Hanging around Boot Key again

Wednesday 10th March
Another day ashore downloading stuff from the Internet.

Thursday 11th March
It's finally getting warmer - woo hoo!

Friday 12th March
Time to pick up a car for a week on our Aeroplan points. With our extra mobility we rent some DVDs, take my camera back to Radio Shack for repair - 3rd broken camera!!! - and picked up some Florida brown shrimps from our favourite fish store.

Saturday 13th March
First day of the annual Marathon seafood festival. We take a walk around but don't buy anything. Interesting display of local marine life.

This Lion Fish was caught in Whiskey Creek which is jut of where we were anchored for two weeks.


This oddity is Slipper or Shovel Nose Lobster also locally caught. They are edible but I guess most people favour the conventional looking ones.

That's its front end by the way.

Carol didn't get to see her birds which were due to be at the show the next day.

Sunday 14th March
We visited the seafood festival for a second day and got to see the one-winged hawk.

We also bought some conch fritters, it was seafood festival after all. However, since they didn't seem to put hardly any conch into them I was severely unimpressed.

We had Steve and Kathy from Kit over for supper and introduced them to "Idiocracy". We think Kathy was a little startled but Steve who has one serious sense of humour laughed pretty loud.

Monday 15th March
I ferried Carol and Buddy over to shore with our luggage then Steve gave me a ride back to the marina so I could leave the dinghy tied to the boat.

After breakfast and a shrimp purchase we headed on up the Overseas Highway back to mainland Florida. It's a pleasant drive up the keys past Miami on the Florida Turnpike to Pembroke Pines where Carol's cousin and family live. Mike is now retired so he was home with wife Melanie and we got a warm welcome as usual.

Mike and Melanie's daughter Bandi and boyfriend John came back to live close by last year so that daughter Michaela could live with them instead of her grandparents. Their son Mike Junior and wife Allison, daughter Ava and son Michael (the third) also live fairly close by and they all came over for pizza.

Left to right are Michaela, Michael III and Melanie.

Left to right: Michael Junior, Michael III, John (just sliver) and Bandi.

Tuesday 16th March
Carol went to bowling with Melanie (no she didn't bowl) while I tagged along with Mike while he took Michaela for a dental appointment back in the area they used to live.

After dropping Michaela at school we met Carol and Melanie for lunch at place called Flannigans and had a tumbled onion - recommended - with other fishy stuff.

Back to the house to hangout until Melanie made a delicious supper using the shrimp we brought plus other goodies.

I tried to take a picture of their Ragged Doll cat but this is the best I could do, Angel wouldn't stay still.

After supper we went over to Bandi and John's for a visit where I got to play Nintendo Super Mario Speedway on a 65" TV while everyone chatted in the biggest apartment we've ever seen.

Wednesday 17th March
We wake up to a dreary rainy day for our drive back to Marathon, so after breakfast and our goodbyes we head back.

By the time we get back the weather is starting to clear and we have some fresh fish on the BBQ for a pleasant evening.

Thurdsay 18th March
We had one day left of the car rental so we'd planned a trip to Key West with Jeff and Jane from Deja Vu. We got there in late morning, parked the car and walked all around with Buddy.


North America loves its giant things, Key West is no exception. This pair are about 20' high.


We had lunch at our favourite Key West dining spot B.O.'s before heading back to Marathon.

Friday 19th March
Returned the rental and had a second chiro appointment - is it fixing things?
Kismet finally arrived in Marathon and we did a rare thing and went for happy hour at Lazy Days Bar with Jim and Laurie and Dick from Grey Hound. Finally got some conch fritters with conch in them.

Saturday 20th March
Spent the day just hanging out on the boat.

Sunday 21st March
Over to the Legion for breakfast and then off to see "Crazy Heart" with Steve and Kathy and friends of theirs Linda and Greg who have a place in Marathon - just OK seemed to be the general consensus on the movie.

We all went over to "Kit" for supper but an impending thunderstorm cut the evening short.

Monday 22nd March
Our generator arrived but I didn't have time to try it out before Jim & Laurie (Kismet) and Ann (recently returned from a trip north to see mother) & Dick (Grey Hound) came over for Carol's Bouillabaisse. All were appreciative.

