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

The Marathon Cruising Community

Happy New Year to all. The end of one year and the beginning of the next proved to be an enjoyable time for us, as we visited with family and friends over the holidays. Our travel included stops as far north as New Hampshire with our daughter Samantha and family and other points in New England with other family members combined with two visits with our other daughter Jennifer, her husband and their four cats in Virginia. Then it was a trip south in our car that included stops to say “Hi” to friends. Maddie was the hit at most of these stops, but I think they enjoyed seeing us too.

Now that we're back on the boat in Marathon, we're appreciating the warm weather here. We've had enough of the colder stuff. It took only a short time to reconnect with friends here. Sandra was called upon to employ her nursing skills for one cruiser and arranged to help another who is interested in making pine needle baskets – all within the first fifteen minutes of our return. Marathon is a busy place for all the cruisers during this season you northerners call “winter.” We find that this lifestyle, together with the concentration of cruisers, makes it easier for people to connect with others than do other more traditional lifestyles. It reminds me of life in a small town where everyone greets each other in passing on the street and are always willing to assist in times of need.

That isn't to say that cruisers are all alike. Far from it. They come from all sections of the country, and other countries are well represented as well. Canadians are by far the most numerous of foreigners here as one might expect. We've met others from Europe and from Australia as well. Some choose to live quite simply on very small boats with minimum of life's necessities. Others enjoy most of the comforts of home, like a large trawler parked here that has a piano on board as well as a treadmill with large screen TV in front of it, to identify a few of the extras. Most are of retirement age, but there are young families here as well as those who've chosen to take some time off from the work world for a bit of travel.

In at least one respect, we're among the minority here. We have our car with us, having driven it down after the holidays. Most cruisers use a bicycle or walk to destinations around town. This turns out not to be a big deal, since most necessities are within a mile or two of the marina. The beach is a short dinghy ride away. In this respect, cruisers get a bit more exercise than most people do. If they don't get enough exercise biking or walking, they can join the yoga class or the line dancing. Others use the local tennis courts or join in weekly softball games. It's worth adding here that we don't use the car much, but walk or bike most places. The car is helpful for runs to the grocery store, and we've been able to assist others when a car is needed.

Perhaps this short blog provides an insight to our setting down here – a place we'll call home for the next three months. It's time to wrap this up though, because the daily radio net is about to start, and I'll want to hear what's happening today and be ready to help those who might need a bit of help with some project. All this and lots more is shared each morning on the net, a unique service provided by a group of volunteers in Marathon for the past several years.

So until the next blog is written, stay warm.

Captain Bob
Carpe Diem

The Present Moment

One aspect of my philosophy of life I find challenging to following is to live in the present moment. I remind myself that it is truly all I have, but it remains a challenge. Right now we are enjoying a moment of peace in Boot Key Harbor, in Marathon. We arrived here last Tuesday. Upon our return, we found the surroundings here to be comfortable – almost like home. Almost immediately we bumped into two couples we consider friends whom we had spent time with here last winter. What a bonus!

When I manage to take the time to focus on our present situation, I smile a bit as I soak in the pleasant temperature, the mild breeze and the pelicans or herons flying by. I am reminded of how blessed we are to be able to enjoy all this. But then my focus changes to the list of boat tasks to be accomplished before we fly north for the Christmas holiday. Sandra is busy working out other duties so that we will have our act together when we head north. We leave tomorrow, and we've spent a good deal of the past week dealing with items on our lists.

We've actually spent most of our time since we left here last April focusing on travel, preparation for travel or addressing matters of one sort or another that crop up (like needing a new engine) while enjoying visits with family in different places along the East Coast. And we're still at it. In the next two weeks, we'll be sleeping in seven different places. We'll leave our summer clothes here and pack for some much cooler temps as we head north as far as New Hampshire with a number of stops along the way.

The challenge for me will be to fully appreciate each of those stops and focus on those opportunities for spending time with family and friends. Of course, we'll also be mindful of the timing for travel to the next stop. And it's not merely routine travel either. We'll be bringing along Maddie, our newest crew member, so everything is new and different for us. This includes the plane ride, the travel to homes and motels that must be pet friendly.

