We’re feeling grateful in the Florida Keys these days — grateful that Isaac brushed past us as a tropical storm, having very little impact, and grateful that our world is back to normal (or whatever passes for normal along the happily eccentric island chain) after the storm.

Railroad and history buffs can visit the former Over-Sea Railroad work camp at Pigeon Key, lying beneath the historic Old Seven Mile Bridge. (Photo by Andy Newman, Florida Keys News Bureau)

For us, September brings warm weather, sunny skies and lots of lively events like those listed here. So why not escape from your “normal” life and head for the Keys for a few days?

Florida Keys Museum and Attractions Weekend, through Sept. 3 around the Keys. The family-friendly event provides free or value-added admission passes to 13 participating museums and attractions. They include the Florida Keys History of Diving Museum in Islamorada, Crane Point Museum & Nature Center and Pigeon Key in Marathon … and the Harry S. Truman Little White House, Key West Aquarium and many more in the southernmost city. To print out a free weekend pass, click here.

Key West BrewFest, Aug. 30 through Sept. 3 in Key West.  More than 150 beers and ales, including unique microbrews, are on tap at Key West BrewFest. They include intriguingly named offerings like Monk in the Trunk, Holy Mackerel and White UFO — plus local favorites like Key West Sunset Ale. Beer dinners, a seminar with “brew guru” Jim Brady, the highlight BrewFest Tasting Festival, food and music round out the Labor Day weekend activities. Presented by the Southernmost Hotel Collection and the Key West Sunrise Rotary Club, the festivities benefit the club’s charitable efforts.

Chill out with a cold one at BrewFest over Labor Day weekend. (Photo courtesy of BrewFest Key West)

Womenfest Key West, Sept. 4-9 in Key West. A hot entertainment lineup and a warm welcome await attendees at Womenfest, a celebration for lesbians and their friends in the island city known for its all-embracing diversity. Featured attractions include a standup comedy showcase, performances by well-known musicians and bands, women-only water-sports excursions, pool parties, a golf scramble and sizzling late-night dance parties.

Lionfish Derby for Divers, Sept. 8 in Key Largo waters. Teams of up to four divers can compete for up to $3,300 in cash and prizes for helping remove invasive lionfish from area waters. The Upper Keys derby is held at Coconuts Restaurant in Key Largo. Early registration fee is $100 ($120 after Sept. 5), and divers can participate from their own private vessel or join a professional dive operator’s charter.

Phil Peterson’s 40th Annual Key West Poker Run, Sept. 13-16 throughout the Keys. It’s an All-American event as motorcycle enthusiasts from around the U.S. travel the scenic Overseas Highway — designated Florida’s only All-American Road — over 42 bridges and breathtaking expanses of open water. Poker Run participants ride from mainland Florida to Key West to raise money for charity.           

Morada Way Third Thursday Art Walk, Sept. 20 in Islamorada. A free monthly showcase of fine art, live music and culinary nuances spotlights several art galleries and eateries between mile markers 81 and 82. The exuberant art walk is presented by the Morada Way Arts & Culture District.

Birding enthusiasts can hone their skills and add to their life lists during the annual Florida Keys Birding & Wildlife Festival.

Conch Life Scramble, Sept. 22 in Islamorada. In this wacky on-the-water golf tournament, “sinking a putt” takes on a whole new meaning. Four-person teams enjoy a game of nine holes by boat (really!), with proceeds benefiting Florida Keys charities.

Florida Keys Birding & Wildlife Festival, Sept. 25-30 in Marathon. People of all ages can get real-life tips for becoming better birders, outdoor enthusiasts and nature photographers. Hands-on activities, guided beach hikes, self-guided kayak tours and an Environmental Fair at Curry Hammock State Park highlight the annual outdoor event.

Remember, the events here are far from the only ones set for September 2012. For the full month’s happenings, check out the official Florida Keys & Key West calendar of events — and start planning your trip!

Topics: Voices Main Archive

The recent (and sadly unsuccessful) attempts by athletes Penny Palfrey and Diana Nyad to swim from Cuba to the Florida Keys remind me of another marathon journey — a triumphantly successful one — that ended in Key West.

