Our Season in Boot Key Harbor Comes to an End

Here it is, the middle of May, and we're still in Marathon. But we are currently in the process of doing things here for the last time before we leave. This includes the last walk to Publix for food; the last run down to Burdines for outboard motor fuel (they have ethanol-free gas); our last Tai Chi classes; and our last run up to Sombrero Beach to clean the dinghy bottom. (We see clear evidence that the cleaning is needed.) I'm also scraping the barnacles from the bottom of our boat for the last time this season.

Since my last update, we've had company and also gotten our first aerial views of the Keys. We decided to

take a helicopter ride around Marathon. What a spectacular view the multicolored water is from the air! It was Sandra's first ride in a helicopter and only my second. It was really fun.

Water comes in a variety of colors.

Samantha, her husband Jeremy and our three grandsons came down for a week. Then my sister Kathy and her family came for a visit. As they left we followed them up to West Palm Beach for a family wedding. My other sister Mary Jo and her husband Scott hosted us. We left our car there along with our bikes. We'll be leaving Marathon shortly and must move the car first. They kindly agreed to have us leave it there until we can retrieve it once we are in Vero Beach.

As we progress through our last week in Boot Key Harbor stocking up on food and fuel, we are also trying to get everything working. That's not always too easy. Our fridge died the day before Kathy was due to arrive. And for the price of a first rate kitchen model, we get the basics that will keep our food cold. That's because it's for a boat. You probably already know what “boat” stands for if you've been the owner of one for a bit, but I'll pass it along anyway – Break Out Another Thousand. I also needed to repair the HF radio, so we could depend on it for weather updates when we go to the Bahamas in June and could contact others for assistance in the event of an emergency. Unlike being in the Keys, our phones don't pick up the Internet there without significant cost. And the VHF radio works only for limited distances. The repair was not major and appears to have been completed successfully.

Sandra is doing much of the provisioning. I help carry stuff, but she does the meal planning, etc. We expect to be cruising around the keys for a week or so before heading up to Vero Beach. We'd like to have all we need for that time, so we don't have to find a grocery near where we anchor. If we need one, we do know where there are a couple within an easy dinghy ride at spots along the way.

The other factor that could delay our departure is the weather. We've had a windy time over the past 10 days or so, and it has yet to abate. We hear that there are cruisers trying to get to the Bahamas who are hold up in Bimini. They need a bit of lighter air before crossing the Bahama Banks, so they're waiting out the wind until they make the jump across. The forecast keeps changing, so we're hopeful that conditions will be appropriate for our departure early next week.

If you are still reading this, you may be wondering what our next plans include. They are a bit more adventurous than the trip to Vero, although that should be interesting in itself. We hope to stop at points along the Keys before entering Biscayne Bay and exploring that for a day or two. Then it's on to Miami, Ft. Lauderdale and Lake Worth before getting to Vero Beach. The total trip will cover at least 250 miles.

Then early next month, our daughter Jennifer will be joining us for a trip over to the Abacos in the Bahamas. We hope to stay there for two to three weeks. Again, the weather is the key factor. We don't want to cross the Gulf Stream in rough weather, and we must always be alert to the potential of hurricanes, since the season officially begins on June 1^st. This will be our second trip over there, but last time we went in the spring as the water was warming up in the Abacos and many other US cruisers were there also. This time will be warmer and possibly with fewer boats. Jenn went once before as well. She went in June several years ago, so this should be similar to her earlier experience and bring back memories of that first trip. We are all looking forward to a great trip.

So as I have mentioned here several times, we are leaving Marathon in a few days. And it is with mixed

Sam, Jeremy and the boys enjoying a bit of paradise at the Dolphin Research Center

emotions that we do so. As you have already read, we do have some interesting plans for travel during the next month or so. But we really like this little corner of paradise. We may be prejudiced in our statements about it being a bit of paradise, but all those who have visited us down here have agreed wholeheartedly. Some will say that the summers here are hot. That's true, but the summers are at least as hot in Virginia and in many other parts of the country. Because we are on the water, our nighttime temps don't vary much from the daytime temperatures. That is perhaps the only difference with this island life compared to the mainland. We are at some risk of a hurricane here, but we've had to change plans in the past for hurricanes in Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia, Massachusetts and Maine. So this isn't necessarily all that different. We will miss being here, but we also look forward to our return in the fall.

Captain Bob

Carpe Diem