Life in Marathon, with Guests

Life on a mooring here in Boot Key Harbor is pretty good, and made even better when guests visit. Brother Steve and his best-half Connie were here from Feb 6 - 11, and we did a road trip to Key West, then an overnight boat trip up to Islamorada and back. We had a great time.

Riggs and I then enjoyed the local area, with some good long walks and many trips to the nearby park, until good friend Ken Goldsholl arrived on Feb 21 for a 2 night visit.

Ken lives near Santa Barbara, Cal. and so is used to nice winter weather, which is good because he didn't get much nice weather here. He flew into Miami and drove down on a warm afternoon, but a light rain started before he arrived. We had a great dinner together at the local Tranquility Bay resort, and headed out to Spray before the really hard rains began. I'm pretty sure this was Ken's first time sleeping on a boat, and it poured overnight, but Spray kept us dry. We had coffee and bagels aboard and then the 3 of us (including Riggs of course) took Ken's rental car down to Key West, even though it was windy and rainy.

Let me take a short break here to describe what I saw to the left as we headed down Route 1, leaving Vaca Key and starting across the famous 7-mile bridge. Good-friends-from-Castine Karen & Jeff Siegel (see earlier posts) had arrived the previous day aboard their trawler A-Capella. As there was no mooring available they anchored out in the Gulf to the west of Vaca Key, to wait for a vacancy. The strong winds had shifted to southerly and so when I looked to the left and saw A-Capella anchored out there, bouncing in the heavy surf, I said to Ken: "That cannot be fun, I hope they get a mooring soon". Karen later confirmed that it indeed was no fun.

Back to main narrative: We arrived in Key West and it was still raining so we left Riggs in the (brand new) rent-a-car and walked to Duval Street, on a search for the most rude tee-shirt for sale (they have some dillies), visiting the 'Southernmost Point", and scarfing down some pizza. We then picked up Riggs and continued our walking tour in the rain. By mid-afternoon we were pretty soaked and decided to drive back to Marathon and run a few errands. Ken enjoys fine wine and shopped for a belated Christmas present for Sheila and I of a few bottles of good grape. Yeah!

We dropped Riggs back on Spray and then drove to a local restaurant 'Lazy Days' for supper. Ken was due to fly out the next day and I was worried that he would miss seeing the Keys in their sunny glory, but we awoke Wednesday to calm winds and blue sky, so a short cruise aboard Spray around Boot Key, basking on the flying bridge, was called for, and much enjoyed. One interesting thing was that we saw hundreds of these critters, which I had only seen a few of previously.

Ken departed mid-day (after grabbing a shower) for his return to California, and the Siegels moved onto a mooring, and life in Marathon went on. Its fun watching Jeff & Karen & their 2 pooches get into Marathon Mode, with visits to Sombrero Beach, walks along Rte 1, and feasting at yesterday's pot-luck at the Marathon City Marina. When you see Karen or Jeff, ask about their big win at the pot-luck raffle.

The next guest to be hosted aboard Spray will be best of all. Sheila will be flying down from Maine on Saturday. She will fly on Allegiant Air direct from Bangor to Orlando. Riggs and I will rent a car and drive up to Orlando (a mere 370 miles) to meet Sheila, and then we'll drive back here (again, a mere 370 miles).

Sheila had looked into bringing Katie-Bopp down for this visit, but it would be an ordeal for her. Fortunately, Rosemary & David Wyman have volunteered to take in Katie while Sheila is down here. Many thanks to the Wymans, although Riggs may be disappointed.

Sheila will be aboard for 2 weeks, which will include at least one trip to Key West, to celebrate our 31st wedding anniversary (we were married in Key West), plus some fun here in Marathon, and probably some cruising, as Spray begins its long & slow trip back to Maine. Riggs and I are super-excited about her visit, which will be reported here. Stay tuned.

