Our "Winter" Home

Well, we made it back to Marathon to begin our fifth season here. I could have said fifth winter, but given the weather conditions, that description just doesn't fit. Our last two days of travel down from Key Biscayne were pretty uneventful. We had some bouncy conditions until we got down Hawk Channel far enough to get some protection from the reef. On our second day of travel in the Keys, we arrived in Boot Key Harbor by mid afternoon. We even managed to get the same mooring ball we had last year. We like this spot, since it's out on the edge of the mooring field and provides great views of sunset, the mangroves and incoming boats. It also provided us with front row seats for the annual Christmas boat parade.

It took no time at all to be reminded why we come here. But on our trip down, it seemed that everyone was headed for the Bahamas. At times I even wondered if we were headed to the right place. After all, these people can't all be wrong. But now that we're here, the reasoning all comes back. Some might say that the attraction of the Bahamas is that it's a different country. Well the Keys is practically a foreign country. Some say it is – the Conch Republic. Leaving Miami, one can see such a dramatic change in the scenery and culture that it might as well be. But the cell phones still work. Many still speak English (in fact more than in Miami) and our money works here. (Some might be quick to remind me that more people speak English in the Bahamas than in the Keys.)

It didn't take us long to get in to the swing of life here. Our bikes are ashore, and we've rearranged the boat for the non-travel life for a bit. We've already been to the Saturday farm stand for some great fresh veggies and tropical fruit. We've also already gotten over to Keys Fisheries for a lobster reuben. Life is good.

Sargent Majors by our dinghy at the reef

We've attended a couple of Tai Chi classes so far. Since we haven't done anything with Tai Chi since April, it will take a little practice to get back to where we left off. We've also gone out to Sombrero Reef for a bit of snorkeling as well. The water was clear and the fish were plentiful, so we enjoyed our visit.

One of the advantages of spending a season down here is that we're joined by cruisers from all over. Some are full time cruisers like us while others enjoy a few months on their boat before heading back up north when the weather moderates to a home on dry land. One couple we met were from Alberta, Canada. They drove down to their boat in Florida after shoveling snow three times up there this fall. They knew it was time to head south. Another couple nearby just sold their house and moved aboard in July up in Deltaville, VA. They noticed the VA home port on our boat and came over to say “Hi.” Yet a third couple we met already knew our names. It seems that we have mutual cruising friends on Tarwathie currently up in New Bern, NC. We had tried to meet up with them last year, but we just didn't find each other. This year we're parked right next to each other. This reminds us of one of the benefits of cruising. It's such a fluid community, that neighbors in one spot may just end up being neighbors later in the same or another location. One just never knows where you'll bump into them again.

Sunset at the entrance to Boot Key Harbor - photo taken while at
 dinner at an outdoor restaurant

As I complete this latest addition to the blog, we have already flown north to VA to enjoy Christmas with Jenn and Gregg before heading still farther north to spend another Christmas with Sam, Jeremy and family plus visit Sandra's brother Scott and sister Paula. We spent enough time in the Keys to know why we choose to go there each winter, but we also are fortunate to be able to fly north to spend this important time with family. So we'll get a bit of real winter weather – plenty as far as we're concerned – and then head back to where the water is turquoise and the palm trees sway. More to come following our return in January.

Till then... Carpe Diem

Captain Bob

South Florida is Full of Interesting Contrasts

Since we left Vero Beach, we've managed to gain some pretty significantly contrasting perspectives on this part of the country. We spent our first day heading south to an anchorage called Peck Lake. It's not really a lake – just a wide spot in the Indian River which the ICW follows. On shore at Peck Lake is a state park with a beautiful, empty beach just a few short steps away. The ocean water was warm and tropical in color. Maddie had a great time at the beach. We had it all to ourselves.

The beach we had to ourselves at Peck Lake

Sunrise at Peck Lake - with two or three other boats at anchor - very quiet!

The next day we continued south to Lake Worth and West Palm Beach where my sister Mary Jo and family live. We spent most of the next day with them and had a great visit, meeting Amelia, her youngest grandchild. Her husband Scott picked us up from the WPB city docks and took us home to see Toby, Jill and Peter. She took us to see the new movie Lincoln which we thoroughly enjoyed.

The next day, it was off through “the canyon” and on to Lake Sylvia, another non-lake, this one in Ft. Lauderdale. And then we continued on to Miami Beach to an anchorage near South Beach. This portion of the trip we find to be quite interesting. In past years we'd tried hard to avoid this stretch, since there are more than 30 bridges that must open for us to make the passage. Most are on a schedule that we can just make if all goes well. But it doesn't. On this occasion we made it to all but two of them at the appointed time. At the the other two, we were forced to hang around for nearly a half hour for the next opening. That's always great fun with the winds, which were strong, and the tidal current both do their best to run us into the bridge or at least out of the channel where we could run aground. As an added bonus, as I mentioned above, part of this stretch is called “the canyon.” That's because the ICW is narrow here with concrete or rocky shorelines which allow the wakes of passing boats to bounce back and forth across the waterway for several minutes after the boat passes. Through most of this stretch boats aren't supposed to be creating large wakes, but some are in a hurry and others just don't care. For us it means constant motion as we travel down what should be a smooth section of water. Fortunately this didn't impact us much of the day, since we seemed to be alone on the Waterway.

Busy and often a bit confusing in Miami - lots of people living here!

The peaceful setting at No Name, the contrast is so obvious!

As stated in the beginning of an earlier paragraph, we find this portion of the trip of great interest. The contrasts are dramatic. We left the solitude of Peck Lake and passed through a stretch down to the Palm Beach area with the ICW and offshooting canals to be filled with expensive homes, many of which would be considered mansions by us humble folk. Frequently their 100+ foot yacht is parked at the dock in front. And these homes were packed in with little or no land between them. No sign of middle America here. Of course not everyone could live in these homes. So many are living in highrise condos that line the beach and the ICW from North Palm Beach to Miami. Their height was often in the 10 -25 story range, and they must have numbered in the hundreds. There are just so many people here with money. Little sign of a economic downturn.

Before we arrived at our anchorage by the WPB city docks, we passed by one marina and boat yard that was packed with huge yachts. It appeared that the minimum length was over 100 feet with some approaching 200 feet. And there were so many of them all in one place.

The evidence of wealth continued with few breaks all the way to Miami. As we entered Ft. Lauderdale, we noticed a sign welcoming us to the Yachting capital of the world. What we've seen of this “Gold Coast” of Florida certainly did nothing to make us believe otherwise. Every couple of miles at least there was another marina with many large power yachts and a few smaller ones.

The daily scene at the port of Miami

From the Waterway, it appeared that Ft. Lauderdale and Miami were built around the canals, and one could carry on most of the needed day-to-day activities by boat. We saw lots of areas where one could tie up and go to restaurants or shopping. There were a few places where the Waterway paralleled the street. From our boat's cockpit, it seemed as though the street was at a lower level than us. I can't imagine what a damage a five foot storm surge here would cause. And if the glaciers are melting and the ocean level is rising, the city leaders had better start considering what should be done. The city appears to be tied so closely to the water and dependent on it for economic health. And yet this whole stretch of coastline is dependent on water levels remaining as they are.

We'll shortly leave this fascinating part of the country for another that is equally fascinating in very different ways.

So until the next entry from the Conch Republic, Carpe Diem.

Captain Bob