We are still in Marathon due to a few problems we have come across on the boat. The first one was the engine breaking down when we arrived at the beginning of December and we have only just received the parts to fix it from England. The delays were due to the holidays, the distance, and the middlemen involved in the process. JR has been working on the engine and now we have another issue with a special fuel return bolt that broke. We searched all around town and were unsuccessful in locating one so JR decided he would just try to make it himself. We bought bolts of the correct size and went to Home Depot to obtain drill bits and a Dremmel drill press workstation. He made a few attempts to drill the center hole in the bolts we purchased, but the drill bit couldn't really make the hole with the best effort just a shallow dent. So he returned to the store and bought the strongest drill bits he could get, which are the cobalt type, to make another attempt at making the hole in the bolt. I don't know what Grade 5 bolts are made out of, but the drill bit was still not able to make the hole through the tough metal bolt. We resorted to contacting the people from the mid-west that we had purchased our engine rebuild kit from to see if they had any in stock and luckily they said that they did have some. So now we wait for this most troublesome part to get here via USPS. A second new problem that arose when we returned from our trip back to Atlanta was the wind generator that stopped working properly. We determined there was something wrong with the regulator because the wind generator would spin, but then the red light would turn on and then the brakes would come on to stop it from spinning and charging the batteries. I am not sure what happened, but JR checked all the connections and the wires he soldered for the apparatus and found everything that he did was still intact. I couldn't believe it was broken so soon because we bought it new this past summer. We had to contact the manufacturer and now we have to mail the generator back to them so they can fix it before we will be able to get it back and re-install it. We have been without an engine and wind generator, which means we can't use much power on the boat. We are lucky to have at least a small solar panel to trickle charge our batteries during the day. I think we should get another just in case there is no wind to provide energy, but we will have to find space on the boat to put it and they are quite expensive. Well we will see what we do because we will always have something that needs work on the boat and we just have to determine how important it is for us to complete those projects before we sail away from the U.S. We are both glad that these problems came about here in Marathon because we are still on U.S. soil and as hard as it has been to get our supplies we would have even more trouble outside the United States. I hope that we get everything fixed and ready to go as I am getting antsy for traveling.
One good thing is that we brought the dinghy we built to test with the new outboard engine and found that the boat works beautifully and really goes a lot faster than our Portabote because of the hard bottom. With the good comes more work though. We had to make a center board plug because water was overflowing in the locker and getting into the hull. We will both be happier and drier when the plug gets finished and no more water gets into the boat. I believe we should get a pump to help bail out the boat (get water out) when it rains and etc. At the moment we are using a slow but effective cup to bail out the water. We will see if we upgrade to something better and faster. Stay tuned.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Closing out 2009
We met a young couple, Maxwell and Jen, 
that were cruising on a Baba 41 (?). They were from Virgina and were a year older than us. We thought they had a beautiful boat with tons of space. Their boat was fully equipped and ready to cruise. They had refrigeration, a Honda generator, a wind generator, stove with oven, a heater, bikes, a fully stocked galley, SSB radio, and etc. They had a neat butterfly hatch above the dining table, which I thought was really neat even with the few leaks. The boat was even decorated with some items that made it more homey, but Jen is an interior decorator so I am not surprised she used her talents for the boat as it would be her home for the time being. They invited us over for pizza made from scratch (dough and sauce) one day and we had a really good time getting to know them. We went out to eat with them a couple times at Hurricane's for wings and Keys Fisheries for stone crab. They really liked the stone crab as they had never eaten it before and they are used to blue crab from Virgina. We learned they were traveling out to the Exuma's as well so hopefully we will see them again.
that were cruising on a Baba 41 (?). They were from Virgina and were a year older than us. We thought they had a beautiful boat with tons of space. Their boat was fully equipped and ready to cruise. They had refrigeration, a Honda generator, a wind generator, stove with oven, a heater, bikes, a fully stocked galley, SSB radio, and etc. They had a neat butterfly hatch above the dining table, which I thought was really neat even with the few leaks. The boat was even decorated with some items that made it more homey, but Jen is an interior decorator so I am not surprised she used her talents for the boat as it would be her home for the time being. They invited us over for pizza made from scratch (dough and sauce) one day and we had a really good time getting to know them. We went out to eat with them a couple times at Hurricane's for wings and Keys Fisheries for stone crab. They really liked the stone crab as they had never eaten it before and they are used to blue crab from Virgina. We learned they were traveling out to the Exuma's as well so hopefully we will see them again. On New Year's Eve, we enjoyed wing night at Hurricane's with GR, Jessica, Gia, Jen and Maxwell (there was a random old guy that came with us, but I am not sure who he was).