Doing the Micro-Loop

Riggs and I are hanging on mooring R-9 here in Boot Key Harbor, town of Marathon, Key of Vaca, State of FLA. With 226 boats on moorings, and maybe another 100 anchored, its an interesting cruiser's community here. At 9 am every morning, we flip on the VHF to channel 68 and join the 'cruisers net', a moderated radio conversation. It begins with announcements of recent arrivals and departures, then general announcements, then buy-sell- swap, and finally trivia. If you have something to say you announce your vessel name, the moderator recognizes you, and you have the floor.

In the announcements section I have been encouraging boaters with dogs to show up at the local park at 8 am for doggie play time, hosted by Riggs, and we're just starting to get a response, with 5 or 6 dogs and owners showing up today. The park requires leashes, but at 8 am nobody is there, and the dogs get along much better off the leash, so we flaunt the rules. At least so far.

Since Spray has no generator we live off battery power, an ever dwindling resource. Today was warm and calm so at 11 am we cast off the mooring and did a 2 hour cruise around Boot Key, in an effort to recharge the house battery, which started at 75% discharged and ended at about 50% discharged. We either need a higher-output alternator or a longer cruise.

One hour of our cruise was actually at anchor, with the engine running, so I could use some power tools (sander and vacuum) to do some work on Spray. Those tools would deplete the battery quickly if the engine was not running.

Below is a picture of Riggs and Mama Manatee that my brother took last week. A true meeting of the minds.

Sometimes the stars align

On Tuesday we (brother Steve, his wife Connie (birthday gal), Riggs & I) left Islamorada after our overnight visit, to return to Boot Key Harbor. Since the winds had shifted to the south, we traveled on the 'inside', or north side of the Keys, and it was a good ride. Remember that I had written that when we arrived back here ' In a perfect world my mooring will be available' . Well, we were about an hour out of BKH when I got 'THE CALL' from Marathon City Marina saying we had worked our way down the wait list and that my mooring was ready. So within 2 hours we had pulled in and tied up to the ball (Romeo 9), and I had paid for a month's rental.

If that call had come 2 hours earlier, we would have been too late and they would have skipped down the list. If the call had come 2 hours later we would have already dropped two anchors here and would have had to undo all that. Pretty good timing. Steve credited it to clean living.

Tuesday night was sweet: balmy and calm. We had supper at the Tranquility Bay resort, where Steve & Connie were staying. Very, very, nice.

Overnight the wind shifted to the north and increased to a steady howl, which made the mooring well appreciated. We all had a big breakfast at 'The Stuffed Pig' which is a popular diner right across Rt 1 from the marina here, then took off in their rented convertible for Key West, an hour away. We parked in the Old Town area and walked, walked, walked around, checking out the shops and the whole busy scene. Steve and Connie went into theButterfly Conservatory while Riggs and I hung out. They both liked it alot.

We had a nice lunch at a nice place along the Harbor Walk (Riggs was allowed to join us), and then walked, walked, walked through the neat neighborhoods, the cemetery, and the Truman Annex area, ending at Mallory Square before sunset to watch the jugglers, escape artists, and sword swallowers (ugh) perform. With Riggs stashed in the car we walked the length of Duval Street to have a light supper here, then back to the car for the drive back to Marathon. It was a long but great day.

A word about Riggs in Key West. I had looked into finding doggie day care here in Marathon so we wouldn't have to drag him along, but fortunately could find no good options. Riggs was great in Key West. We walked maybe 5 miles while he must have walked 20, getting excited about every other dog he saw, every chicken he saw, every store he walked into, all the people, all the sniffs, etc. He had a great time and was quite well behaved. We were glad he was there.

Today Steve and Connie drove up to Miami, where they will stay at a South Beach hotel for 2 nights before flying home to CT, possibly attending the Miami Boat Show. Before they left they hit a few stores and then came by the marina, bearing food, boat goodies (dinghy light, galley knife, kellet weight (look it up)) and dog treats. How nice. We took a fun dinghy ride down the mangrove creeks, and through some of the local canal neighborhoods, then back to the marina dinghy dock where a nice surprise awaited. It turns out that 2 manatees (1,000 lb mother and 400 lb calf) were at the inner dinghy dock, posing for photos and even allowing petting. Really cool.

