter at 100 miles per hour to shoot world championship powerboat races. Diving on the shipwreck site of the fabled “Nuestra Señora de Atocha” Spanish galleon that sank off Key West in 1622. Dodging huge, lavish floats full of semi-naked revelers during the elaborate (and wonderfully bizarre) annual Fantasy Fest Parade.

Rob’s camera has captured some of the wackiest events in the Keys. Like the Minimal Regatta, where rules mandate that “vessels” must be constructed of two sheets of flimsy plywood and a roll of duct tape. The annual Parrot Head gathering of some 3,000 Jimmy Buffett fans, who typically wear eccentric headgear that inspired their name. The late lamented Chickenfest, a celebration of Key West’s free-range fowl that included a “Poultry in Motion” parade.

When former President Bill Clinton strolled down Duval Street past Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville, Rob was there with his camera.

And while some photographers shoot only pretty stuff, or only things they’re assigned and paid to shoot, that’s not the case with Rob O’Neal. For him, chronicling his world on film is as natural — and as necessary — as breathing.

His wonderful “Photo Safari” is a testament to his passion. Not only are the shots intriguing and appealing, but many portray things that only someone with a highly developed “eye” (and an equally well-developed appreciation of the absurd) would recognize and shoot.

For example, there’s a car shaped like a giant red chile pepper rolling down legendary Duval Street. A trio of tiny dogs wearing t-shirts riding in a cushioned bicycle basket. A garbage truck with a supersized pink plush bunny stuck to its grill. A shrimpboat with its outriggers arched like the legs of a giant grasshopper.

And of course Rob’s book showcases the glorious mix of characters that give Key West its character — from drag queen Sushi to weatherbeaten former mayor and saloonkeeper Captain Tony.

So who is Rob O'Neal? Here's a rare portrait of the guy behind the camera.

You’ll even find a shot of former president (and repeat Key West visitor) Bill Clinton, dressed in a bright red polo shirt, standing under the sign that marks Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville Café.

“Ask any Key Wester and they’ll tell you that the people are what it’s all about,” says Rob, adding that his book includes “entrepreneurs, doctors, musicians, cab drivers, city commissioners, policemen, firefighters, artists, writers, bartenders, and a healthy dose of full-fledged nut cases.”

Get the book, spend some time wandering through its pages, and you might be able to figure out which are which. Or, of course, you might not. But either way (and this is virtually guaranteed), you’ll have a terrific time trying.

Topics: Arts, Highlights, Key West, Local Color, Profiles, Voices Main Archive

Recently I ran into former resident Joseph McLaughlin, who was visiting Key West. Joseph was part of our community for nearly five years before he embarked on a journey around the world. We chatted for a few minutes, and this week I received a travel story from him about “rediscovering Paradise.”

In this column, guest blogger and former Key Wester Joseph McLaughlin offers his insights on rediscovering the island.

Because his piece talks about so many wonderful elements of Key West, I decided to share his insights with you. Therefore, here I present “Rediscovering Paradise” by Joseph McLaughlin. Enjoy our island through his eyes!

******

Key West is known by many names — Cayo Hueso, the Conch Republic, the Southernmost City — but most of the time it’s just called Paradise. I began my journey to rediscover Paradise by leaving a chilly, rain-soaked Boston and landing in Key West where I was greeted with sunshine and warm temps. A good start!

I needed to RE-discover Paradise because, after living there for almost five years, I left to work in Las Vegas and on a ship that took me around the world. During my years away I often wondered if moving back was to be part of my path. So, how better to consider those thoughts than to celebrate my birthday there?

Royal poincianas delight visitors and residents with their exuberant color. (Photo by Joseph McLaughlin)

Soon after arriving I was bicycling around the island on a beat-up loaner — a woman’s bike with ape-hanger handlebars. Because I was visiting in May, the island was awash with blooming trees and shrubs.

My favorites: the umbrella-shaped canopies of the royal poinciana alight with blood orange colored blossoms, night air filled with the irresistible scent of frangipani, and bougainvillea which blooms everywhere in a painter’s palette of color. The light is sharper and more intense than the gentler northern light. Colors are so enhanced that the sight of vivid blossoms surrounded by varied shades of green and backed by a deeply-hued blue sky is almost mesmerizing.

To visit Key West and not go out on the water is practically a crime; I booked a snorkeling trip on the Blu Q, my favorite catamaran. The sky that day was almost cloudless and the water was a dreamy 86 degrees! At one point I was kneeling on a submerged sandbar in chest-high water while enjoying the warmth and sipping sangria. That’s hard to beat!

The Key West Cemetery is an oasis of peace and tranquil beauty. (Photo by Joseph McLaughlin)

Strange as it may sound, my favorite place on the island is the Key West Cemetery. Many of the graves are above ground due to the island’s low-lying topography and high water table. One evening I gazed down the length of the cemetery at the orange-hued, newly-risen full moon … and speaking of moonlight, I’ve always loved how the tin roofs of the old wooden homes glowingly reflect the lunar light. It adds a touch of mystery and magic to a nighttime ride or stroll.

And I can’t forget the restaurants! Some of my favorites are Nine One Five, where I dined on a series of small plates including devils on horseback, tuna tartare and a cone of fries with aioli; Square One with Patrick (aka Patticakes) holding court behind the bar, where I feasted on duck pad thai while sipping one of the best martinis around; Sunday brunch at Croissants de France sitting under the twisting branches of a 150-year-old Spanish lime tree; and Banana Café, where I enjoyed my favorite dish of smoked salmon with cream cheese and capers on toasted French bread.

Azure skies and turquoise waters make Key West hard to resist. (Photo by Joseph McLaughlin)

Of course I visited Camille’s, owned by Michael and Denise (I used to work there part-time), where lunch consisted of crab cakes benedict and a delicious con leche (Key West shorthand for a café con leche).

I left Key West with a suntan, a relaxed look on my face, and sore muscles (darn that bicycle!), but still didn’t know if moving back was in the cards. But, heck, it sure is tempting!

Topics: Food, Key West, LGBT