Then we went to a dessert
party on the huge catamaran, Tranquility. Leah invited me from yoga class and I thought she was really nice. She has two adorable children, Finn and Maya. We met a bunch 
of people that we had never seen before in the harbor, but it was fun talking with them all about their cruising experiences and locations. By the end of the night, Finn was playing with JR by attacking him. I am not sure how that happened but all of a sudden I see Finn trying to beat up JR, but he was a little boy so no harm was done. It was nice to get dressed up after so many months. I wore heels an all, which was good because the boat was made out of steel so the deck was cold and it was so humid that the dew point was reached and everything was covered with dew. It could have been dangerous with someone slipping, but everything turned out fine. We brought in the new year with several blasts from the horn on the boat, which was ridiculously loud. Everyone I think had "horn envy" because no one else could compete with that horn. JR and I had a really good time meeting everyone. We stayed out until almost 3am, which was super late for Marathon time as people go to bed around 9pm. We made it back to our boat without any issues and we slept well.
of people that we had never seen before in the harbor, but it was fun talking with them all about their cruising experiences and locations. By the end of the night, Finn was playing with JR by attacking him. I am not sure how that happened but all of a sudden I see Finn trying to beat up JR, but he was a little boy so no harm was done. It was nice to get dressed up after so many months. I wore heels an all, which was good because the boat was made out of steel so the deck was cold and it was so humid that the dew point was reached and everything was covered with dew. It could have been dangerous with someone slipping, but everything turned out fine. We brought in the new year with several blasts from the horn on the boat, which was ridiculously loud. Everyone I think had "horn envy" because no one else could compete with that horn. JR and I had a really good time meeting everyone. We stayed out until almost 3am, which was super late for Marathon time as people go to bed around 9pm. We made it back to our boat without any issues and we slept well. Friday, January 15, 2010
Boat Delivery
We helped our friends (GR & Jessica) with a boat delivery from Marathon to Miami on a 38' Hans Christian. That day we helped refuel the boat and refill the water tanks at Berdines with JR at the helm. We had to make two u-turns in the narrow channel because some other boat was getting fuel at Berdines when we arrived. The boat seemed to handle very well and JR did an excellent job considering it was not his boat and he had never driven it before. I wasn't sure why Henry wasn't driving the boat and putting fuel or water in his own tanks instead he was mostly just talking with the people at the dock and went inside to buy a drink. This was the first clue about the boat owner, Henry. We didn't really know him and just saw him around the marina sometimes with his dog, Gamble. We were really there for Jessica because she called and came to our boat to ask for our help "to handle the dock lines" while they went to refuel the boat for the trip to Miami, which was an impromptu decision from our perspective. Henry invited us for the ride up to Miami and we thought it would be cool because our friends were going to deliver the boat. We also took the boat out to test the engine and make sure it was in a good enough condition to make the trip to Miami after we refueled. The boat was motoring very well and there didn't seem to be any problems so we brought it back to the mooring in Boot Key Harbor. Then we helped hoist Jessica up the mast in a bosun chair to install the lazy jacks and to check the lights. Henry was telling me to "give the rope some slack" while we were pulling Jessica up the mast and then I thought he was crazy because if you let it have some slack then the person will fall that distance! It made no sense to me and at that stage I knew he didn't know anything about boats. Henry was pissed off at JR because he didn't listen to what Henry was talking about with the use of the winch and giving it some slack. Henry told Jessica to relay the message that he had been on boat before and knew what he was doing after we finished and left his boat to get everything ready to go to Miami and then drive up to Atlanta. I was a little apprehensive about going up to Miami in this guys boat, but JR brought our life raft and a few other safety devices from our boat so we could feel secure on a foreign vessel. We ran errands and got the boat ready for our absence during the rest of the day and I ended up cooking dinner because we had fresh food to consume. JR was able to squeeze in a short nap while I packed our stuff for Atlanta. We got a ride over to San-San because they had rafted Henry's boat to theirs. I was wondering how we were going to depart with all of us on different boats. We left Marathon around 12:40am on January 8, which is the first time I have traveled on a sailboat at night. It was very cold with the temperature dropping down to the upper forties and there was no heat on the boat and not enough blankets to go around. I shared a big blanket with JR and Jessica, while GR was at the helm and Henry had his own blanket. We were all sitting in the cockpit looking at the clear sky full of stars and making sure we got out to Hawks Channel safely. I had to use a dog smelling sheet while I was laying on the dog hair covered cushions in the cabin to get away from the wind, but I was still very cold because I couldn't generate enough heat with just a sheet and the cabin wasn't closed with Henry laying in the way. It was ridiculous how much dog hair there was on that boat. Later, I found out Henry doesn't even try to clean up the dog hair or the rest of the boat for that matter. JR rotated with GR at the helm all night and then Henry manned the wheel around 5:30am and he ended up crashing the boat into a day marker, which is a huge steel post with a sign and a flashing red light. We were in the cabin sleeping at the time of the crash and we thought we hit another boat. The sound was so loud and we felt the collision because it turns out the boat was hit where we were sleeping on the hull. JR springs out of bed and rushes to see the status of the boat to make sure we didn't need to get in our life raft because with the cold weather we would not make it long in the water. The hull had some long and very deep scratches (possibly punctures) on the starboard side above the water line so we were not sinking and the boat was able to continue the passage up to Miami, but if it was below the water line we would have had a serious problem and the boat could have sunk. We were very lucky that was not the case and we will never put ourselves in that kind of situation again. 