I suppose our circumstances are somewhat different from many, since we are traveling slowly by boat much of the time and staying in one place a few days but no longer than a few weeks before moving on once again. However, the challenge of focusing on the present moment is not a unique challenge for us. As I talk with others, I see their focus often on future plans, challenges at work or worry over the future consequences of events which already occurred in the past. I hear talk of a boss who doesn't understand, complaints about various government officials from the President down to a local city councilman, or perhaps the driver of the car ahead who is driving poorly as he tries to talk on the phone. Then there are the concerns over past events and worry about how the future will play out. All this concern comes from the expectation that somehow all this will impact our lives in the future in some negative way. There may also be some envy that crops up. We certainly hear it occasionally from those who wish they could enjoy our “relaxing” cruising lifestyle. Of course, they probably don't read this blog and don't have a clue about the work involved in maintaining all this. But there are others who envy someone's home, their income or some other aspect of life. All these concerns distract us from appreciating the present moment we live in – our only true reality. Everything else is history or expectation but not real at the moment.

As we head north to spend time with family and friends during this special season, I will try extra diligently to focus on our present moments and to appreciate them fully without distractions of future plans or concerns over past events.

May each of you who read this also have a holiday season full of precious present moments.

Captain Bob
Carpe Diem

South Florida - Up Close and Personal

We've done a bit of traveling since the last entry. Our original plan included a stop at Vero Beach. For those non-cruisers who have never taken a boat to Vero Beach, you should know that most tie up to a mooring but share that mooring with one or two other boats. Some people don't like being tied to another boat with people on it they've never met, but others see it as a way to get to know other boaters. Our problem right now was that our newest crew member doesn't like spending the night alone and was crying off and on during the night. The last thing we wanted to do was keep other boaters awake with our dog. So we skipped this stop. We stopped in Melbourne for the first time and then moved on down to another anchorage we never tried at Ft. Pierce. This provided us with the chance to check out another couple of towns we'd not visited before, because we always stopped at Vero.

Then it was on down the ICW to Lake Worth by Palm Beach. We'd been here before but never visited Peanut Island. There is a park on the island operated by the city of Palm Beach that is really nice. We walked around and checked out the beach and a snorkeling area, but didn't actually go in the water. Perhaps on our spring trip north. There is also a bunker on the island built for Kennedy while he was President. Tours are available, but we didn't take advantage. Again, perhaps on the spring trip north. We also met briefly with my sister and husband who live in West Palm Beach. We'd seen them at the reunion, but they really wanted to meet Maddie.

In the past, we'd always gone out into the ocean at Lake Worth and made a long day trip down to Key Biscayne or Miami. This time, the weather was not ideal for the trip – too much wind and wave action for our newest crew member. So once again, Maddie was influencing our travel. We stayed on the ICW to deal with more than 20 bridges in fewer than 50 miles to Ft. Lauderdale and then another 10 before we would arrive at Dinner Key Marina in Coconut Grove where we would pick up a mooring. No sharing here, but Maddie has adjusted to sleeping alone, so it would no longer be an issue.

Although we'd seen lots of expensive homes on our trips south, this portion of the travel still gave us pause. The ICW was narrow along this route, so we were closer to the homes. In fact, there is one stretch between West Palm and Ft. Lauderdale that's called the canyon. The shoreline on both sides is concrete, so any boat waves bounce back and forth across the narrow space. In spite of this and other challenges, we actually found it to be an interesting trip...bizarre in some ways, since we'd never been through an area of the country quite like this before. And traveling south by car just doesn't provide the same view of this stretch. Based on the multi-million dollar homes and so many highrise condos – some 30-40 stories high – we were also struck by the sense of a very high population, most with plenty of money. Boats considered big were once 50-75 feet long. Now to be considered big by us, one must be over 100 feet. We saw many in the 150 – 200 foot range parked in front of homes or at marinas specifically designed for these big boats. (I wonder how big a boat must be to become a ship.)

