Marathon, Florida
We made it to our first major destination - Marathon!
We have now been here since Jan. 29th, give or take. I am on vacation and lose track of time very easily!
We started out anchoring in Boot Key Harbor. We put our name in for a mooring ball. We were #24 on the waiting list. People around here told
us it would take about 2 weeks to get one. At that time we figured we would be leaving before then! For those unfamiliar with a mooring ball, it is a ball with a rope and a ring on one end and the other end is attached securely to the bottom of the water. You don't need the anchor to hold the boat you grab the ring with a boat hook and thread some line through the ring and tie the ends onto a cleat on the boat. It holds the boat well and you don't need to worry so much about your anchor shifting or coming loose. The anchoring in this harbor was so crowded that it made us concerned about how close we were from the boat in back of us. We were just going to readjust the anchor when we got the call that we got a mooring! We were now all settled. Our next stop was to be Key West, but after realizing how expensive it was there and there weren't good anchoring places, we decided to stay here in Marathon and go to the Bahamas from here.
So begins my tale of Marathon! I am really enjoying it. It's nice to be in an area for a length of time. I have met a few people and have gotten involved in some activities. It's not as chummy as Everglades City was, but it does have a sense of community about it and lots of events! They have a cruiser's net on the VHF radio every day at 9 am where a different controller goes through a set program announcing events, need for assistance, a place to buy, sell or give away stuff, and a trivia game.
Through this net I got involved in playing Mexican Train on Tuesdays, Ed and I played bacci ball on Wednesday s and I did crafts on Thursdays. Lots of fun and a good way to make new friends! Ed loaned someone a tool and so we met a very nice couple who shared their experience with the man's knee replacement surgery. People help others!
Here are my photos from our excursions in Marathon!
On the way to Marathon, it was like a parade of birds leading the way!
As always, we like to try out the local restaurants!
This is the Lobster and Seafood restaurant. A nice place to celebrate my birthday!
I splurged with a fried Seafood platter, which contained shrimp, scallops, squid, conch and mahi mahi fish. Yummy!
A different kind of decor - a wall of bubbles
Some of the other decor around:
We tried out this restaurant - the Overseas Pub and Grill
I had ahi tuna lettuce cups.
As we walked across town, we saw this dive shop with a statue of fish in front.
We tried to get into this museum, but got there there too late to walk around the grounds. So we looked at the inside part with the intention of returning. We did return about 3 weeks later.
One of the outside residents
The beautiful front door
Lion Fish
I will be continuing with Marathon in parts like I did in the Everglades.
Fair Winds to All,
Joan
We have now been here since Jan. 29th, give or take. I am on vacation and lose track of time very easily!
We started out anchoring in Boot Key Harbor. We put our name in for a mooring ball. We were #24 on the waiting list. People around here told
us it would take about 2 weeks to get one. At that time we figured we would be leaving before then! For those unfamiliar with a mooring ball, it is a ball with a rope and a ring on one end and the other end is attached securely to the bottom of the water. You don't need the anchor to hold the boat you grab the ring with a boat hook and thread some line through the ring and tie the ends onto a cleat on the boat. It holds the boat well and you don't need to worry so much about your anchor shifting or coming loose. The anchoring in this harbor was so crowded that it made us concerned about how close we were from the boat in back of us. We were just going to readjust the anchor when we got the call that we got a mooring! We were now all settled. Our next stop was to be Key West, but after realizing how expensive it was there and there weren't good anchoring places, we decided to stay here in Marathon and go to the Bahamas from here.
So begins my tale of Marathon! I am really enjoying it. It's nice to be in an area for a length of time. I have met a few people and have gotten involved in some activities. It's not as chummy as Everglades City was, but it does have a sense of community about it and lots of events! They have a cruiser's net on the VHF radio every day at 9 am where a different controller goes through a set program announcing events, need for assistance, a place to buy, sell or give away stuff, and a trivia game.
Through this net I got involved in playing Mexican Train on Tuesdays, Ed and I played bacci ball on Wednesday s and I did crafts on Thursdays. Lots of fun and a good way to make new friends! Ed loaned someone a tool and so we met a very nice couple who shared their experience with the man's knee replacement surgery. People help others!
Here are my photos from our excursions in Marathon!
As always, we like to try out the local restaurants!
This is the Lobster and Seafood restaurant. A nice place to celebrate my birthday!
I had ahi tuna lettuce cups.
We tried to get into this museum, but got there there too late to walk around the grounds. So we looked at the inside part with the intention of returning. We did return about 3 weeks later.
I will be continuing with Marathon in parts like I did in the Everglades.
Fair Winds to All,
Joan
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