Later I find out that Henry was only at the helm for 30 minutes before he crashed his boat! Needless to say he never drove the boat again for the rest of the trip. I woke up around 7am and was pleased to see the sun out. It turned out to be a relatively warm day and we all enjoyed feeling the sun heat us up after such a cold night. Henry didn't end up making his quiche for our breakfast until 10am, which we were all starving by that time. We hungrily consumed the food given to us and found seconds were difficult to come by with JR only getting a sliver of quiche and I didn't even have seconds. The rest of the day we talked with each other, read, and when the water became clear and calm we looked at the marine life below. We saw three sea turtles, some dolphins swimming at our bow, a huge sting ray, fish, and crab pots. It was really neat to see the dolphins so close and I think they might have been watching us as we watched it. The sea turtles all were swimming very fast so I couldn't get a picture of them, but I was able to snap a couple pics of one of the dolphins at the bow. I was at the bow with Gia, Jessica's daughter, for most of the time we could see the ocean floor. She's a good kid and without fear because she climbs all over the boat without hesitation. 
We had a very pleasant boat ride with the beautiful weather, but the boat had some issues that made it not as nice. A big problem on the boat was the nasty, leaky toilet filled with Pine Sol. Henry told us he was living like a bachelor and was messy, but I didn't know his boat was so dirty. He told us the Pine Sol was used to combat the smell, but it just made it worse and I felt nauseous after using the head and breathing those toxic fumes. It really made me sick when I used the bathroom and I had to go outside to get some fresh air before I vomited. I literally gagged because it was so vile in the head (bathroom). I just had to hold my breath as long as I could with my subsequent trips to the head and I tried to go as few times as possible. We also found out that we had no more fresh water because it turns out there was a leak or something wrong with the water pump. I was surprised there was no more water because we had just filled the tanks that morning and they were really large water tanks. So we had to use salt water for everything and luckily I brought a couple bottles of water and we had some bottled water on the boat. After Henry cooked breakfast Jessica and I cleaned the dishes. When we finished we discovered how dirty the kitchen really was with people and dog hairs in the silverware tray so then we decided to clean everything because we were grossed out by it all. I could not believe Henry let his kitchen be that dirty because he told us he was a chef. He just told us that he keeps his kitchen clean at work but he leaves it a mess at home (on his boat). I don't believe he is the one who cleaned at his old job because he really doesn't care about cleanliness. I never saw him wash his hands after using the restroom or playing with and picking stuff off the dog. I had to not think about any of it while I ate and I diligently picked dog hair out of my food when I could see it. I had to keep reminding myself, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. JR says, what doesn't kill you makes you hurt. My immune system was working over time with these conditions. Luckily, I didn't get sick but JR was feeling a bit under the weather after we got to Atlanta. The only other food we ate on the boat was pre-made or didn't require cooking including some fried chicken, salami, triscuits, grapes, apple slices, and cheese. It is really no wonder why Henry doesn't like Gordon Ramsey, because his number one rule is to keep a clean kitchen. We ran the engine at full speed to get to Miami as soon
as possible because we all wanted to get off the boat. I was wondering how we were going to get on shore because Henry's dinghy was half sunk, which we were towing behind us. The dinghy is an inflatable which the front tubes were completely out of air and tied together with some rope, while the back tubes were filled with air. I don't understand why the tubes were never fixed because I found out he was in Marathon for 2 months with that dinghy going to and from his boat. It is the saddest dinghy I have ever seen that was still being used. What gets me is that he has money to fix it or get a new one and he just never did it. We finally made it to Dinner Key in Coconut Grove of Miami before sunset around 5pm or so. I believe it took about 17 hours for us to get to Miami. We requested the help of the marina to locate the mooring ball because it was a new mooring field and we were not familiar with it. JR was at the helm and Henry