Honey... I'm buying a boat...

For almost a year the Schooner Western Union is offered for sale at her dock in the Key West Harbor.
Every time I walked by the harbor I wondered what it would take to get this boat back sailing the famous sunsets of Key West...
And we got a plan...
We call it the Schooner Western Union Project















The Schooner Western Union Project (S.W.U.P.) is a not for profit corporation founded for the purpose of restoring maintaining and operating the historic Schooner Western Union in Key West.
In addition to the restoration of the schooner S.W.U.P. will use the boat for local charitable events, educational outreach and children’s activities. Key West is rich in maritime history and the Schooner Western Union is one of the last great examples of that. S.W.U.P. will strive to preserve and share this important aspect of our heritage for the many visitors to and residents of our island.
Initial funding will be obtained through corporate sponsorships, grants, and individual donations. Once the initial restoration is completed and Coast Guard certification is restored, funds will be generated from the daily operation of the vessel by offering sailing experiences in the waters surrounding Key West.

Soul Food...

The Key West Citizen reported on our mission to clean Christmas Tree Island.
I could have not done it better my self.
Check out this LINK to the story

Residents tire of Wisteria Island trash talk

'Army' of volunteers spend Sunday on cleanup detail

BY MANDY BOLEN

Citizen Staff

A group of Key West residents, weary of complaints about trash-strewn Wisteria Island, spent Sunday cleaning the offshore island and shuttling boatloads of garbage back to a Simonton Street staging area.

Theo Glorie, owner of the Coffee Plantation on Caroline Street, said conversation in his shop recently has focused on the island, its future and the newspaper articles it has generated.

"Everybody got disgusted," said Glorie, who then began organizing the weekend cleanup.

The project included a huge Dumpster donated by Waste Management, gloves from West Marine, volunteers willing to load their boats with people and trash, and Arnaud Girard's Key West Water Taxi shuttling both back and forth from Simonton Street to Wisteria Island.

The crew overfilled the huge Dumpster, and hauled off car batteries, dinghies and more than 20 old mattresses.

"There was an army of people," Girard said. "We took all the old matresses off and so many old chairs. We left only a small doghouse as everyone agreed that that was the acceptable maximum density for the island," he joked.

"It was nasty, but it felt really good."

The privately owned island, now inhabited by only the homeless, became the subject of debate in recent weeks after a development company asked the city to annex it to allow for luxury residential development. The request since has been withdrawn, and the City Commission last week refused to add a referendum to the Oct. 2 city ballot that would have asked voters whether they support annexation of Wisteria Island.

"We are not fighting the developers in this situation," Glorie emphasized. "This was strictly environmental and we were afraid that all this crap would eventually end up in our harbor."

The cleanup may continue next weekend, but Girard is continuing work on the island this week to determine what work remains, Glorie said.

"It all started in a coffee shop," he said. "Nobody ever asked for anything."

mbolen@keysnews.com

HELP!
Help clean our
Christmas Tree Island
This Sunday July 22Th
9:00 AM
at the Simonton street pier
for more info
call Theo at 305-304-9438

For three weeks now a local magazine has been posting pictures of Christmas tree island in there weekly paper.
In the pictures it shows this Island loaded with garbage.
We here at the Coffee Plantation decided that it was time to get active and do something about that.
We have organized a cleanup day...
We found a lot of Key Westers felt as we did.
If you are in the neighborhood... if you are reading this and think by yourself...
I would love to be part of this, come join us.
It's a feel good thing.

Coffee Plantation to go...

Our friend Mick can't wait to start his day with a fine Coffee Plantation cup of coffee.
Mick travels all over the world and loves to take his own Coffee Plantation beans with him.
Look at this man's smile when we told him that he can buy his favorite beans on the Coffee Plantation online Coffee Shop.
We ship our fine product within 24 hours of placing your order.
Who wouldn't produce a smile like that.