By Shayne Benowitz
Jeff Haynes, winner of this month’s Fury Facebook Fan Photo Contest, should be an honorary member of the Conch Republic. I’m not sure who grants that distinction, but I’d be happy to welcome him into the honorary Fury Family! Jeff and his family have made regular sojourns down to Key West from central Florida and have definitely embraced our island paradise.
On a recent vacation, they spent two whole weeks in a rental on Eaton Street and explored the island on bicycles, catching the sunset at Mallory Square almost every night. They loved the bars, the live music, and the street performers, as well as touring sites like the Key West Cemetery (in search of “Sloppy” Joe Russell’s grave), the Hemingway House, and exploring the island for Jimmy Buffett points of interest. They were in town during Mel Fisher Days and rocked a performance by the one and only Howard Livingston!
While in Key West, they also made a handful of trips with us at Fury including the Rum & Reggae and the Sunset Cruise. That’s where Jeff snapped the beautiful picture of the rainbow parrotfish swimming over a healthy outcropping of coral. Needless to say, I absolutely loved the shot! Parrotfish are my favorite! Jeff already has a trip to Key West scheduled during Fantasy Fest and another one in mind for 2012. I love his devotion to our little island!
Jeff’s a paramedic, and he explained that a getaway to Key West is the perfect remedy for the stress of his day to day work. I certainly admire anyone working in the medical field–absolute angels. Jeff mentioned that his daughter would like to work for Fury someday. That’s how it all starts! My first experience with Fury was a snorkel trip with my family when I was 15, and that thought stayed in the back of my head for almost ten years before I made it a reality! It’s a beautiful life here and we absolutely love sharing it with our guests from near and far.
Congratulations Jeff on winning the photo contest and we look forward to your next visit in October!
Shayne Benowitz is a freelance writer and Fury crew member. For more follow her on Twitter @ShayneBenowitz.
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