was at the bow with a boat hook and line to pick up the mooring ball. Henry kept telling JR to go faster but we were in a mooring field and we didn't know where we were going as we were following James, in a small powerboat, from the marina. JR finally had it and left the wheel to GR while he went up to the bow to talk to Henry. While Henry was picking up the mooring ball, Jessica and I asked James if he could give us a ride to shore due to the status of Henry's dinghy. Luckily, James agreed to wait around for us to get our stuff and brought us safely to shore. I quickly grabbed all of our belongings from the cabin and it didn't take too long because we didn't really unpack anything. I was thankful we didn't unpack anything with all that dog hair everywhere. I quickly loaded our bags 
on the now water taxi and then JR got our safety devices to bring back to our boat when we returned. Henry put Gamble on the power boat and immediately the dog pooped four times from one side of the boat to the other and the real kicker is that Henry tells James that the dog likes to poop in dinghies and then proceeds to hand him a plastic bag to pick up the poop!!! I couldn't believe that James picked it up! It just goes to show what a nice guy James really is compared to Henry, who obviously has issues in several departments. Then Henry strapped his half sunk dinghy to the side of the power boat and as soon as we started to move the dinghy took in a bunch of water and the front got stuck under the power boat. GR moved quickly to bail out the boat and after a while Henry went to help bail out the rest of the water. Then we had to move very slowly to accommodate the broken down dinghy, which was kinda far from the marina because the mooring field was huge in Biscayne Bay. We found the mooring field to be very unprotected so we weren't sure how long the boat would last out there with the damage from the crash. But that was not our problem so we didn't think much more about it. It turns out we knew James from Mia Marina at Bayside when we first got to Miami with Frodo. I chatted with him a while and thanked him for all his help because I wasn't sure how we were all going to make it with the life raft and all our stuff on the broken dinghy. James even agreed to keep our life raft over night in the office because we didn't have a car until then and we were prepared to just walk to the nearest hotel about a mile away. JR booked us a room at Hampton Inn and later GR & Jessica decided they were going to get a room as well, so we took a taxi up the street with all our stuff and checked in around 7:45pm. We were all going to take a nice hot shower, until we get in our rooms and find that nothing came out of the shower head when we turned it on. I called the front desk and they said they forgot to tell us that they were working on the hot water heater at the time and needed another 30 min.-1 hour before we could get any hot water. Grrrr. So we ended up going out to eat dinner at a Cuban restaurant, Las Culebrinas in the Grove, around the corner from the hotel. It turned out to b
e pretty good food and we enjoyed it along with some drinks. We were happy to have survived our first boat delivery and we have definitely learned from our experiences with Henry. We returned to the hotel to take nice hot showers and slept very well in our king size comfortable bed. We even enjoyed breakfast in the morning at the hotel because it was included with the price of the room before we went our separate ways. JR & I drove up to Atlanta, while they went back to Marathon with Henry. We returned to Atlanta to pick up the dinghy we built to either use or sell down in Marathon. 
I never even got started about the unruly dog, Gamble. This dog literally walks all over you, sits on you, puts its butt in your face, and sheds like crazy even in cold weather. He would try to eat your food and lick your fingers while you were eating to get any crumbs and he would always be in the way no matter what you were doing. It looked cute, but that was it. This dog made me not want to ever have a dog. The one redeeming thing about this dog that I noticed was that it never really ate or drank water the entire trip to Miami and didn't use the bathroom at all until we got to Miami with the water taxi. I wondered where the dog went to the bathroom on the boat and then I realized that it didn't go at all. It was amazing how long the dog held it's bladder and bowels. But I was glad to get away from both Henry and Gamble. Now we live to tell about our adventure. One good thing about the trip was that it reminded me how much I like being on and in the water seeing all the marine life in the blue waters. I can't wait to travel over to the Caribbean!