Tuesday 23rd March
Time to play with a new toy so the new generator got a good work out while Carol did much needed laundry ashore. Kismet and Grey Hound were heading off the next day for the Dry Tortugas and we joined them over at the Keys Fisheries across the road from the marina for happy hour where Jim and Dick were relentless at trying to persuade us to join them the next day. If our fuel problems were resolved it would have been tempting - for me anyway.

Wednesday 24th March
Another visit to the chiro with side trips to Blockbuster, Publix and Winn Dixie.

The bird wildlife here is prolific with Pelicans, Ospreys, Turkey Buzzards and these guys which are as common as sparrows.


Thursday 25th March
The weather is now glorious with sunny skies and a cool wind - perfect. However, I spent the day in the marina downloading stuff while Carol did our accounts on the boat. Steve and Kathy invited us over for happy hour and burritos in the expansive cockpit of "Kit"

Friday 26th March
Another front was forecast for the day so we stayed aboard, however, this one really fizzled with just a very brief light shower of rain and no thunderstorm,

Saturday 27th March
"Green Zone" (positive reviews from all) at the movies with Steve and Kathy in the afternoon then over to "Incognita" for supper and then over to "Kit" to watch "Up In The Air" (we all liked it) on their computer - they have sooo much more room.


Sunday 28th March
Sunday and it's the Legion breakfast again. Followed by shopping for Carol. Then it's post the blog time.

Waiting for a mooring in Boot Key Harbour

Monday 1st March
A day for teak scraping and cleaning up the cockpit punctuated by helping a new arrival in the anchorage tie their boat to the mangroves. Unfortunately, in my attempt to climb further into the mangroves I end up hanging from the outer mangroves with my legs in the water. Fortunately there is no photographic record of this ignominious performance. I managed to somehow drag myself up to a safer perch and retrieve the dinghy which had shot away as I pushed up from it. Good job I'd had the presence of mind to tie it up first. That broke the ice with Jeff and Jane Landry aboard Deja Vu who gave us a bottle of wine for my troubles.

Tuesday 2nd March
In the middle of the night we awake to the sound of some body's anchor line being winched in and the sound is very close. When I shot up on deck I found our new neighbours fending our bow off the side of their boat. I thought at first we'd dragged but it turns out although our stern was tied off to shore, the wind was right behind us and pushing us forward while they were being dragged the opposite way by the current. So I just shortened our stern line to shore and we all went back to bed.

Another front was forecast for the day's entertainment so we waited for the big event which turned out to be a complete fizzle as the predicted squalls bypassed Marathon.

We had Jeff and Jane over for happy hour aboard Incognita.

They're Texans who've done many years of cruising around the Bahamas and Caribbean aboard their Morgan but now here they are aboard their current boat, a Prout catamaran.

Picture courtesy of Deja Vu

Wednesday 3rd March
It felt like a cold was coming on the day before and now it's here in spades. Deja Vu supply me with some cold medicine but I still feel horrible and Carol has to take Buddy ashore on her own - not something she does at all, in fact she's only ever taken the dinghy on her own once before.

After the front passed we have strong north-westerly winds blowing cold air at us all day and night.

Thursday 4th March
More of the same clear cool windy weather and the cold virus continues its steady progress.

Friday 5th March
Better weather is being forecast for the next week and we are hopeful this may mean people leave and we get a mooring, meanwhile here we are at anchor amongst the catamarans.

Picture courtesy of Deja Vu

Saturday 6th March
The cold symptoms are starting to recede but the temperature isn't really improving any yet.

Sunday 7th March
On the way over with Buddy in the morning we stopped by Dick and Ann (Grey Hound) and they took these picture of us to demonstrate to friends up north that Florida winters are not all sun and sand.

Picture courtesy of Grey Hound

They're good friends with Larry and Carol who we know from way back in Gananoque and are sending these pics to show them what they're missing!

Picture courtesy of Grey Hound

We both read the book "Shutter Island" a year or so back and thought it was a real zinger of a story so we've been eagerly awaiting the movie ever since we saw it first advertised last year. Marathon has a great little movie theatre which we discovered for the first time when we got a ride with Steve and Cathy (Kit) - they have a car - to go see it. The theatre is a bit like the one in Elizabeth City, NC, where there's regular seating plus table and chairs. No hot food like Elizabeth City but you can have beer and wine - very civilised.

We ended the day taking Buddy for a walk on the beach.

Word is we're 2nd on the list to get a mooring can - maybe tomorrow?