Bob Voris dips his bike tires into the Atlantic after ending his 6,300-mile trek at Key West's Southernmost Point. (Photo by Tony Gregory, Florida Keys News Bureau)

This trek took place in 2005 and, admittedly, was attempted on land instead of water. The athlete who accomplished it was a 55-year-old Alaskan middle school teacher.

Actually, when Bob Voris pedaled his bicycle up to Key West’s Southernmost Point marker on Aug. 20, 2005, he looked like any other visitor eager to have his photo snapped at the southernmost spot in the continental United States.

But for Bob, a resident of Eagle River, Alaska, the arrival meant much more than a photo opportunity — it meant he had completed an approximately 6,300-mile ride that began in Homer, Alaska, to raise funds for the American Cancer Society.

A long-distance cycling enthusiast whose previous accomplishments included participating in a Race Across America event, Bob began his “End of the Road for Cancer” cross-continental ride June 10. His trip was inspired in part by the loss of his younger brother to leukemia and other family members’ struggles against cancer.

Bob's journey through the Keys took him the entire length of the amazing Overseas Highway. (Photo by Andy Newman, Florida Keys News Bureau)

He chose Key West as his destination both because he enjoyed visiting the island in the 1970s and because it’s about as far as he could ride from Homer.

“I started at one end (of the continent) and will finish at the other,” he said after crossing the Florida state line. “And hopefully cancer will see its end of the road before too long.”

Unlike long-distance walkers or bikers who travel with friends or support vehicles, Bob decided to make his trek alone — because, he said, battling cancer is essentially a solo journey.

His arrival in Key West, however, was anything but solo. He was greeted at the Southernmost Point by local American Cancer Society representatives and cancer survivors — as well as Aaron Coenen, who completed an Alaska-to-Key-West fundraising bike trek just a day before Bob’s finish.

After pedaling an almost identical route, Bob and Aaron meet for the first time -- incredibly -- at the Southernmost Point. (Photo by Gerry Goradesky, Florida Keys News Bureau)

Aaron, at that time a 22-year-old engineering student who lived in Milwaukee, dedicated his bike marathon to raising money for the Lance Armstrong Foundation for cancer research and education. An admirer of the multi-year Tour de France winner, he was motivated in part by his grandmother’s fight against cancer and Armstrong’s own battle.

Unlikely as it sounds, Bob and Aaron completed their separate Alaska-to-Key-West fundraising rides, and arrived just over 24 hours apart, without once encountering each other on the road.

“We were really surprised that we didn’t cross paths,” Aaron admitted. “We definitely wouldn’t have missed each other if we’d been on the same stretch of road at any point.”

Bob visited family members and friends along his route, some of them cancer survivors or fighting the disease, as well as meeting cancer patients at hospitals.

So where did Bob go to celebrate his marathon achievement? Key West's legendary Sloppy Joe's, of course! (Photo courtesy of Sloppy Joe's Bar).

In addition to raising money, he collected more than 80 signatures of cancer survivors on a rain jacket he carried.

Bob began his ride by dipping the rear wheel of his bicycle into the waters of Alaska’s Kachemak Bay.

His journey officially ended when, beside Key West’s Southernmost Point, he dipped his wheels into the warm subtropical Atlantic.

Then (like any ordinary out-of-towner visiting the island city), he headed for the landmark watering hole known as Sloppy Joe’s Bar to celebrate his arrival.

Topics: Big Pine Key & Lower Keys, Districts, Events, Islamorada, Key Largo, Key West, Marathon, Quirks, Voices Main Archive

WOMEN! Attention!! Womenfest is just days away!  Now in its 29th year, this Sept. 4-9 event is about women celebrating and enjoying each other … your life, your island.

Sultry sun and sizzling fun characterize Womenfest in Key West. (Photo courtesy of Womenfest and the Key West Business Guild)

Over the years Womenfest has grown and matured, becoming a unique event that can only be held on our island. In its early years, local and visiting women enjoyed pool parties, wet T-shirt and bikini contests. Actress Kelly McGillis made an appearance and played a bit of “loose women” flag football.

More recently, Emily Saliers of the Grammy Award-winning Indigo Girls performed, to a standing-room-only crowd, her first solo concert in more than 15 years.