Later I find out that Henry was only at the helm for 30 minutes before he crashed his boat! Needless to say he never drove the boat again for the rest of the trip. I woke up around 7am and was pleased to see the sun out. It turned out to be a relatively warm day and we all enjoyed feeling the sun heat us up after such a cold night. Henry didn't end up making his quiche for our breakfast until 10am, which we were all starving by that time. We hungrily consumed the food given to us and found seconds were difficult to come by with JR only getting a sliver of quiche and I didn't even have seconds. The rest of the day we talked with each other, read, and when the water became clear and calm we looked at the marine life below. We saw three sea turtles, some dolphins swimming at our bow, a huge sting ray, fish, and crab pots. It was really neat to see the dolphins so close and I think they might have been watching us as we watched it. The sea turtles all were swimming very fast so I couldn't get a picture of them, but I was able to snap a couple pics of one of the dolphins at the bow. I was at the bow with Gia, Jessica's daughter, for most of the time we could see the ocean floor. She's a good kid and without fear because she climbs all over the boat without hesitation. We had a very pleasant boat ride with the beautiful weather, but the boat had some issues that made it not as nice. A big problem on the boat was the nasty, leaky toilet filled with Pine Sol. Henry told us he was living like a bachelor and was messy, but I didn't know his boat was so dirty. He told us the Pine Sol was used to combat the smell, but it just made it worse and I felt nauseous after using the head and breathing those toxic fumes. It really made me sick when I used the bathroom and I had to go outside to get some fresh air before I vomited. I literally gagged because it was so vile in the head (bathroom). I just had to hold my breath as long as I could with my subsequent trips to the head and I tried to go as few times as possible. We also found out that we had no more fresh water because it turns out there was a leak or something wrong with the water pump. I was surprised there was no more water because we had just filled the tanks that morning and they were really large water tanks. So we had to use salt water for everything and luckily I brought a couple bottles of water and we had some bottled water on the boat. After Henry cooked breakfast Jessica and I cleaned the dishes. When we finished we discovered how dirty the kitchen really was with people and dog hairs in the silverware tray so then we decided to clean everything because we were grossed out by it all. I could not believe Henry let his kitchen be that dirty because he told us he was a chef. He just told us that he keeps his kitchen clean at work but he leaves it a mess at home (on his boat). I don't believe he is the one who cleaned at his old job because he really doesn't care about cleanliness. I never saw him wash his hands after using the restroom or playing with and picking stuff off the dog. I had to not think about any of it while I ate and I diligently picked dog hair out of my food when I could see it. I had to keep reminding myself, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. JR says, what doesn't kill you makes you hurt. My immune system was working over time with these conditions. Luckily, I didn't get sick but JR was feeling a bit under the weather after we got to Atlanta. The only other food we ate on the boat was pre-made or didn't require cooking including some fried chicken, salami, triscuits, grapes, apple slices, and cheese. It is really no wonder why Henry doesn't like Gordon Ramsey, because his number one rule is to keep a clean kitchen. We ran the engine at full speed to get to Miami as soon as possible because we all wanted to get off the boat. I was wondering how we were going to get on shore because Henry's dinghy was half sunk, which we were towing behind us. The dinghy is an inflatable which the front tubes were completely out of air and tied together with some rope, while the back tubes were filled with air. I don't understand why the tubes were never fixed because I found out he was in Marathon for 2 months with that dinghy going to and from his boat. It is the saddest dinghy I have ever seen that was still being used. What gets me is that he has money to fix it or get a new one and he just never did it. We finally made it to Dinner Key in Coconut Grove of Miami before sunset around 5pm or so. I believe it took about 17 hours for us to get to Miami. We requested the help of the marina to locate the mooring ball because it was a new mooring field and we were not familiar with it. JR was at the helm and