Life in Paradise

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