This year we welcome the return of the five-member band Sister Funk. I saw the group years ago on the stage at Atlanta Pride and was amazed at their talent — so I’m thrilled that they’re returning once again to Womenfest.

Stop by the Hog’s Breath Saloon for the band’s free performances. And on Friday, Sept. 7, join Sister Funk while enjoying an all-women tea dance and tropical dinner cruise on Sunset Watersports’ catamaran. It sets sail at 5:30 p.m., and you’ll see our famous sunset and maybe catch the fabled “green flash.”

View a stunning Key West sunset during one of Womenfest's on-the-water adventures.

If you’re a water lover, you might try Venus Charters’ snorkeling and dolphin watching trip. The only lesbian owned and operated charter in the Keys, Venus offers personalized eco-friendly charters, dolphin trips, and unions at sea.

Up for more fast-paced water excitement? Try Barefoot Billy’s Jet Ski tour, a 27-mile adventure from the Atlantic Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico and back.

Back on land, enjoy the sounds of Corday and the Cougars at Cowboy Bill’s Honky Tonk nightly from 10 p.m.

And check out Amy Lee, the former sax player with Jimmy Buffett’s band, rocking the night away at the Smokin’ Tuna (off Duval Street in the 200 block).

Womenfest kicks off Sept. 4 with an opening party at Big Ruby’s Guesthouse. Enjoy an open bar and hors d’oeuvres, while mingling and mixing to the sounds of our local DJ Rude Girl in a lush tropical garden.

Sister Funk and other stellar bands headline Womenfest 2012's musical lineup. (Photo courtesy of Sister Funk)

The following night, catch the award-winning documentary “I Stand Corrected” about music, dreams, and the journey of jazz virtuoso Jennifer Leitham — formerly known as John Leitham — and her public transition.

On Thursday, enjoy mojitos poolside along with the acoustic rock music of San Diego’s Sister Speak. Spend the afternoon swimming and socializing with your friends at the Lighthouse Court Hotel.

There’s so much more to see and do during Womenfest! Don’t miss this fun-filled festival that always begins on the first Tuesday of September, just after the U.S. Labor Day Weekend holiday (which can add a few more days to your Key West visit).

What else is coming up in Key West? For one thing, the campaign for King and Queen of Fantasy Fest, our outrageous 10-day masking and costuming festival.

Local DJ "Rude Girl" (left) introduces past Fantasy Fest royalty. (Photo courtesy of the Key West Business Guild)

For a six-week period before Fantasy Fest, candidates host fundraising events ranging from a “chicken drop” to formal dinners. These are open to the public and provide a unique opportunity to socialize and play with locals and visitors alike.

There will be silent auctions, drag shows, pub crawls, wine and cheese socials, raffles, and other events raising much-needed money for our community-based AIDS Help organization.

The aspiring royals — males, females or drag queens — that raise the most money for AIDS Help will receive the coveted crowns. One hundred percent of the funds amassed by these energetic and enthusiastic candidates goes to client services throughout the Keys. This openhearted effort is another reason we’re glad to be part of the wonderful island of Key West.

Until next time, enjoy the rest of summer 2012!

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

The iconic original vessel from John Huston’s classic 1951 film “The African Queen,” starring Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn, is plying Key Largo’s nearshore waters and canals again — and visitors can come aboard to cruise like Captain Charlie and Rose did in the film (without, of course, raging rapids or deadly pursuit by enemy soldiers).

Key Largo visitors can now cruise on the boat used in the iconic film "African Queen."

One of the first passengers to take that cruise was Bogart’s son Stephen, who was the guest of honor at the re-launch of the newly restored boat that carried his father in one of his most famous films.

The boat, by the way, is now an astonishing 100 years old and, fittingly, is registered as a national historic site.

The story of the African Queen’s journey to America and recent $70,000 restoration has almost as many twists and turns as the plot of the film.

The African Queen’s 100-year history began when it was built in 1912 in England. Originally named the Livingstone, until 1968 it shuttled cargo, hunting parties and mercenaries on the Congo’s Ruki River for the British East Africa Rail Company — with a “sabbatical” to appear in the film after it was spotted by John Huston.