Henry was at the bow with a boat hook and line to pick up the mooring ball. Henry kept telling JR to go faster but we were in a mooring field and we didn't know where we were going as we were following James, in a small powerboat, from the marina. JR finally had it and left the wheel to GR while he went up to the bow to talk to Henry. While Henry was picking up the mooring ball, Jessica and I asked James if he could give us a ride to shore due to the status of Henry's dinghy. Luckily, James agreed to wait around for us to get our stuff and brought us safely to shore. I quickly grabbed all of our belongings from the cabin and it didn't take too long because we didn't really unpack anything. I was thankful we didn't unpack anything with all that dog hair everywhere. I quickly loaded our bags on the now water taxi and then JR got our safety devices to bring back to our boat when we returned. Henry put Gamble on the power boat and immediately the dog pooped four times from one side of the boat to the other and the real kicker is that Henry tells James that the dog likes to poop in dinghies and then proceeds to hand him a plastic bag to pick up the poop!!! I couldn't believe that James picked it up! It just goes to show what a nice guy James really is compared to Henry, who obviously has issues in several departments. Then Henry strapped his half sunk dinghy to the side of the power boat and as soon as we started to move the dinghy took in a bunch of water and the front got stuck under the power boat. GR moved quickly to bail out the boat and after a while Henry went to help bail out the rest of the water. Then we had to move very slowly to accommodate the broken down dinghy, which was kinda far from the marina because the mooring field was huge in Biscayne Bay. We found the mooring field to be very unprotected so we weren't sure how long the boat would last out there with the damage from the crash. But that was not our problem so we didn't think much more about it. It turns out we knew James from Mia Marina at Bayside when we first got to Miami with Frodo. I chatted with him a while and thanked him for all his help because I wasn't sure how we were all going to make it with the life raft and all our stuff on the broken dinghy. James even agreed to keep our life raft over night in the office because we didn't have a car until then and we were prepared to just walk to the nearest hotel about a mile away. JR booked us a room at Hampton Inn and later GR & Jessica decided they were going to get a room as well, so we took a taxi up the street with all our stuff and checked in around 7:45pm. We were all going to take a nice hot shower, until we get in our rooms and find that nothing came out of the shower head when we turned it on. I called the front desk and they said they forgot to tell us that they were working on the hot water heater at the time and needed another 30 min.-1 hour before we could get any hot water. Grrrr. So we ended up going out to eat dinner at a Cuban restaurant, Las Culebrinas in the Grove, around the corner from the hotel. It turned out to be pretty good food and we enjoyed it along with some drinks. We were happy to have survived our first boat delivery and we have definitely learned from our experiences with Henry. We returned to the hotel to take nice hot showers and slept very well in our king size comfortable bed. We even enjoyed breakfast in the morning at the hotel because it was included with the price of the room before we went our separate ways. JR & I drove up to Atlanta, while they went back to Marathon with Henry. We returned to Atlanta to pick up the dinghy we built to either use or sell down in Marathon. I never even got started about the unruly dog, Gamble. This dog literally walks all over you, sits on you, puts its butt in your face, and sheds like crazy even in cold weather. He would try to eat your food and lick your fingers while you were eating to get any crumbs and he would always be in the way no matter what you were doing. It looked cute, but that was it. This dog made me not want to ever have a dog. The one redeeming thing about this dog that I noticed was that it never really ate or drank water the entire trip to Miami and didn't use the bathroom at all until we got to Miami with the water taxi. I wondered where the dog went to the bathroom on the boat and then I realized that it didn't go at all. It was amazing how long the dog held it's bladder and bowels. But I was glad to get away from both Henry and Gamble. Now we live to tell about our adventure. One good thing about the trip was that it reminded me how much I like being on and in the water seeing all the marine life in the blue waters. I can't wait to travel over to the Caribbean!