Monday 8th March
While we're onshore at the Marina with Buddy for his morning run we get the call. After nearly two weeks we finally get a mooring. So we sign up for month as we intend to rent a car and visit Carol's relatives and leave the boat for a few days.

We say goodbye to the anchorage and Deja Vu.

Picture courtesy of Deja Vu

So it's into the mooring field of around 260 boats we go after filling up with water.


Carol took a walk to Publix (I'm not quite up to that yet) while I stay in the marina and download the Oscars.

Tuesday 9th March
After breakfast it's back over to the marina to do laundry, finish downloading the Oscars and updating the blog. On the way in though we meet a poor fellow trying to paddle his dinghy with non-operational outboard back to his boat. So we gave him a tow home. Good deed for the day.

Back at Boot Key

Sunday 14th February
Spent the day at anchor fixing things (or at least trying to) around the boat.

Monday 15th February
Hanging around on the boat for another day.

Tuesday 16th February
Got the autopilot going again, thankfully – just a bad connection.

Wednesday 17th February
Took a trip into South Beach on the dinghy and did a little provisioning at Publix, that Mecca of supermarkets.

Thursday 18th February
Made the decision that since we had possible engine problems maybe we would not go to the Bahamas with Bilbo. Instead we decided to go down to Marathon where we spent six weeks last year where there’s a guy who would clean our fuel for us.

Friday 19th February
Anchor up and on our way past Miami and “Government Cut” where the cruise ships hang out and boats head out to the Bahamas.


Down into Biscayne Bay leaving Miami behind as we headed into the keys just like we did last year.

Our anchorage for the night was in Barnes Sound where the only place we could find was about a mile from shore. But the winds were light and we spent a peaceful night.

Saturday 20th February
It’s not that far to our next destination so we have a leisurely weekend breakfast before we head on out now, as much west as south.

The weather is mild and we are entering one of the more attractive parts of the gulf side of the keys. Although the water isn’t the beautiful clear stuff of the Bahamas, it is an appealing sage green dotted with small islands giving our next stop it’s name – Islamorada – village of the islands.

As we motor into the anchorage we see an Island Packet sailboat with someone waiving off the back. To our surprise it’s Laurie and Jim aboard Kismet. These are people we first met in the Duke of Marysburgh restaurant in Waupoos several years ago and who we were supposed to travel south with. They’ve been on the west coast of Florida and that’s where we thought they still were.

Sunday 21st February
We decided to stay at least another day so we can get together with Kismet's crew who are travelling with Greyhound (Dick & Ann who we met in Marathon last year) and Swan (Barry & Susan). That night we go aboard Kismet for happy hour with lots of munchies. So much munchies that supper is unnecessary. A swell time was had by all.

(left to right: Dick, Ann, Laurie, Jim, Barry an invisible Susan and Carol).

Monday 22nd February
Overnight the wind picked up considerably and this is not a day for going anyway, with driving rain and rough water.

Tuesday 23rd February
There's a one day window before the next front is due to come through so we get an early start on the last leg to Marathon.

On the way we pass by what we call the stick birds.

These are not birds with long legs but birds that perch on these sticks that jut above the surface of the water. Nearly every single stick has a bird all the time.

We also saw lots of these guys which we initially mistook for Ziploc plastic bags when we first saw them.
Turns out they're Man of War jellyfish which isn't truly a jellyfish at all but a colony of four creatures who cannot survive without each other. Very strange.

We arrive in Marathon only to find (as we had been forewarned) there were no free mooring cans and quite a waiting list. So we attempted anchoring in the main harbour only to run aground. With the help of someone who had just done the same thing an hour before, we kedged ourselves off (carry the anchor out in the dinghy, drop it at a distance from the boat and then winch the boat towards it) while our helpful friend pushed the bow of Incognita with his dinghy.

We then headed off for Sister Creek and found it much less crowded and we found ourselves a spot.

Wednesday 24th February
Another blow was on the way so we stayed aboard most of the day except for going into the City Marina to get ourselves on the mooring waiting list. The problem is that the weather is so continuously rotten that no one is leaving.

Thursday 25th February
It's a very windy day after the cold front has passed and of course it's cooler again but the skies are clear and the sun shines. After I rescue a pail that the neighbouring boat accidentally dropped overboard by rowing over to him in our dinghy, the owner offers to help me to fix our outboard dinghy motor. So we take the carburetor off, take it on board his boat - Swell Horizon - and he blasts the jets and passages with his compressor. After re-assembling it we have a properly working dinghy motor again - wonderful, it's like having new one.

