Fury Girl & Captain Drew.

By Shayne Benowitz

Spring is in the air and the temperatures in Key West have definitely heated up this week. When it gets sweltering on land, there’s no place I’d rather be than on one of our catamarans reef bound. I joined Captain Drew and crew last week on an afternoon snorkel trip that was so much fun!

First of all, anytime I’m on a boat with Drew, I’m a happy girl! We both started working at Fury back in 2005 and we love sharing “old school” memories when we get the chance. It was such a hot day, but as soon as we raised the sail and headed south, the ocean breeze felt amazing.

We got to Eastern Dry Rocks and there was no other boat in sight. The water was sparkling deep blue, green, and aquamarine. Drew had just finished telling me that the blue water of the Gulf Stream was nearby, which means awesome visibility. He was right. I jumped in and the water clarity was amazing.The temperature was just right too, cool and refreshing.

I began swimming towards the canyons covered in healthy yellow corals with outcroppings of purple sea fans fluttering in the gentle current. So pretty! I was delighted to see an abundance of parrotfish (my favorite!) all over the reef. There were large midnight blues swimming with large rainbows and juvenile stoplights. They’re just so colorful and beautiful, especially when there’s a whole school swimming together.

I had a fun time diving deep to see what was lurking underneath ledges. All of a sudden an enormous silver fish swam past me and I realized it was a tarpon. They’re always cool to spot at the reef. I kept swimming further out to other canyons exploring all that there was to see. I found myself swimming above a large sandy patch when I spotted a really big sharkunderneath me.

Having snorkeled with Fury for years now, I’m accustomed to the regular shark spotting. Sometimes it gives you a little fright, sometimes it’s just plain exciting. This time was kind of scary! The shark was so big–probably eight feet–and there was so much open water. I didn’t really see other snorkelers nearby to share my sighting. It was a large grey reef shark, and I idled to let him swim off until he was out of sight.

I couldn’t wait to get back on the boat and share my story, but I took my time in the water searching for more. I love being the last one back on the boat and taking full advantage of my time in the water. The sail back to shore was great. I’m definitely looking forward to more perfect snorkeling days as spring turns to summer, and I certainly look forward to seeing you all on board!

Shayne Benowitz is a Fury crew member and freelance writer. Follow her on Twitter @ShayneBenowitz or email her at shayne@furykeywest.com.

Fury's Spread in the Florida Insider Magazine.

By Shayne Benowitz

For those of you who read the Fury Girl Blog regularly, you already know that 2011 was a huge year of growth for Fury with the addition of our Island Adventure, Dolphin Watch and Snorkel Adventure, Double Dip Snorkel Trip, and jet ski tours. What you may not know is that it was also a busy year for me. I made the push in my writing career to get more articles published in various magazines, websites, and blogs all over! It was a good year and I’m excited to see what 2012 will hold.

Not surprisingly, some of my favorite things to write about are boating and traveling to Florida. Recently, I’ve had a couple of big articles on those very topics published in two of my favorite publications. If you play with us on Facebook and Twitter, you may have seen my feature in VISIT FLORIDA’s Florida Insider magazine, “6 Spectacular Ways To Test The Water.” It basically gives you six different ways to go boating all over the state from parasailing to Everglades airboat tours to yacht charters to sailing on schooners. Of course, I recommended a Key West Snorkeling trip to our beautiful reef aboard Fury.

Fury Girl's article, plus picture of the Dolphin Cat.

Well, the magazine published in April and one of our buddies on Twitter Rori Paul (@roritravel), who is an awesome Florida blogger,  gave us the heads up. It turns out they used a gorgeous picture of our catamaran sailing to the reef in a 2-page spread in the front of the book! They also used a picture of our Dolphin Cat to run with the article. It just looks stunning and I was so excited to see Fury everywhere! I’m also featured as one of twelve Florida insiders with expertise in boating. I’ve written a few other articles for VISIT FLORIDA and you can find it all on their website.

For any fans who happen to be sailing enthusiasts, I’ve got a huge spread in the May issue of Blue Water Sailing magazine. I’ve written a handful of articles for Blue Water over the course of the year including a feature on Fury that was so much fun to research and write. Most recently, they sent me island hopping in the Bahamas’ Out Islands for a travel piece for them. Talk about a dream job! That article will be out later this year.

Fury Girl in foul weather gear for Blue Water Sailing Magazine.

This month’s theme is the Well-Dressed Cruiser and my feature tells you about all the gear you need to head out on the water and stay safe, comfortable, and dry in any conditions on your Key West Vacation. Of course, I’m accustomed to wearing my bikini, my Fury uniform, and packing the foul weather jacket that Fury Santa gives us every year, so I got to go explore the giant West Marine in Fort Lauderdale and learn about the latest and greatest in cruising wear. There’s some really cool stuff out there! You can find the magazine in Barnes & Nobles and West Marines across the country.

It’s been really fun to see where my passion for the water and Florida can take me with my writing. We live a beautiful here in Key West and I love to share it with you all on board our boats, through my writing, and by chatting with you on Facebook and Twitter. Hope to see you down here soon and stay in touch!

Shayne Benowitz is a Fury crew member and freelance writer. Follow her on Twitter @ShayneBenowitz and email her at shayne@furykeywest.com.

Grammy-nominated songwriter James Slater aboard Fury.