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Sombrero Beach
Just a short dinghy ride away from Boot Key Harbor in Marathon is Sombrero Beach and Park. The waters are nice, the beaches are sandy and it is on the leeward side, which provides protection from the strong winds. It is also near a reef that you can go to snorkel and they have mooring balls that you can tie up your small vessel while you are diving. I have yet to visit the reef, but I plan to make a trip out there one day before leaving Marathon. If for no other reason than to compare it with our snorkel experience in Key West at the 9 ft. reef, which was not good at all. We went to the beach yesterday when the weather was kinda
cool, but they had a sand sculpture contest on the beach. Jessica & Gia were participating in the contest and I helped them finish it. It was fun as I can't recall when I ever made a sand castle or sculpture due to the very little time I spent at the beach while I was growing up. Usually I read, people watch, go in the water, or just look at the water and the things in and around it (birds & boats) while I am at the beach. I came to this beach before when the weather was much warmer and I found the water to be quite cool so I could only get in the water up to my thighs at the most. Even still it is nice to go chill out at the beach. The beach is nice because it is right next to a park with a couple volleyball courts, a play ground, and etc. Sometimes they have organized events like the Sand Sculpture contest and Volleyball tournaments, which is nice.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
It's a Merry Christmas in Marathon
The City of Marathon Marina dock master, Richard, hosted a potluck Christmas lunch (1-4pm) for everyone staying in the harbor. JR & I made Spanish Tortillas to share with everyone. We prepared and cooked the tortillas for 2 hours. We enjoyed all the tasty foods that people brought to the buffet style table and at one point we had to really struggle to find spac
e to put out all the food. The line was so long it spanned the entire perimeter of the common room and snaked outside, which many people were still seating waiting for the line to die down. I decided to lend a hand by cutting some pies and I was in the last group of people to get food as the line seemed to never end. There was still plenty of food remaining by the time we got to the tables and we filled up our plates with various types of delicious foods. I have to say that the turkey breast was the juiciest I had ever eaten and I wonder how they cooked it to such perfection. I suspect a syringe may have been involved to inject the bird with a broth of some sort. I think there were over 170 people attending the luncheon and I was surprised we all f
it inside with a group of people out at the tiki hut. It was nice even with such a large crowd to meet and talk to different people you don't normally see around the marina. We were thoroughly stuffed from our meal and we returned to our boat to rest and digest. Then we returned to shore to enjoy the music played by a small group at the tiki hut and to chat with friends along with a few new people. We started the day cloudy and had a couple hours of rain, but by 1pm it was sunny and warm. The day turned out to be very nice with pleasant weather and company. I couldn't ask for much more, well I could ask for one thing and that would be to have my family. However, this is the life of a traveler. I don't know how long my 
trip will last, so I must savor the time and experiences I have when I have them. I know I am truly lucky to be able to do what I am doing right now.
e to put out all the food. The line was so long it spanned the entire perimeter of the common room and snaked outside, which many people were still seating waiting for the line to die down. I decided to lend a hand by cutting some pies and I was in the last group of people to get food as the line seemed to never end. There was still plenty of food remaining by the time we got to the tables and we filled up our plates with various types of delicious foods. I have to say that the turkey breast was the juiciest I had ever eaten and I wonder how they cooked it to such perfection. I suspect a syringe may have been involved to inject the bird with a broth of some sort. I think there were over 170 people attending the luncheon and I was surprised we all f
it inside with a group of people out at the tiki hut. It was nice even with such a large crowd to meet and talk to different people you don't normally see around the marina. We were thoroughly stuffed from our meal and we returned to our boat to rest and digest. Then we returned to shore to enjoy the music played by a small group at the tiki hut and to chat with friends along with a few new people. We started the day cloudy and had a couple hours of rain, but by 1pm it was sunny and warm. The day turned out to be very nice with pleasant weather and company. I couldn't ask for much more, well I could ask for one thing and that would be to have my family. However, this is the life of a traveler. I don't know how long my 
trip will last, so I must savor the time and experiences I have when I have them. I know I am truly lucky to be able to do what I am doing right now.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Marathon Restaurant Reviews
I haven't eaten out too much in Marathon, but I can give reviews for the places I have tried. Pizza Hut is the standard fare out here and they have lunch buffet everyday from 11:30am-1:30pm, but don't expect them to be on time everyday as sometimes they run on island time. I think we ended up eating a little before noon when we ate there for lunch. We ate at Castaways, which has no true identity with a sushi bar and a sports bar atmosphere. I ate their wings and it is not worth it, while their burgers are more tasty. I hear they have good sweet potato fries, but I didn't eat them so I can't really critique them. I thought the place was over priced and in a bad location (behind a trailer park). I didn't find any reason to return for a second meal. We also got burgers at Burdines, which has reasonable prices. I got a tasty chicken burger with spinach, tomato and feta cheese for $9, but it didn't come with any sides so we ordered a basket of fries ($4) containing enough for four people. They are known for their burgers at Burdines. We ordered the Fried Key Lime Pie and didn't think too much of it because we don't really like the tartness of key lime pie. Keys Fisheries Market & Marina was a great place to get cheap stone crab claws ($1/claw) from 3-9pm during the stone crab season (Oct. 15- May 15). I should note that you have to go to the saloon upstairs at the bar to get the crab claw deal and be aware that they do run out sometimes because they sell to buyers from Miami and surrounding areas. If I were you I would call ahead and make sure they still have the $1 crab claw before heading out there, 