In 1968, the boat was purchased and shipped to San Francisco, but was stripped of almost all gear. For a while a restaurant owner tried to run tourist trips on the vessel using an outboard engine for propulsion.

The original African Queen is shown here out of the water during its extensive refurbishment in a Key Largo boatyard. (Photo courtesy of Suzanne Holmquist)

Around 1970, a man named Hal Bailey found and purchased the African Queen for the price of the boatyard bill.

He put it into seasonal passenger operation on an Oregon river, and then decided to transfer it to Central Florida for year-round use — but plans fell apart.

In 1982, Florida Keys attorney Jim Hendricks, Sr., a Bogart fan, found the vessel languishing in a Florida pasture and purchased it for a reported $65,000.

By that time, the African Queen needed significant work. After investing another $65,000 or so to get the boat up and running, Jim Hendricks began offering visitors rides in 1983 out of Key Largo’s Holiday Inn.

In 2001, after an admirable tenure afloat, the African Queen suffered a broken engine. It was never fixed, but the historic boat remained on display for curious tourists and film buffs to view.

Suzanne Holmquist applies new lettering to the African Queen during the restoration. (Photo courtesy of Suzanne Holmquist)

Last year, Keys residents Captain Lance and Suzanne Holmquist signed a long-term lease with Jim Hendricks’ son to restore and operate the vessel again.

Since then, they’ve overseen repairs to bring the boat back to its appearance in the film — replacing steel in the hull, replacing the boiler and oiling the black African mahogany to condition the wood.

“It’s important to me because I love old movies and films — and just to see the amount of interest that this boat is still generating, even as dilapidated as she had gotten, it was incredible,” enthused Suzanne Holmquist. “I think restoring the African Queen has firmly sealed the tie and connection with the Bogart name to Key Largo.”

Apparently so does Stephen Bogart, who journeyed to Key Largo to see and ride the vessel and help with its re-launching celebration.

“You know, I’ve never really been on many movie sets — and this is like being on a movie set,” he said. “To be able to ride on the African Queen, and to be able to have it back in operation, is absolutely tremendous.”

The restored African Queen cruises Key Largo waters. (Photo by Andy Newman, Florida Keys News Bureau)

Visitors can come aboard the historic vessel for 90-minute canal cruises offered several times each day.

Two-and-a-half-hour dinner cruises, featuring a three-course meal at Key Largo’s Pilot House, are offered Friday and Saturday nights.

Want to step back in time and cruise on the boat that carried Bogart and Hepburn? Just call 305-451-8080 to begin your African Queen adventure.

Topics: Arts, Highlights, History, Key Largo, Local Color, On the Water, Voices Main Archive

Ageism is pretty much nonexistent in the Florida Keys. An 80-year-old can be fast friends with a 35-year-old, and the two can work together side by side in any number of occupations. And speaking of working, the concept of retirement means something different in the Keys than it does in most places.

Sea turtles find help and healing in the Keys -- at the acclaimed Turtle Hospital, founded by Richie Moretti (far right). (Photo by Andy Newman, Florida Keys News Bureau)

An outstanding example of a project that burgeoned after so-called retirement is The Turtle Hospital in Marathon. This is the only licensed veterinary hospital in the world that’s dedicated to the treatment of sea turtles. And it was established by a man who, though he wasn’t a senior, had earned the right (and the wherewithal) to retire in the Keys.

His name is Richie Moretti, and he came to the Keys after a successful career spent restoring Volkswagens. Since then, his so-called retirement has kept him busier than ever pursuing a passion and benefiting the ocean environment.

When he arrived in the Keys, Richie bought a small motel in Marathon and began filling its saltwater-fed pool with fish and other marine creatures. He quickly became intrigued with sea turtles, and established The Turtle Hospital in 1986 to care for and rehabilitate sick and injured turtles.

Former President Jimmy Carter (left) grins delightedly as he holds a juvenile green sea turtle at Marathon's Turtle Hospital. (Photo by Andy Newman, Florida Keys News Bureau)

Turtles can be injured by being struck by boat propellers, getting tangled up in fishing line and trap ropes, or ingesting fishhooks or other non-digestible materials. They are also subject to diseases such as lockjaw, which makes it impossible for them to open their mouths to eat, or tumors that can cover their shells and even their eyes.

