Key West Car 21 - Disappearing Car

Be careful where, and for how long, you leave your car in Key West.


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Huge Goliath Grouper Haul

Capt. Tommy Lones, of the fishing boat Gulfstream, brought in a catch of 19 Goliath grouper with a total weight in excess of 5,000 pounds.

Fortunately, for Capt. Lones, this remarkable catch occured May 7, 1957, 55 Years ago.

Goliath Groupers (then called Jewfish) were declared endangered and have been protected since 1990.

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Why Did Pirates Wear Eye Patches?

This joke provides a humorous explaination.

A journalist was interviewing a pirate with a wooden leg, a hook on his hand and a patch on his eye. The journalist asks him, how'd you lose your leg? The pirate replies: "ARG! I were fishin' in the sea an' a big ol' shark bit 'er clean off!" The journalist says, oh that's interesting, how'd you lose your hand? The pirate replies, "ARG! I were fightin' wi' these bloody theives wantin' to take me gold and 'e just chopped me 'and clean off an' and Ah got me a 'ook." The journalist says, oh, that's very interesting, so what happened to your eye? The pirate replies, "ARG! It were a dark an' stormy night an' the wind were blowin' and the lines were snappin' an' the parrot on me shoulder were so nervous 'e shat in me eye." The journalist says, "The bird poop gave you an infection which caused you to lose he eye?" The Pirate replies, "ARG! No, it were me first day Ah had me 'ook."

Finally a more reasonable answer to this long pondered question is offered in Solares Hill.

Sailors of the era never wore eye patches, nor did other fighting groups. It was all a trick. Should a pirate ship be boarded, the captain would retreat below decks. There he’d switch the eye patch to his other eye and immediately his vision was adjusted to the darkness. The pursuers would take minutes to switch their vision from bright sunlight. In fact they’d be dead before it happened.

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Coast Guard Searching for Key West Jet Ski Thief

Search continues for man, 36

The Coast Guard is still looking for a Key West man who stole a Jet Ski-type craft Monday night after saying he had been drugged and the CIA was after him.

Derek King, a mechanic at Island Watersports, fled in a personal watercraft about 7:15 p.m. without a life jacket or navigational equipment. The owner of the rental company said King was acting strangely before he fled, claiming the CIA was looking for him. A boater reportedly saw King about 7:25 p.m. some 10 miles southwest of Key West.

The Coast Guard reportedly has searched a 2,200-square-mile area, roughly the size of Delaware. Anyone with information on King's whereabouts is asked to call the agency at 305-295-9700.

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Key West Resorts Going Green

The Banyan Resort and the Gardens Hotel are the Florida Keys' first certified members of the Green Lodging Program, created by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to recognize and reward environmentally conscious lodging facilities in the state.

The two Old Town Key West properties were awarded "one-palm" certification for their environmental commitment in ceremonies attended by State Representative Ron Saunders, Key West Mayor Morgan McPherson, Stacey Mitchell, director of sales for the Monroe County Tourist Development Council (TDC) and Laura Comer and Gus Rios of the DEP.

"These businesses are stepping up to recognize how important our environment is to the Florida Keys, and how important it is to protect what we have," said Saunders.

The Green Lodging Program establishes environmental guidelines for hotels and motels to adopt cost-saving practices that reduce waste and conserve natural resources. Properties are evaluated in categories including water and energy conservation, waste reduction, indoor air quality and communication of green practices to guests. They must also have goals for continued improvements that can earn them "two-palm" and "three-palm" certification.

At the ceremonies, McPherson, who is also a TDC board member, encouraged implementing green initiatives to safeguard Key West's environment for future generations.

"I'm excited about businesses taking part in these initiatives," he said.

Environmentally friendly aspects of the Banyan Resort, a 38-suite property at 323 Whitehead St., include a towel and linen reuse program, a recycling program, energy conservation through solar roof panels for pool heating and high-efficiency compact fluorescent lighting, and purchasing products with recycled content such as plastic lumber used for courtyard decking.

The Gardens Hotel, an 18-room property at 526 Angela St., has implemented an environmental policy to communicate green living to guests as well as elements including low-flow faucets to conserve water and energy, a linen and towel reuse program, an automatic door closer and energy-efficient garden pump, a recycling program and purchasing products with recycled content and reduced packaging. In addition, four electric cars were purchased for staff errands around Key West.

"In working with the Green Lodging program and getting more lodging properties certified, we are encouraging sustainable and responsible environmental practices throughout the tourism industry," said Mitchell. "We're not doing this for ourselves - we're doing this so future generations will benefit from practices we put in place today."

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