Friday 26th February
Tax day for Carol in the marina while I get a ride from Steve (aboard Kit who we met last year in Marathon with his wife Cathy) to finally fill one of our propane containers. Then I head off (by dinghy) to buy gasoline and some fresh fish for supper. Back to the marina to pick up Carol, back to the boat to take Buddy a walk and unload groceries and then over to the mooring field to eat supper aboard the spacious catamaran, Kit.

As we return to the boat at night we notice that the masthead anchor light seems to lit but very poorly. Since we don't remember turning it on we're a little curious. When we get aboard we find it's not even switched on. Then the penny drops: Radio Marti.
This is an antenna array that broadcasts directly to Cuba from Marathon and has enough power to illuminate our LED anchor light - scary!

Saturday 27th February
A day aboard the boat preparing for the next front which turns out to be bit of a fizzle.

Sunday 28th February
Over to the American Legion for one of their excellent Sunday breakfasts. Then back to the marina for some free wi-fi and a blog update.

It's been a long time since there were any blog updates. Part of the reason has been we've just been too damn busy and the other is the loss of our dear friend Sarah McLeod who passed away up in Canada at the end of January. Here are Sarah and her husband Richard Hayward when they visited us down in the Florida Keys just a year ago.


Friday 13th December to Monday 25th January
A blur of days spent working on the RV, then once the boat was moved to the work yard it was pretty much non-stop to get everything done to get it re-surveyed and launched.

One of the bigger jobs was fixing the rudder which I cut open and cleaned out before it was refilled with foam and epoxy.


There was still some time to take a few pictures. This little fellow was one of several living on and around the tarp next to the RV.


Carol did some photography around the marina where the owners are making successful attempts to make the place more attractive.




Buddy got a serious haircut to prepare him for the hot weather that so far has not transpired.


Sometimes the weather was warm with dramatic sunsets.


And there were many sightings of the resident alligator - half-tail as he is known by the guys who work in the marina. He's at least six feet long even without the end of his tail.


Tuesday 26th January
It's finally launch day and the boat is back in its element and it doesn't sink.

Wednesday 27th January
The people who have replaced our rigging are supposed to have the mast put back up today and I'm down at the dock in the sunshine when Richard calls to tell me Sarah died that morning. It doesn't seem quite real.

The crane is stuck on some job miles away and the mast does not get stepped.

Thursday 28th January
Finally the rigging guys and the crane guy get it together and the mast goes back up.


Friday 29th January
The sails go back up. Incognita starts to look like a sailboat again.

Saturday 30th January to Friday 5th February
Day after day spent moving stuff from RV to boat. Putting the RV away until we return.


Saturday 6th February
Soon after the dawn breaks we finally leave the marina and head out down the canal to the Intracoastal.

We're travelling with John and Rejeanne (aboard Bilbo) who have a couple of groundings (with their 6' keel) as we head through the St. Lucie River area.

We anchor for the night in Peck Lake where we spent a couple of days last year. It's then we find our outboard dinghy motor is not working. Fortunately John ferries me and Buddy ashore.

Sunday 7th February
We head off again after we've given John a tow off a sandbar and we head down to North Lake Worth and anchor for the night.

Monday 8th February
We put Bilbo's outboard on our dinghy so we can all go ashore together and make a trip to Publix and West Marine. For me the West Marine stop is to buy some fluid for fixing the carburetor in our outboard. The only mechanic in the area is too busy to look at our outboard but he did give some advice.

Tuesday 9th February
After squirting this stuff into the carb and leaving it overnight there is still no joy so I go and buy another can. This time it looks like it might be working.

Wednesday 10th February
The outboard now sort of works. It won't idle but it does go at medium to high speed. Good enough for now and with the use of another product it maybe will fix itself.

Thursday 11th February
An early start and off we go through the endless opening bridges past West Palm Beach, Boca Raton to Lake Santa Barbara to anchor for two nights as a strong front is promised.

Friday 12th February
A day spent sorting things out on the boat and fixing a few things.

The promised front arrives and we get a thunderstorm and very high winds. Both our anchors hold and we survive.

Saturday 13th February
We were going to anchor in North Miami but we get there at low tide and Bilbo does not want to risk the tricky entrance.

So we head on further to Sunset Lake which we stayed in three times last year. Unlike when we were here before, it is quite full but we find a couple of spots.