Living aboard a boat in Marathon for the winter is not without its challenges and extra work. For instance, when we need to go to the store, we don't just walk into the garage to get into the car and go. We first must get into the dinghy and head to the dock. Then we can get to a car (We have one here for the first time this year) or a bike, or we can walk the mile to the store. Most boaters here have a bike to get there, but many do walk. Of course the dinghy ride is also required for laundry, for showers and to check the mail.
Then there's the issue of water on the boat. I take several dinghy trips a week to fill up 6 gal. jugs to bring back and dump into our water tanks. This allows us to wash dishes, and wash ourselves. When we fill our solar shower bag in the morning, by afternoon we can take a shower on the boat and save the trip to shore. The solar shower bag allows the sun to heat the water. Otherwise we have no hot water while we're on our mooring.
These are a few of the compromises we make in order to be here in the warm weather for the winter. We really enjoy the good weather, and that provides enough compensation for the extra work of normal life. But there are moments when we are genuinely blessed with an experience that makes our lifestyle so much more than mere compromise. Last night I experienced one such moment.
We had left the harbor and traveled up into Florida Bay and anchored by a small mangrove island. We've made several similar trips during our stay here. We like getting away from all the activity and people for a brief time to enjoy the solitude we experience up in the Bay. People just don't boat up into the Bay much. We anchor by an island and find ourselves totally alone...except for the fish below and the birds above.
Yesterday was another beautiful day in the Keys – bright sun, few clouds and temps in the 70s. After dark we went out to see the stars. When you're several miles from the closest town and have only low lying mangrove islands to inhibit your view, you find really big sky like in Wyoming or Montana. The stars are bright and plentiful. It was a great view. Then we went to bed for the night.
Sometime after 1:00 in the morning I awoke and decided to check on our anchor. We keep our GPS on with an anchor alarm, but I like to check things out during the night just to assure myself that our anchor is still holding us in place. I went out on deck and immediately noticed that the stars were even brighter and more numerous than earlier. I wondered how surprised most people would be if they could get to a spot like this to see how many stars are actually out there on a clear night. I looked around enjoying the peace and quiet of the late night moment. Then I heard a noise in the quiet stillness of the night and knew immediately that it was a dolphin coming up for air. I couldn't see it but recognized the sound. Then again – there it was. We hadn't seen any dolphins here during the day, but now we had a visitor who was swimming around the boat. It had to be close, since I could hear it breathing. Was it to check us out? No way of knowing. But it was a special moment with the stars and the soft breathing of the dolphin – one that I'll cherish and wish to be able to share. Few people get to experience such moments as this. And it such moments that make our lifestyle so special.
Captain Bob
Carpe Diem
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