unless you want to get other food. The bar also has a deal on tuna sashimi ($3) and shrimp or something else for a good deal. I should also mention that if you see a board with specials for food and drink it only applies downstairs and you will have to stand in line to order those items. While you are standing in line to order your food you will probably see a school of tarpon or some other big fish that are swimming around waiting for people to feed them. I believe the marina has fish food available as you aren't supposed to throw in your leftovers. The Hurricane Grille has good and cheap wings (25 cents per wing) on Thursdays. Try the Trashcan flavor, which is a combination of all their sauces, as it is surprisingly good despite the name. I would recommend going earlier to beat the crowds because it seems that all of Marathon comes out for Wing night. Another find in Marathon, is a Thai & Sushi place next to Upper Crust Pizza and across from the community park. I was pleasantly surprised with the Chicken Pad Thai ($11) and the Vegetable Massaman Curry ($10). I was skeptical at first with the quality of the food because of its location, but my palate was satisfied with the tastes the kitchen offered. I will go back when I have a craving for Thai food, but I can't comment on their sushi as we didn't try any. I must include McDonald's, which has the same 49 cent hamburgers and 59 cent cheese burgers on Wednesdays deal. The $1 parfait is tasty, but small and they don't have two for $1 hash browns for breakfast (you only get one for $1). I don't usually eat at McDonald's but I thought I would also point out they charge 10 cents for water and their drink machines are behind the counter so you have to get someone to give you a refill. It was interesting that they had their sweet & sour and BBQ sauces in pumps instead of the packages. I like the decorations for this McDonald's with its island theme. The food is pretty standard as it is a McDonald's franchise, nothing special.
unless you want to get other food. The bar also has a deal on tuna sashimi ($3) and shrimp or something else for a good deal. I should also mention that if you see a board with specials for food and drink it only applies downstairs and you will have to stand in line to order those items. While you are standing in line to order your food you will probably see a school of tarpon or some other big fish that are swimming around waiting for people to feed them. I believe the marina has fish food available as you aren't supposed to throw in your leftovers. The Hurricane Grille has good and cheap wings (25 cents per wing) on Thursdays. Try the Trashcan flavor, which is a combination of all their sauces, as it is surprisingly good despite the name. I would recommend going earlier to beat the crowds because it seems that all of Marathon comes out for Wing night. Another find in Marathon, is a Thai & Sushi place next to Upper Crust Pizza and across from the community park. I was pleasantly surprised with the Chicken Pad Thai ($11) and the Vegetable Massaman Curry ($10). I was skeptical at first with the quality of the food because of its location, but my palate was satisfied with the tastes the kitchen offered. I will go back when I have a craving for Thai food, but I can't comment on their sushi as we didn't try any. I must include McDonald's, which has the same 49 cent hamburgers and 59 cent cheese burgers on Wednesdays deal. The $1 parfait is tasty, but small and they don't have two for $1 hash browns for breakfast (you only get one for $1). I don't usually eat at McDonald's but I thought I would also point out they charge 10 cents for water and their drink machines are behind the counter so you have to get someone to give you a refill. It was interesting that they had their sweet & sour and BBQ sauces in pumps instead of the packages. I like the decorations for this McDonald's with its island theme. The food is pretty standard as it is a McDonald's franchise, nothing special.Marathon Marine Life
I have enjoyed seeing the various marine creatures in the Boot Key Harbor of Marathon. I have seen one manatee (although other people around me have seen more, but I missed them), some spotted eagle rays (photo from ) swimming around and many brown jellyfish that I can't seem to identify. There are also some feather duster worms and zebra mussels growing on the floating docks. Many fish that I will probably never identify swim all over the harbor, including a tarpon (identified by someone else) that chases a school of some kind of silver fish which looks like a wave from the ocean when the school jumps out
of the water to get away from the bigger fish. I always enjoy seeing the marine life in their natural environment. I look forward to see more, but I doubt I will see anything different than what I have already seen. Well, a few days later we were riding in our dinghy at night to return to the boat and we had to stop to refuel. As we were doing so, a baby swordfish jumped into our boat and flapped around the bottom. It was our first experience of a marine animal boarding our boat and we were definitely surprised. JR carefully put it back in the water because even though it was a small swordfish we didn't want to get hurt from it's "sword". We weren't sure how sharp it was 
and we didn't want to find out. I hear that it is pretty common for fish and some other marine animals to jump into your boat so this occurrence is not unheard of. Some stories I heard had sad endings with deaths from a sting rays barb through the heart, but I mean what are the chances of that happening?
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