2/20/15
Marathon FL
Posted by Bill

We knew it was coming…and it did.

As stated before, this has been an abnormal winter in the keys. North winds that last for days on end with high wind and chilly temps. This one was forecasted to be an ass kicker with winds over 30 knots several days over the course of a long weekend.

We were invited to cook out with 4 of our new friends at Harbour Cay Club the night before last, and in spite of the cold and wind, we had a great time. Then the shit hit the fan and we were blasted by 35 knot winds out of the northwest all night. We had white cap waves rolling into the docks. I awoke around 2 to check out the dock lines, and I stood on the dock watching our 42 foot 23,000 pound boat repeatedly rise up and smash down into the oncoming water. The rise and fall was easily a range of 5 or 6 feet. I stood bewildered about how to adjust the lines to reduce the stress on the boat, but after a couple of adjustments just let it be.

The next day continued the same. The winds abated to the 25-30 knot range and then 20-27 knot, and the boat smashing stopped. The rocking and rolling did not. Our friends Jim and Jackie, stopped for a visit from their place on Big Pine Key, and they took one look at the boat being tossed around, and said “let’s just sit in the car and visit”…good move! Actually, you get used to the motion after awhile, but if you have other options, you usually take them. We had a fish fry at Harbour Cay last night which was really good eating and social time. It was downright cold for the keys, but we had some protection from the wind and everyone wore jackets and long pants. Then it was back to the boat and another night of little to no sleep. Temps went down into the mid-50s.

Today, the wind shifted to east-north east which protects us from the seas and also breaks the wind some. The worst is over and temps will be back to normal tomorrow. If we had to endure this crap on a regular basis, we would be dirt dwellers, believe me.