Week one in Marathon

12/13/15
Florida Keys, Marathon, FL
Posted by Bill

Well it has been a full week since we landed in Marathon at the Harbour Cay Club. It is nice to be sitting still for a while. Since we left Southport on the 4th of November, we have had 20 traveling days. Except for the week we stayed in Vero Beach, the only stops we took were for weather, 2 days in Charleston, 1 day in Fernandina Beach and 2 days in St Augustine. We traveled 1,006 statute miles. The trip this year was very different. Last year, everything was new to us and it seemed more adventurous compared to this year. We now have the spots we like, and spots we avoid (if possible), and we know the general “lay of the land” along the way. It was still challenging, especially dealing with weather and other boaters. It was easy to see how much our anchoring, docking and navigation skills have improved, especially when dealing with tides and currents.

The first couple of days here were windy and rainy, but now the weather is settling. Highs in the low 80s and lows in the low 70s, and finally some sunny skys.

Our good friends Kurt and Sharon, on Byrd Ketcher, left on Friday for Key West; and since we only had a few days to hang out with them, we hit a daily happy hour…sometimes more than one. We also met up with Mark and Jan on Island Bound (yes another Island Bound…great choice of boat name if I don’t say so myself), who were moored in Boot Key Harbor here in Marathon. They traveled with us from Miami to Bimini and the Berry Islands in the Bahamas in March, and then went south to the Exumas when we went north to the Abacos. It has been good seeing them again and hanging out. They are also headed for Key West tomorrow. We also met Denny and Wanda, good friends of the Byrd Ketchers and Island Bounds. They also moved on to Key West.

When not happy houring, we have been working on boat projects. First up, dealing with our solar panels. Last February we purchased 3 135 watt solar panels from a very reputable company here in Marathon. In return for a substantial discount, we accepted 2 of them on back order. Unfortunately, the company we bought them from has had a major problem getting them due to new import restrictions and tariffs (thank you mr president…not). I maintained my cool talking with the sales rep, and we were able to work out a solution that includes giving back the one panel we have, and getting 4 new 100 watt panels. They should be here in a few days and we can work on installing them.

A good portion of our travel here was in rainy and very humid weather, and since we have not had air conditioning we have developed a mold and mildew issue inside the boat. Tricia wiped every surface down with Clorox Cleanup and it is looking great. I set out to clean the bottom of the boat (since the water is so clear here, I don’t mind doing it versus hiring a diver), pulled the dinghy out of the water and give it a thorough cleaning, cleaned the stainless steel on the outside of the boat, and got caught up on the many financial and administrative things that have been neglected for over a month. We also got the bikes out of storage and made a run to the grocery store. We have a list of things to do to the boat before we head offshore to the Bahamas, and it will definitely keep us busy.

We are planning a couple of trips to Key West in the next couple of weeks to hang with everyone while they are down there. We also have a good friend Shelley that lives there that we want to visit. The cost for slips there is outrageous…beyond our budget, so we will base ourselves here in Marathon and take the bus to Key West. A friend of Kurt and Sharon, who lives near Key West, invited us to stay them them at his house for Christmas Eve and Day, and we are contemplating that. Also, we have good friends that live on Big Pine Key, which is the next key over from Marathon. Hopefully we can see them several times while we are here. Lastly, our good friends (considered family), Jen and John from Catawba (where our lake house is), are going to be here over Christmas staying with their parents who have a house in Key Colony Beach here in Marathon. We had a dual wedding with them back when we got hitched. We hope to spend some time with them while they are here. So…you can see…busy social schedule for the next few weeks.

We got our fishing licenses and plan to do some fishing soon. There are about 5 lobsters lurking in the rocks at the marina boat ramp. Their days are numbered! I have also seen some mangrove snappers swimming in the vicinity that need to end up on the grill, and I got a tip on what bait to use from a guy at the grocery store yesterday. We shall see.

Here are some pictures around the marina including our Island Bound at her slip:




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