We've now been moored in Boot Key Harbor for more than two months. On the whole, the weather has been terrific. Today, for example, it was sunny with a nice breeze and a high temperature in the low 80s. Tomorrow is forecast for more of the same. As many of us snowbird boaters say, “just another day in paradise.” We've been quite busy here getting involved in some group activities like line dancing and contra dancing. We've started involvement with Tai Chi as well. We've also done a little bit of volunteer work. Of course all this is in addition to time at the beach, a trip to Key West and a little kayaking. As I write this, we're out in a lonely spot in Florida Bay to enjoy a peaceful few days before getting ourselves involved once again.
As a result of this activity, we've gotten to meet a few more of the local residents and learned a bit more of what goes on in “paradise” when people aren't merely enjoying the setting. It's liking waking up to the reality of life here, and it's not all paradise. Traffic keeps building each year. The locals yearn for the summer months when it's relatively quiet. From what we hear, that quiet time is getting shorter each year, as more people head down this way.
The city has increased the rates on moorings and slips and especially the fee charged for those who anchor and just use the dinghy dock and shore-side facilities. This has caused an uproar among many boaters. To make matters worse, there is a proposal in city council to eliminate the majority of anchorage areas in the harbor, which will create a real problem for many of those who live on their boats all year and work here in Marathon. To save money, many have chosen to anchor instead of paying for a mooring or a slip. Some can't afford the higher priced accommodations. This is a complicated matter that I won't attempt to fully explain here, but it does have an impact on life in Marathon for boaters and probably others who benefit from the boaters.
Does the fact that we learned this “paradise” isn't perfect ruined our impression or dampened our interest in staying here? Not at all. Where ever people gather, there are bound to be issues to address and different opinions about how to deal with these issues. There will be challenges to face. The longer one stays in one place, the more likely it is that one learns about the local issues and challenges.
We've found the people here to be friendly and helpful, and that includes both locals and snowbirds. I've already said enough about the weather to assure all that this is a great place to spend the winter. Since we've had our car down here the last two winters, we've had a chance to broaden our activities, and this has merely strengthened our positive view of the Keys in general and the Marathon area in particular. Of course we've had to deal with the traffic issues on Route #1, but they are small compared to what we find as we drive north and hit real traffic and population on the mainland.
So as I sit here on deck in this peaceful, beautiful setting looking out at the islands of Florida Bay miles from the “busy” Route #1 and see little evidence of any civilization, I just feel bad for the many people who come to the Keys and never get to experience what we boaters can enjoy while we're here. If they could, they'd really understand what we mean by “Paradise.”
Carpe Diem
Captain Bob
Friday, February 24, 2012
Saturday, February 4, 2012
Why Marathon?
Now that we've been back in Boot Key Harbor for nearly a month, it's probably past due time to provide an update of how life on the mooring ball has been for us. I must begin with a brief report on the weather here this winter. (I use that term loosely.) The typical day has included high temps around 78-80 and lows near 70. The sun has been shining most of the time, although we've had a few clouds and a shower or two. It's been breezy more than not, a fact that's kept us in the harbor so far. But we've been to the beach and done a bit of biking. (Maddie likes riding in the front basket.) I was out in the kayak once also with Maddie.
Now you might jump to the conclusion that being stuck here in the harbor has been a bit boring. Nothing could be further from the truth. We've met up with friends from earlier years; we've met other cruisers for the first time. We've taken up line dancing classes and tai chi. To that Sandra has added a few tap dancing classes and has helped others learn to make pine needle baskets. She and her friends Libby and Sharon have been meeting weekly with other cruisers to help them. I've been to some classes at the marina offered by local experts on boating issues. Additionally we've volunteered to help the local theater group during their performances. So far we've been asked to help once running the concession stand. We also got to see the play they performed. Every day seems to be filled with boat chores and other activities like those mentioned above. So we've kept busy most days.