By Shayne Benowitz

It’s that time of year again! The 17th Annual Key West Songwriters Festival rolls into town May 2-6 bringing a little bit of Nashville to our island paradise. From legendary to emerging, some of the most prominent singer/songwriters will be performing all over town for a long weekend not to be missed.

I have to say, I’m more excited than usual for this year’s festival for a few reasons. First of all, we’ve got some world class acts joining us aboard Fury May 4th and 5th for a couple of very special Commotion on the Oceans.

On Friday May 4th, we’re welcoming Chase and Jesse Rice for the Pirate Sessions. I was just on the Songwriters Festival website where you can listen to Chase and Jesse’s original “Key West Time.” It’s catchy, it totally captures the Key West spirit, and I especially love the line, “Well, that baby blue water really floats my boat.” Yeah, they get it! Give the song a listen online or buy your ticket to hear it live on board our spacious 65′ catamaran at sunset.

On May 5th, we welcome back Grammy-nominated songwriter James Slater, local’s favorite Howard Livingston, and newbies to the Fury Joey + Rori. James has performed on board many-a-times and I’ve had the pleasure of interviewing him. He’s incredibly friendly, incredibly talented, and puts on a great show. He’s written hits for the likes of Rascal Flats, Tim McGraw, and Martina McBride. For people who love trop-rock in the vein of Jimmy Buffet, Howard Livingston always delights. I’m also looking forward to seeing what Joey + Rori are all about.

Fury Girl with best friends Lisa and Krista in Nashville.

So why else am I excited about Songwriters? Well, over the last year and a half, I’ve slowly, but surely become a fan of country music. I never really thought that would happen! Being from Southern California, when my family moved to Georgia, I rebelled against all things country. I’ll give Captain Scotty some of the credits. Working on the parasail boats with him, we have fun listening to country music and eventually it was the lyrics and the songwriting that won me over. Some of my favorites include Sugarland, Blake Shelton, and Miranda Lambert. What about you guys? Any country music fans out there?

To be sure, the Key West Songwriters Festival isn’t all about country music, but just like Nashville, it’s a big part! I was just in Nashville last weekend visiting two of my best friends. It was so much fun! We dressed up as cowgirls, bought cowboy boots, and listened to some country music on Honky Tonk Row (kind of like Duval Street, but with a country accent!). The only thing we didn’t have time for was the Bluebird Cafe, which is a premiere singer/songwriter venue. Good thing they’ll be coming to us in Key West next weekend! I can’t wait!

Fury's Riaan & Eliza with Telemundo's Leti Coo.

By Shayne Benowitz

Last week, Fury was treated to a very special guest visitor when Telmundo’s Ritmo Deportivo decided to shoot an episode with us. Their adorable host Leti Coo joined Riaan and Captain Marius for an afternoon of parasailing in Key West. Our own Captain Shon even joined the production team! He ferried the Telemundo camera crew out on his boat to get some great shots.

The weather was great and Leti and her crew were so sweet! For our Spanish speaking fans, this will be a really cool way to connect! Ritmo Deportivo is a cool sports entertainment show on Telemundo featuring all kinds of adventurous sports. It was about time they added parasailing to their programming!

If you’ve never been parasailing in Key West, it’s definitely worth checking off your list. You’re in good hands with our crew and we’ll send you sky high on 600 feet of line for amazing bird’s eye views of paradise. Swing by the Westin Marina. Our boats leave the dock every hour on the hour. We hope you’ll be on the next one!

Shayne Benowitz is a Fury crew member and freelance writer. Follow her on Twitter @ShayneBenowitz or email her at shayne@furykeywest.com.

Sea turtle at the reef.

By Shayne Benowitz

What do you get when you step aboard a sleek, 52′ power cat that can get you to the reef in half the time of most sailboats? Well, you’re aboard Fury’s new Double Dip snorkel trip with twice as much time to snorkel at two different stops along the reef! With the addition of the Reef Express catamaran to our fleet over a year ago, we’ve been able to add this action-packed trip for the true adventure traveler and snorkeling enthusiast.

On the Double Dip, our vessel’s name Reef Express really embodies what the trip is all about–getting you to the reef in express time for snorkeling! This way, you get nearly two full hours of Key West snorkeling at two different spots along the reef. After all, it’s the third largest barrier reef in the world and the only in North America. There’s a lot to explore! We commonly frequent Sand Key Lighthouse, Eastern Dry Rocks, and Rock Key, and each location is a little bit different.

For years, Fury’s offered a classic snorkeling option aboard our 65′ sailing catamarans: the Atlantic, Pacific, Key West, and Caribbean Fury. On these trips, a leisurely sail out to the reef takes about an hour. During this time, you can take in the sights, catch some rays, chat with the crew, and relax. Our captains navigate you to the reef for a full hour of snorkeling. On the sail home, we serve cold beer, listen to music, and swap stories about what we saw at the reef.

The choice is yours. If you’re a strong swimmer and can’t get enough of splashing around in the ocean, then the Double Dip might be right up your alley. If you enjoy a scenic boat ride and lots of deck space with your hour of snorkeling, then our classic Key West snorkel trips might be the right choice. The good thing is, you really can’t go wrong! Hope to see you snorkeling soon!

Shayne Benowitz is a Fury crew member and freelance writer. Contact her at shayne@furykeywest.com or on Twitter @ShayneBenowitz.