For those travelers who wonder about the bridges, we can say that the timing worked for us. Most were on a schedule, and we could travel fast enough to get from one bridge to the next and meet that schedule. Our new engine worked well and moved us a bit faster than the old one would have. So slower boats would have more of an issue here. We also left early in the day and stayed ahead of a lot of other cruiser traffic. That also made the bridges easier to deal with, since we were often the only boat going through.

We got to Coconut Grove early in the day and were able to go ashore to explore a bit. We found it similar to South Beach, also a part of the Miami area that we'd visited last fall. The marina is supposed to have more slips for boats than any other on the East Coast – pretty impressive. We'll spend a day here getting chores completed before moving on down to Marathon. This last leg of the trip south should take us two days. We're looking forward to arriving in Marathon and relaxing for a few days before getting on a plane to head back north for the holiday visits with family.

Captain Bob
Carpe Diem

Back Aboard After Thanksgiving

Most of this blog entry will not be about boating but reflections on our last couple of weeks. We left the boat and drove to Sandbridge, VA to celebrate Thanksgiving at our first family reunion with my two sisters and their families. All together there were 35 attendees. We spent a week at a large house right on the beach, complete with an indoor pool. It was a great experience for one and all. Attendees came from Florida and New Hampshire, the Carolinas, Virginia, Pennsylvania and California. A number had never met before. We walked the beach, watched dolphins just beyond the surf, walked trails at a local park, visited a zoo and a marine museum and flew kites...just a great time. With so many attending, mealtime could have been a real challenge, but everyone pitched in and it all worked out well. Sandra and I did most of the orchestrating ahead of time, so we feel good about the result. We look forward to the next time we can get together like this. We'll let someone else do the planning, though.

After leaving the reunion, we drove back south to St. Augustine, but not before picking up an additional crew member. We'd discussed this addition for some time, but never acted on it till now. The crew member is an eleven week old puppy, a Coton de Tulear. Most reading this haven't heard of this breed. It's not a common one in this country and is from Madagascar. We learned about it from Jennifer, who said it would be the perfect dog for our boat. It's small (3 lbs. right now), it likes to travel, likes to swim, doesn't shed and is hypoallergenic. So far she doesn't bark at all either. We've had her only a few days, but she's one our hearts already. Now added to my chores before we leave St. Augustine is putting up lifeline netting so we don't lose the dog overboard.

Can't end this without reporting on our engine. It has been replaced. We did a sea trial yesterday and after a bit of minor alignment adjustment, it ran real well. It's quieter than our last and has a bit more power. I'm hopeful that we'll be as happy with this as we were unhappy to have to make the change. After much discussion, we've come to the conclusion about at least part of the reason for the engine wear. It seems that the prop wasn't pitched properly for this engine, and I could never get it up to max rpms. Of course I was new to diesels and didn't realize that this might cause additional wear. As it turns out, this new engine has a bit more power and seems to be matched well to the prop. So we won't have to make a change there.

Getting back to the boat and to our cruising lifestyle is a real adjustment – so different from living on land as most people do. But we've already had a pleasant afternoon lunch and visit with friends we met on the St. John's River. We've been in touch with other friends we may be meeting with again soon. So in many ways we feel like we're home again...and that feels good.

More to come.

Captain Bob
Carpe Diem

A Break from Boating

As I write this addition to the blog, I'm at my daughter and son-in-law's (Jenn & Greg) home in Newport News, VA preparing for a Thanksgiving family reunion. This is such an abrupt change in setting for us, but one we'll thoroughly enjoy.

Following the last entry, we left Cumberland Island and traveled south to the St. John's River where we turned west for a couple of miles to the dock of a friend of a friend. While we'd never met these folks before, they came highly recommended from our friends on Tarwathie, Dick and Libby. Larry and Terri do some cruising down in the Keys and were interested in our experiences, so we took them up on the offer to stop by. We had a great visit and will look forward to future meetings with them...perhaps in Marathon next spring. The vista from their deck offered views of ships traveling up and down the St. John's. In the evening, the dolphins came by. We couldn't see them, but we could hear them coming up for air right near the boat.