Oh yeah, when we were anchored off Islamorada, Steve caught a couple bait fish for some later night fishing. As you can see below, Riggs found the bait fish quite interesting.

Steve & Connie are now in Miami and I'm gonna have a relaxed week-plus here to do some work on Spray until buddy Ken arrives on the 21st for a couple of days. I'll keep you posted.

Waiting for a 'Ball Movement'

Last Wednesday Riggs and I completed our return to Boot Key Harbor, leaving the anchorage in Newfound Channel Harbor and cruising 20 miles east for a mid-day arrival. The mooring field (226 mooring balls) was still filled, and the remaining spots to anchor were crowded, so we dropped anchor jammed in between a couple of the 'permanently anchored' boats fairly near the Marathon City Marina. Most of those boats have at least 3 anchors out in different directions, and so they don't swing much with changing winds. Spray, on the other hand, with a single anchor out and 60 feet of rode, will swing, and thus may collide with neighboring boats when wind direction changes.

We paid about $50 for a week of anchoring privileges (showers, dinghy dock access, etc.) and got put at the bottom of the waiting list for a mooring ball, with 16 boats ahead of us. A 1 mile walk up route 1 to a Publix supermarket helped to refill Spray's larder.

Winds were pretty consistent out of the east for the next day so we didn't interfere with nearby boats, but a neighbor, who was concerned for his boat, suggested that we might move 100 yards towards shore and still find sufficient water. I took the dinghy and my 6' boathook and prodded the area and confirmed sufficient depth and so moved Spray to the new location. Over the next day the wind shifted from east to south, so I put out a second anchor to the south to keep Spray from swinging into shore. The next day the wind shifted to the west then north so I put a 3rd anchor to NW (towards shore), to againg limit Spray's movement.

So with 3 anchors out in a star pattern Spray stays put but eventually the lines get twisted up. Fortunately my brother Steve, and his wife Connie, arrived late Saturday (they just barely escaped the big mid-atlantic blizzard), and so on Sunday morning I had extra hands to deal with the anchors. We pulled them up one by one and then went for a short cruise circumnavigating Boot Key. Then a nice lunch, a little driving around the local Keys, a stop for groceries, a little down time and then back to Spray for chowing down before the Superbowl started. We went to the Marina lounge area where a projection TV was set up and a full house (at least 100 boaters) watched the Saints win.

As of today only a handful of boats had left moorings (producing a 'ball movement' as they say here) and so we still had a dozen or so ahead of Spray on the wait list. Since the next 2 days weather looked good, we decided to do an overnight cruise 35 miles up the Keys to Islamorada. Today's conditions were perfect for cruising on the 'outside', and the anchorage here is flat calm. We had supper at Lorelei's Restaurant, which was quite busy, with both a band and a pretty good magic act to watch. The coconut shrimp appetizer was fantastic.

Tomorrow is Connnie's 34th (hexadecimal) birthday and we'll cruise back to Marathon via the 'inside'. In a perfect world my mooring will be available but most likely we'll need to anchor again. Wednesday is supposed to be windy so we'll probably take their rent-a-car to Key West for the day.

Boot Key Harbor (Marathon) is a great place to stay, well protected and with a great transient boater's community, which is why nobody wants to leave. Eventually we'll get a mooring and will probably stay here until the end of Feb., when Sheila comes aboard for 2 weeks!

Key West

Good friend Bev Bishop flew back to her winter home of St. Louis today, after 8 days aboard Spray, with Riggs and myself. At last report we were anchored in Boot Key Harbor at Marathon (ICW mile 1195). We stayed there only one night (last Thursday), enjoying a fun Friday morning with hot showers, a neat dinghy tour of the local canal-based neighborhood, and a great lunch at Burdine's Chiki-Tiki Bar & Grille.

We left after lunch and cruised only 10 miles to an anchorage off of Bahia Honda State Park (mile 1205), between a Rte 1 bridge to the north and a defunct railway bridge to the south. Exploring the park was fun: Bev and I had great ice cream and Riggs rolled on stinky dead fish on the beach. The anchorage was challenging due to the tidal currents and the small wind-driven rollers coming through. We deployed a stern anchor to point Spray into the rollers, thus changing obnoxious rolling into tolerable pitching.

