Marathon, FL (Boot Key Harbor)

We arrived here in Marathon Friday afternoon. The winds had picked up again Thursday night and were blowing 15 knots plus, we were bouncing on the mooring ball and it was time to leave. We motor sailed on to Marathon. The sun was shinning bright but we both could not relax at the same time, the crab pot population was very dense. Even with the auto helm on one of us had to be watching. What possess the crabbers to put their traps in the charted course is beyond my imagination. They must have many of them taken out by boat props. Last year when we came though here during a heavy storm we did not see one and fortunately for us we just shredded the Styrofoam float ball. The line can get wrapped on you propeller shaft. What a mess that can be. The wind was blowing quite stiff by the time we arrived and was still blowing until this morning. It is blowing around 10 knots now and is to get even lighter over the next few days.

The picture is only a small portion of the mooring field. It is large and with many boats, some of which are waiting to go to the Bahamas and some to Mexico. I'm certain many will leave today and tomorrow the winds are out of the Southeast.

We have been hanging out on the boat and at shore over the weekend. Friday we went by dinghy to the City Marina and purchased a pass to land our dinghy for the week. We also purchased tokens for the showers. This will reduce the amount of water we have to cart from the dock to the boat. Larry does most of the work, I just help. We have been discussing a water maker, we keep going back and forth about one. Cost verses convenience, where you can use it, space to install it and more. Here in the US it is quite easy to get water and this is the first time we have had to pay (.05$/gal. pretty reasonable). The main thing would be the time and energy used here to fill the tanks. In the Bahamas would be the lack of availability and drinkable and distance to carry the water. We prefer to anchor out over getting a dock. Some of the islands are quite remote and would be where we would like to anchor. A water maker would make it convenient to stay on the hook for extended periods of time. We severed our tie with the land and now are working on some independence. When you live aboard a boat full time and are not attached to land you realise how spoiled we are as Americans. There are some creature comforts I refuse to give up. We enjoy this life style but we are not camping. We do see many small boats with few comforts if any on them, not for me, I'm still spoiled!

Saturday we took our bikes to shore by dinghy and did some provisioning at Publix and the boating stores. We also found the Dockside Bar landed our dinghy and had dinner. We have some history with this bar. About 15 years ago we came to Marathon on a scuba diving trip with Tildens Dive Shop. After getting to know one of the dive masters we discovered he lived on a Hunter 25 here in Boot Key Harbor. We, at that time, also owned a Hunter 25 one year newer. He was living our dream. We found the Dockside Bar to check out where he lived. We found out that for $25 a month the bar provided mail service, shower facilities, laundry, parking and dinghy dock. What a deal! The wheels started to turn and we kept that in the back of our minds, Larry more than me. Well we chose not to come down and stay put, wanderlust in our blood, but we needed to go back to where it all began. The write ups in the cruising guides say they are no longer boater friendly since the city put in a mooring field. Three weeks ago a new owner took over and is changing things back to what they used to be years ago. We plan on the next trip though to anchor off Dockside and see what it is like.

Sunday we went to the Marathon Community UMC for church service. We had planned our time to get to shore and take a shower with plenty of time to bike to church. I guess we are too used to showering on our boat and didn't think about a line to wait in. After a 25 minute wait we finally got showered and went to church only a few minutes late. We'll plan better next time. The pastor gave a very thought provoking sermon and the small church was quite full. He himself was quite young with a young family but the congregation ranged from young children to folks many years our senior.

Today while I'm writing this Larry is getting fuses from the West Marine store and water from the City Dock. We have some things to do on the boat and will later go to shore for a shower. Hopefully there will be no lines. Tomorrow we will visit Crane Point Museum and Nature Center. It is a short bike ride from the City Dock. We plan to stay anchored here until Wednesday.