From there we traveled the last 35 miles or so to St. Augustine and our boat repair. The Camache Cove Yacht Harbor treated us well as did Bo Bohanan at First Mate. Bo and his assistant spent hours exploring all the possible issues with our engine. The final outcome is that we're getting a new engine installed. While the engine hours were not real high, the piston rings and valves were worn enough to require either an overhaul or a replacement. We opted for the replacement, since we'd have to do it at some point before we quit cruising. With this work done now, we shouldn't need this level of work again while we're on the boat.

So while we were in St. Augustine, we decided to do some more touring here. We stop for a bit every time we pass by and are never disappointed Bo offered us tickets on the tourist train which provided us with a history of this first permanent European settlement. A couple of bits of history were of particular interest to us. First, the first Europeon settlement was actually in Pensacola where Sandra was born. Unfortunately the settlement only lasted a year, so it never made the history books. The other tidbit we learned was the fact that one of my ancestors, Sir Francis Drake, came by while the Spanish were still in charge. He attacked with canons and leveled the town, burning it to the ground. They rebuilt, however, so all was not lost. We also learned about Flagler's influence on the town in the late 1800s when he created a winter tourist destination for the wealthy. He also built a hospital, developed the railroad down the east coast of the state and also built homes for workers and more wealthy transplants.

So after a bit of touring, we rented a car and drove north back to where this fall's trip began in Virginia. This was a rather interesting experience as well. The trip south took us nearly four weeks. This return took us one day. We'd drive by sings for different towns and rivers noting how many days ago we'd passed this area heading south. This pace was so different. And we saw so much more at the slower pace. We were reminded of how little we learn about the country when we drive on the interstate highways. Although we'd driven south several times, when traveling down the ICW by boat, we really got to look at the territory for the first time. So there's something to be said for the slow pace of travel by boat.

As mentioned at the beginning of the entry, we're back in Virginia for a family reunion. We'll be back to the slow pace of traveling south once we check out our boat's new engine and leave St. Augustine around the end of the Month. Until then, happy Thanksgiving one and all!

Captain Bob
Carpe Diem

Transiting Georgia 11-11-11

It's been more than a week and a half since I last added to this blog. We have been traveling, but I just didn't get anything down. Part of the reason has been an ongoing and worsening engine problem that we will get addressed in St. Augustine next week. With that clouding my focus, no blog entries were added. Thus endeth the excuses. We're now anchored at Cumberland Island in southern Georgia just about five miles from the Florida line. Because of the engine issue, we chose not to do any overnights in the ocean. Of course, given the weather over the past two weeks, we wouldn't have chosen to go out anyway. This is our fourth trip south and only the first one in which we sailed on the ICW through Georgia as we headed south. In the past we've avoided it because of reported shallow areas with lots of tidal current and tides as high as 9 feet in places. Last spring we did do the inside route, again due to weather on the ocean. But we were in a hurry to get back to Virginia, so we didn't notice much...just plodded along as best we could. This time south we passed through Georgia and took our time – in part because the engine issue caused us to move more slowly and partly because it was important to go through certain areas at mid tide or better. Our days tended to end early, and we took time to see what we were passing through. What a beautiful area, this coastal Georgia. It's as pretty as any of the ICW we've traveled. We go through wild areas with little evidence of civilization. We see lots of birds, and dolphins are daily coming by to say “hi”. I know it sounds silly, but whenever we see them, they are aiming right for the boat. Today we could see them playing in our bow wave. Oh and by the way, the shallow areas, if taken at the right tide, are no worse than many other areas in the Carolinas. Today we went ashore on Cumberland Island after arriving around 1 PM. We walked the beach collecting shells. We saw live welk hiding in the sand and some we thought were empty shells but turned out to be home to hermit crabs. Then we left the beach and headed to marshes where we saw spoonbills, storks, egrets, herons, ibises and other water birds. From there it was across the island where we saw wild turkeys, wild horses and deer. What a great walk! We're finally learning to stop more often to smell the roses along the way. Did I mention we were just north of Florida. I think I may have been mistaken. At 8:45 PM, it's already down to 47 outside. It's a toasty 64 inside but dropping. We have quilts, so we'll be OK. The weekend is supposed to be in the mid 70s. Can't wait. Captain Bob Carpe Diem