On Saturday we had a short but quite rolly cruise westwards to Newfound Channel Harbor (mile 1215), a well-protected anchorage between Big Pine and Little Torch Keys. Not much shore exploring options, but enough to drain the dog. It was nice & warm & calm so hanging out on Spray there was real nice.

Sunday we started early and headed west for the 30 mile run to Key West (ICW mile 1243). Winds were from the north so the islands blocked the waves and it was a nice run. After passing south of Key West we turned north and passed the cruise ship docks and Mallory Square, and continued up and around Fleming Key and at 1 pm, tied to a ball in the Key West City Marina's large mooring field in Garrison Bight. This might be the farthest extent of Spray's 09/10 cruise!

It was a mile or so dinghy ride (kinda bouncy) to the actual marina where we could register and take showers. We then left Riggs aboard Spray and dinghied to the Key West Bight dinghy dock, and walked a bit of the old town area, watched the jugglers, etc. at Mallory Square, and had dinner at the Turtle Kraals waterfront restaurant.

Monday started rainy, so we hung out on Spray, reading and doing crosswords, until after lunch. Then we took Riggs for a 3 hour walk around Old Town, which was great fun for all 3 of us. Jeff Siegel had emailed an unqualified recommendation for a restaurant named Seven Fish, and we had 6 pm reservations, so we dressed up (ie: wore shoes) and went ashore for a fabulous dinner (see below).

Bev's taxi picked her up today at 11 am, and Riggs and I were then preparing to depart when the phone rang. It was the Marathon City Marina, saying that we were next on the waiting list for a mooring there. Unfortunately we were 60 miles away and had to give up our place in line. After cruising east for 30 miles, we are once again anchored at Newfound Channel Harbor. Tomorrow we'll reach Marathon, where we'll have to squeeze in for anchoring, and get to the end of the line waiting for a mooring ball. On Saturday brother Steve and his bride Connie arrive in Marathon for 5 days of sun & fun, so stay tuned.

The Good Life

Bev, Riggs, and I are down in the Keys now, anchored in Boot Key Harbor in the town of Marathon, on Vaca Key, and life is good. We've had great weather, following winds, and friendly harbors.

Yesterday we left John Pennekamp State Park on Key Largo (ICW mile 1140) and cruised down the outside of the Keys, past Plantation Key to Snake Creek, where we could cut across to the inside. It was a tight fit, and we saw truly scary numbers on the depth sounder as we crossed through, and still as we traveled on the inside in like 5 feet of water (Spray draws 4 ft). Eventually we reached Islamorada (mile 1160) and found the renowned restaurant Loreleis. We anchored offshore in somewhat exposed conditions and the 3 of us dinghied in for a late lunch. Our cruising guide had said the Loreleis allowed dogs but when we arrived there were signs saying no dogs. It turns out that one of their managers doesn't like dogs (can you imagine?). With some pleading and a few tears we were allowed to stay with Riggs and had a great (and huge) lunch. The restaurant's resident cat came by to torture Riggs, and everybody was happy.

Back on Spray we dozed for awhile (see above where Bev assumes her yoga pose 'Snorked Off Swan') and had a light supper. We cruised on this morning, first on the inside, then crossing through 'Channel Five' to the outside, where we found some small swells to keep things rocking.

There are 2 entrances to Boot Key Harbor (ICW mile 1195), the main one is from the west, but there is a shallow-draft option in from the south through Sister Creek, and we squeezed into the latter, winding through the mangroves. Boot Key Harbor is a very protected lagoon where many cruisers spend most of the winter. The city of Marathon maintains 226 moorings here, and they were all filled when we pulled in. What an impressive grouping of vessels! There is anchorage space too which was pretty full but we squeezed ourselves in and dropped the hook. After lunch (grilled cheese) we dropped a 2nd anchor to hold a tighter position, then dinghied ashore to the largest dinghy dock setup I've ever seen, and registered at the city marina. This is quite an operation, with a huge cruiser's lounge, bathroom/shower facility, pumpouts, etc.