Species of sea turtles treated at The Turtle Hospital include loggerhead, green, hawksbill, and Kemp’s Ridley. Antibiotics, diet, surgery, careful nurturing — you name it, a sick or injured turtle gets it all at The Turtle Hospital.

Believe it or not, this unique hospital even has its own ambulance for transporting patients.

When a turtle has recovered sufficiently, it is taken to the waters it came from and carefully released to swim away. Former President Jimmy Carter assisted in one release.

Those that can’t be released remain at The Turtle Hospital for the rest of their days.

Richie (center) displays a proclamation honoring The Turtle Hospital on its 25th anniversary. Shown with him are Florida Keys Mayor David Rice and County Commissioner Heather Carruthers. (Photo by Larry Benvenuti, Florida Keys News Bureau)

In addition to caring for the sea turtles, The Turtle Hospital is an educational facility. Guided tours are offered daily for people eager to learn more about the hospital and its occupants, and visitors of all ages have come to view the facility.

In 2011, The Turtle Hospital celebrated its 25th anniversary of caring for sea turtles. The county honored the occasion by designating Sept. 24 “Richie Moretti and The Turtle Hospital Day.”

What more could a man ask for than to be honored for his second career that’s also his passion?

Richie Moretti may be an unusual “retiree,” but he’s far from the only one who has embarked on a new life and second career in the Florida Keys. I’ll introduce more of them in upcoming blogs.

Topics: Animal Ambassadors, Environment, Highlights, Marathon, Senior Adventures, Voices Main Archive

They told me Gore Vidal would be the interview from #&&!$$ (insert a four-letter word here that describes an extremely warm spot populated by devils).

The legendary Gore Vidal starred at the 2009 Key West Literary Seminar. (All photos by Carol Tedesco, Florida Keys News Bureau)

He was acerbic, they said. His temper could be vicious. He had ridiculed another journalist that afternoon, and then insulted Pulitzer Prize winner Alison Lurie. No matter how he treated me, they said, I shouldn’t take it personally.

That wasn’t exactly encouraging.

I’ve always admired sail-into-the-fray investigative journalists like Woodward, Bernstein and Lois Lane. But that’s not me. However, I too was a journalist, and my assignment was to interview Gore Vidal before he spoke at the 2009 Key West Literary Seminar — whether I got verbally flayed doing it or not.

I was nervous enough without the warning from the great man’s assistants and the concerned Literary Seminar organizers.

After all, the 83-year-old Vidal was a legend. He’d written two dozen books, including “Myra Breckenridge” and “Burr,” more than 200 essays, and plays like “The Best Man.” Plus, though he didn’t win, he had run for Congress and the U.S. Senate.

Tape recorder in hand, I hovered backstage at Key West’s San Carlos Institute where the Literary Seminar took place, along with Carol Tedesco who would be photographing Vidal during the interview.

I wait uneasily in Gore Vidal's dressing room, hoping to get a good interview despite warnings about his bad temper.

Waiting uneasily for Vidal’s people to call us into his dressing room, I figured only one thing was in my favor: I was a mystery buff, and my pre-interview research revealed Vidal had written three little-known detective novels under the name of Edgar Box.

A word about the Key West Literary Seminar: it’s amazing. Each January it stars a roster of writers — most of them internationally acclaimed — who read their work and share their insights with a small group of spellbound attendees. Featured presenters in past years have included Frank McCourt, Amy Tan, Joyce Carol Oates, Jennifer Egan, Peter Matthiessen, Pico Iyer, and Joseph Heller.

And of course Gore Vidal, whose dressing room Carol and I were finally allowed to enter.

Comfortably seated and reflected in a wide mirror, the author was the picture of a cultured gentleman: silver hair, tweed jacket and elegant yet weathered hands.

Vidal's weathered hands penned countless literary masterpieces conceived in his agile mind.

This did not make me any less nervous. After introducing Carol and myself, I blurted out a mention of the Edgar Box mysteries like someone tossing meat scraps to a strange pit bull.

Somehow, it worked. All at once, Vidal’s face reflected real interest instead of polite indifference. And from then on, with my tape recorder running and Carol shooting photos, we had a genuine conversation.