Life with a dog is different than life before Maddie. We try to get her to shore at least once each day for a good walk/run in the park. When we go places on the bike or walking, we often take her. She loves to ride in the bike basket, but such trips take a bit of planning. If we stop for lunch somewhere, it must be an outdoor restaurant. Of course, that's pretty easy to accommodate here in Marathon, since many of the restaurants have an outdoor section if not all outdoors. Most stores welcome her, but we don't take her into grocery stores. That means one of us stays outside while the other does the shopping. Of course taking the dog slows us down in another way. Most everyone we pass wants to greet her and learn what breed she is. They all say she's the cutest dog they've ever seen and eat up her enthusiasm for meeting new people.
As I've mentioned earlier in a blog or two, many of the boaters we meet while traveling south are headed to the Bahamas. For some, it's their yearly destination, while for others, it's a first-time trip. Here in Marathon, we find that a number of the boaters are using this harbor as a place to prepare for the crossing to the Bahamas rather than a destination itself. The attraction is a strong one – a group of islands across the Gulf Stream, a foreign country with clear waters and warm weather. What's not to like? And why are we headed there too?
Well every spot has its pluses and minuses. We enjoyed our visit to the Bahamas two years ago and may go again before too long for another visit. The water is as clear as a swimming pool in many areas, making the swimming and snorkeling a real treat. The people there are pleasant and friendly as they are in most places we've visited. They do speak English – a plus, since our command of Spanish is pretty poor. However, aside from Nassau and perhaps Marsh Harbor in the Abacos and Georgetown in the Exumas, supplies and support are both limited. Most of the islands are sparsely populated and rather desert-like. We don't have a watermaker, so we generally must buy the water we need. While the price isn't too bad, one may have to travel to the right place to get it. Healthcare is an issue. We've heard of at least two people who had either just returned or whose trip was delayed, so they never went. In both cases, they would have died if they'd gone to the Bahamas, because of the lack of nearby healthcare facilities. While we're both pretty healthy, it's difficult to predict an appendicitis or heart attack.
We love to travel to see new places. Since our last visit to the Bahamas, we've determined that there's more to see there, making another trip attractive. But that said, we find most of what is offered there right here in the Florida Keys. While the people do speak English here, there are times when it appears that Spanish is the most commonly used language. Those who live in the Keys don't think they live in Florida. The Keys is a different place...the Conch Republic as some have called it. In Marathon we find most of what we need within a mile or two of our mooring. And yet we can head out into the Florida Bay for warm water and lots of places with no other people. There are great snorkeling spots within a few miles of the harbor. Perhaps as important as anything is the fact that we connect with people here, and that connection is as important as other attractions. From a few of the cruisers we've talked to who go to the Bahamas every year, it's the connections with people there that keeps them going.
But it's not as though most of the cruisers go to the Bahamas each winter. Marathon becomes a gathering spot for cruisers as well in the winter with systems set up to bring them together. There are the sorts of activities as we've already mentioned as well as others. The participants in these activities are a mixture of locals and snowbirds, which provides an interesting flavor to gatherings. There are 225 mooring balls in the harbor as well as five marinas to accommodate people like us. The mooring balls have been full with a waiting list since early last month. Some are first-time visitors; others have come each winter for several years, and a few came down for a week or two and just never left.
What brings cruisers here initially may be the fact that it's really the best protected harbor in the Keys. Most all boating services are available as well. Some would like to go all the way to Key West, but the accommodations just don't measure up like they do here. For those like us who like to visit Key West, a bus will get you there for as little as $3 round-trip. And Key West is as different from Marathon as Marathon is from the Florida mainland. But that's a topic for another blog.
Until that next Blog, this is Captain Bob...
Carpe Diem
Now you might jump to the conclusion that being stuck here in the harbor has been a bit boring. Nothing could be further from the truth. We've met up with friends from earlier years; we've met other cruisers for the first time. We've taken up line dancing classes and tai chi. To that Sandra has added a few tap dancing classes and has helped others learn to make pine needle baskets. She and her friends Libby and Sharon have been meeting weekly with other cruisers to help them. I've been to some classes at the marina offered by local experts on boating issues. Additionally we've volunteered to help the local theater group during their performances. So far we've been asked to help once running the concession stand. We also got to see the play they performed. Every day seems to be filled with boat chores and other activities like those mentioned above. So we've kept busy most days.