We walked Riggs through a city park, then up busy Route 1 to a supermarket where we bought a few items for tonight's supper.

One of the aspects of Bev's visit I've most looked forward to has been her cooking skills. It turns out that I cooked the first few meals while she was aboard, both to show off my meager skills and to let her get acquainted with Spray's galley. Bev cooked us a great breakfast yesterday but tonight she showed her stuff: First frying some thin-sliced potatoes, then some broccoli and onions, capping things with sauteed tilapia filets with mustard sauce. What a fantastic meal!

So we arise at daylight, I make a quick run to shore with Riggs, then we share a nice breakfast and get underway. We spend the day on the flying bridge, watching the Keys slide by, in awe of the turquoise waters. Finally we snake our way into an anchorage, explore the shoreside ammenities, and return to Spray for a great meal and beautiful sunset. What more could one ask for?

The picture below shows just some of the anchor lights here in Boot Key harbor.

Running on the OUTSIDE

So good friend Bev arrived in Coconut Grove, right on time Sunday afternoon, and her welcome aboard Spray was a trial-by-fire, as I had moved Spray to one of Dinner Key Marina's moorings, which are somewhat exposed to waves, and the winds were strong out of the south. So we had a bouncy dinghy ride to Spray, and then Bev's first night aboard was a little bouncy and full of odd splashy and creaky sounds. We had a nice supper Sunday at 'Scotties' on the waterfront (they allow well behaved dogs with responsible owner - Riggs and I faked it).

More trials on Monday. Its still windy and squalls are threatened. First, Bev and I go to a high-end grocery and load up on fancy foods. Next we drop off the mooring and tie up to a slip to fill the water tank and pump out the holding tank, experiences Bev didn't want to miss. Next we motor over to a fuel dock and fill Spray's tanks (80 gallons diesel @ $2.75). Our computer is on-line showing a radar image of the approaching squall line, and the fuel attendant had heard that tornados were possible, and since they're not busy we're welcome to stay tied to the fuel dock for a while. The fuel dock happens to be 5 steps from - wait for it - 'SCOTTIES', and its lunch time so what better way for the 3 of us to ride out the storm. It does rain and blow some as we dine but its not so bad.

After lunch we head across Biscayne Bay on a short but bouncy run to No Name Harbor on Key Biscayne (ICW mile 1096). Its a very well protected harbor and we drop anchor, have a nice long walk around Bill Baggs State Park, then supper aboard Spray. A very calm night.

Today we wake to wall-wall sun and moderate winds from the North. We indulge in a frittata for breakfast, then head down Biscayne Bay, with 2' following seas, which Spray handles comfortably. Its really glorious travel. Our goal today was John Pennekamp State Park on Key Largo (ICW mile 1140), a 44 mile run. We were 1/3 way through it, at the south end of Biscayne Bay, and I'm looking at charts trying to figure how to enter the park, and it dawns on me that while we are heading down the ICW on the INSIDE of the Keys, the park is on the OUTSIDE!! So I call the park and get advice: we must go through Caesar Creek, at the bottom of Elliot Key, to cross to the outside, then cruise SW for 20 miles to the park. So that's what we did.

Bev's an able helmsperson and did 80% of the driving today, and so it was she that got to plow Spray over a 3' deep sandbar to enter Caesar Creek, which was kind of exciting. The run down the outside, between 1 & 2 miles from shore, in 10-12 ft of turquoise water, was like a dream - just spectacular. After a couple hours we were off of central Key Largo, turning into South Sound Creek and winding a mile through the mangroves to this great park (see below). We're at a slip at the park marina, with shore power, hot showers, and everything. Its really nice here.

Tomorrow: probably an easy 20 mile run to Islamorada, on Upper Matacumbe Key. There's a waterfront restaurant there, Lorelei's, that allows well behaved dogs. We'll fake it again.