He talked about political corruption, the desperate need for American educational reform, and his writing about the Mexican War. He talked about the failings of the media and strongly recommended that I read a book called “A Family of Secrets.”

And he talked in a reminiscent tone about aviator Amelia Earhart, his father’s great friend, who he remembered fondly from his youth.

In fact, with Carol continuing to take photos and Vidal’s assistant standing watchfully by, the world-renowned author answered my questions and chatted in a gentle, courteous way until he was summoned onstage.

What prompted Vidal to take a liking to me? I'll always wonder.

I was completely charmed — and completely flabbergasted that, after all the warnings, for some unaccountable reason Vidal took a liking to me.

Only later, as I watched his Literary Seminar presentation from a perch backstage, did a possible explanation present itself.

It had obviously pleased him when I mentioned his Edgar Box mysteries. But there was something more.

Like the late Amelia Earhart, I’m a tall, lanky woman with short blondish hair. I’ll always wonder if, on some unconscious level, Vidal felt comfortable with me because I reminded him faintly of the pioneer aviator he knew long ago.

Topics: Arts, Events, Festivals, Highlights, Key West, Voices Main Archive

In angling, as in life, you have goals.

One of mine has been to catch and release a blue marlin. I’ve caught plenty of sailfish, a white marlin as well as a swordfish two summers ago. But the blue marlin — necessary to complete the coveted bluewater grand slam — has eluded and haunted me for many, many years.

For years, catching a blue marlin has been near the top of Andy's bucket list.

Interestingly enough, during the last few years, I wanted that blue marlin more to honor my father than for myself.

Years ago, we’d fished for them off the Florida Keys and the Bahamas. But seemingly luck was against us.

We lost a 500-plus-pounder off Bimini in 1968 when a ball-bearing snap swivel, linking the fishing line to the leader, incredibly broke. In 1970, with me at the helm, my father battled a fish in the 275- to 300-pound range on spinning tackle spooled with 20-pound-test line.

We fought that fish for almost four hours. But when he got it to the boat I mistakenly gaffed it in the stomach and not the back. The fish lunged. Both the gaff and the hook pulled, and the big blue swam away. Heck, I was only 15 years old and didn’t know better.

Andy's father Stuart Newman reels in his post-90th-birthday sailfish. (Photo by Andy Newman, Florida Keys News Bureau)

Today, of course, we wouldn’t even think of killing a blue marlin unless it had world-record potential — and even then, I’d do some serious soul searching.

Despite other opportunities, we never did catch the coveted marlin.

Although my father continues to fish at age 90 (he caught and released a nice sailfish the day after his last birthday in April), I doubt that his doctor (or my stepmom) would approve a lengthy battle with a blue marlin. So it was up to me to score the achievement for both of us.

Not long ago I tagged along on the Catch 22, owned by Richard Stanczyk, with Richard’s brother Scott Stanczyk at the helm. I hoped to catch a few dolphin fish and perhaps a blackfin tuna.

I knew we’d also spend time fishing in deep water for swordfish. After all, the Stanczyk family and Florida Keys light tackle guide Vic Gaspeny pioneered daytime swordfishing — and Vic recently reeled in his unparalleled 200th swordfish.

With enthusiastic encouragement from the Catch 22 team, Andy fights his blue marlin.

As we settled into the swordfishing routine, I retreated to the cabin to sleep. A swordfish is on the bucket list for all serious saltwater anglers, but I’d already caught mine and still remember the soreness. One swordfish is enough for me.

Later Richard came into the cabin and we chatted.

At some point, I reminded him the blue marlin was still on my bucket list.

The day continued without a swordfish hookup. After the seventh unproductive drop, mate Hunter Barron attached the electric drill to the Shimano reel to crank up the bait from the bottom about 1,500 feet below. (All swordfish caught on the Catch 22 are cranked on a manual reel. The electric drill is only used to crank up an uneaten bait from the deep.)

With about 200 feet of line to go, the rod suddenly bent over.

Carefully Andy battles the blue closer and closer to the boat.

Richard screamed for me to get into the fighting chair, a barbershop-like seating apparatus tailored for big-game fishing.

He knew this wasn’t a swordfish and somehow surmised it could be a blue marlin.

I grabbed the rod and began to crank. Before long, the familiar pain seared my arms.