Life with a dog is different than life before Maddie. We try to get her to shore at least once each day for a good walk/run in the park. When we go places on the bike or walking, we often take her. She loves to ride in the bike basket, but such trips take a bit of planning. If we stop for lunch somewhere, it must be an outdoor restaurant. Of course, that's pretty easy to accommodate here in Marathon, since many of the restaurants have an outdoor section if not all outdoors. Most stores welcome her, but we don't take her into grocery stores. That means one of us stays outside while the other does the shopping. Of course taking the dog slows us down in another way. Most everyone we pass wants to greet her and learn what breed she is. They all say she's the cutest dog they've ever seen and eat up her enthusiasm for meeting new people.
As I've mentioned earlier in a blog or two, many of the boaters we meet while traveling south are headed to the Bahamas. For some, it's their yearly destination, while for others, it's a first-time trip. Here in Marathon, we find that a number of the boaters are using this harbor as a place to prepare for the crossing to the Bahamas rather than a destination itself. The attraction is a strong one – a group of islands across the Gulf Stream, a foreign country with clear waters and warm weather. What's not to like? And why are we headed there too?
Well every spot has its pluses and minuses. We enjoyed our visit to the Bahamas two years ago and may go again before too long for another visit. The water is as clear as a swimming pool in many areas, making the swimming and snorkeling a real treat. The people there are pleasant and friendly as they are in most places we've visited. They do speak English – a plus, since our command of Spanish is pretty poor. However, aside from Nassau and perhaps Marsh Harbor in the Abacos and Georgetown in the Exumas, supplies and support are both limited. Most of the islands are sparsely populated and rather desert-like. We don't have a watermaker, so we generally must buy the water we need. While the price isn't too bad, one may have to travel to the right place to get it. Healthcare is an issue. We've heard of at least two people who had either just returned or whose trip was delayed, so they never went. In both cases, they would have died if they'd gone to the Bahamas, because of the lack of nearby healthcare facilities. While we're both pretty healthy, it's difficult to predict an appendicitis or heart attack.
We love to travel to see new places. Since our last visit to the Bahamas, we've determined that there's more to see there, making another trip attractive. But that said, we find most of what is offered there right here in the Florida Keys. While the people do speak English here, there are times when it appears that Spanish is the most commonly used language. Those who live in the Keys don't think they live in Florida. The Keys is a different place...the Conch Republic as some have called it. In Marathon we find most of what we need within a mile or two of our mooring. And yet we can head out into the Florida Bay for warm water and lots of places with no other people. There are great snorkeling spots within a few miles of the harbor. Perhaps as important as anything is the fact that we connect with people here, and that connection is as important as other attractions. From a few of the cruisers we've talked to who go to the Bahamas every year, it's the connections with people there that keeps them going.
But it's not as though most of the cruisers go to the Bahamas each winter. Marathon becomes a gathering spot for cruisers as well in the winter with systems set up to bring them together. There are the sorts of activities as we've already mentioned as well as others. The participants in these activities are a mixture of locals and snowbirds, which provides an interesting flavor to gatherings. There are 225 mooring balls in the harbor as well as five marinas to accommodate people like us. The mooring balls have been full with a waiting list since early last month. Some are first-time visitors; others have come each winter for several years, and a few came down for a week or two and just never left.
What brings cruisers here initially may be the fact that it's really the best protected harbor in the Keys. Most all boating services are available as well. Some would like to go all the way to Key West, but the accommodations just don't measure up like they do here. For those like us who like to visit Key West, a bus will get you there for as little as $3 round-trip. And Key West is as different from Marathon as Marathon is from the Florida mainland. But that's a topic for another blog.
Until that next Blog, this is Captain Bob...
Carpe Diem
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