About 10 minutes later the fish broke water.

“It’s a blue marlin!” hollered Scott.

Suddenly, my pain departed.

“Get the bucket for Andy!” Richard shouted, referring to a harness, attached to the reel, that an angler literally sits in to help distribute pressure from the arms to the body. “After all, this fish is on his bucket list.”

The fish took line and I got it back. We played that game for about another 10 minutes. Finally the fish gave up and Hunter grabbed the leader for the official release.

At last, Andy scores a successful catch and release of his "bucket list" blue marlin.

It weighed about 135 pounds. As blue marlin go, that’s not very large. And since our fishing tackle was suited for a 300-pound-plus swordfish, it didn’t stand much chance of getting away.

But for me, that didn’t matter. I could finally take the blue marlin off my bucket list.

That night, I sent my dad a photo of the fish.

“Yep, same features as the blue we lost in 1970, but it’s not as big,” he wrote back. “Must be a grandson.”

Topics: Highlights, Islamorada, Local Color, On the Water, Voices Main Archive

Key West is known for its legendary residents. Over the years, they have included literary geniuses Ernest Hemingway and Tennessee Williams, Tony Award-winning Broadway composer and lyricist Jerry Herman, “A Chorus Line” writer James Kirkwood, and even singer/songwriter Jimmy Buffett — who not only lived on the island, but immortalized it in such enduring hits as “Margaritaville.”

Captain Tony's renegade spirit is captured here in this portrait by Keys photographer Rob O'Neal.

And then there are the political legends. Sonny McCoy was Key West’s mayor when he water-skied from the island city to Cuba (more than 90 miles!) on a single slalom ski. Wilhelmina Harvey served as county mayor well into her 80s, as well as being Admiral of the Keys’ irreverent Conch Republic Navy.

You may recall reading in my previous columns that ageism really doesn’t exist in the Florida Keys — and Wilhelmina, an energetic and beloved “senior grande dame” was a shining example of that truth.

No Key West resident is more legendary, however, than the late Captain Tony Tarracino. Today it would be hard to do everything the outspoken, larger-than-life captain is reputed to have done in his extraordinary lifetime. (Let’s just say that his “professions” supposedly included gambler and gunrunner during the Bay of Pigs invasion.)

Captain Tony landed in Key West in 1948 after departing (some say fleeing) New Jersey. In 1958 he bought a bar on Greene Street that he aptly named Captain Tony’s Saloon. In one of its earlier incarnations, the saloon had been a favorite spot of Ernest Hemingway and his cronies.

Tony's saloon remains a local landmark -- just as it was when he held court at its weathered bar.

Tony served as mayor of Key West from 1989 to 1991. At that time he was in his late 70s, but senior status didn’t mean he’d lost any of his characteristic vigor or irreverence — either in his professional or personal life. (Speaking of his personal life, Tony was married four times and was the father of 13 children.)

But it wasn’t just in Key West that the colorful captain was a legend. The film “The Cuba Crossing,” starring Stuart Whitman, was inspired by his life. Jimmy Buffett immortalized him in his song, “Last Mango in Paris.”

As well as referring to some of the captain’s reputed escapades, the song captured Tony’s exuberant attitude in a line he supposedly spoke: “And Jimmy, there’s still so much to be done.”

From Aug. 8-11 Key West honors this extraordinary legend, who died in 2008 at age 92, with a festival:  Captain Tony Days. Produced by his family members and friends, it includes a celebration of his Aug. 10 birthday at — where else? — Captain Tony’s Saloon on Greene Street.

Crowds gather outside Captain Tony's Saloon to celebrate the life of a legend.

As a fitting part of the festival remembering the individualistic captain, one of this year’s Key West High School graduates will receive a $1,025 “life scholarship” in his honor. The recipient must NOT be college bound, but instead plan to learn from life.

Even after his passing, Captain Tony Tarracino is remembered for his nonconformist viewpoint.

When I knew Tony is the 1980s, I found myself captivated by the stories he could tell. Now, as an older senior citizen myself, I look back on his zest for life with awe. To him there was always “still so much to be done.”

Topics: Events, Festivals, History, Key West, Local Color, Profiles, Senior Adventures