Finally Bahamas Bound

After weeks of patiently waiting, all signs were a go. We have been disappointed before, but this time the signs were there, the planets aligned and Neptune was napping. The alarm went off at 5:30 AM and we fired up the computer and checked all four resources. Nothing had changed for 3 days and that was an excellent indicator that the weather window was correct and would hold for the distance we needed to travel. At 6:30 AM the light was more than sufficient for us to get down the canal from our friend's dock and head out into Cape Florida Channel.

As we motored out into South Basin, there were 3 trawlers and a few sailboats at anchor. One trawler, we later learned was Monty and Sara Lewis of Explorer Chartbooks, was hauling up their anchor, but no one seemed to be stirring on any of the other boats. As we headed into the channel, we were happy to see the flat water and clear blue skies. As we motored on, we found another couple of boats anchored near the southern tip of Key Biscayne. A few boats were coming out of No Name Harbor and we knew we would not be alone on this crossing. The seas were a bit rough as we moved out the Cape Florida Channel and into the Atlantic. This area always seems to be rough no matter what the time of day or wind conditions. As a perfect send-off, a large sportfish flew past us at full speed and rolled everyone nearby with a huge wake. Goodbye Miami!


The waypoint for the channel entrance at Bimini was set on our chartplotter on the flybridge and the navigation computer at the lower helm station. Because of the strong north-setting current in the Gulf Stream, it was necessary to set a course well south of our destination. To determine what that course should be, we would have to calculate the speed our boat would be traveling, the strength of the current in the Stream and how long we would be exposed to the current. On this day, the west wall of the Gulf Stream was about 5 miles off Key Biscayne and we would stay in it until we entered the channel into Bimini. Doing all of the calculations for the average speed across the Stream put our course at about 125 degrees magnetic. The strength of the current isn't the same all the way across. Close to the Miami coast it would start out around 1.5 knots. In the center of the Stream, it would run about 3 knots, and as we approached Bimini, it would drop to about 2 knots, then down to about 1.5 knots as we made the entrance channel. The heading worked out to be just about perfect. The conditions turned out to be very good for a trawler crossing. Winds were light at about 5 to 8 out of the south and we had swells at 2 feet with the occasional 3 footer. Within 20 miles of Bimini, the swell pattern switched from the east to the south and put them right on our beam. Fortunately, once we were in deeper water, the swells were long and gentle. But it still made for the occasional rolling for a few hours. All in all we rate this crossing about an 8.


We first sighted the buildings on North Bimini about 12 miles out. Within 7 miles, we could start making out some of the land features, and within 5 miles, we could see both North and South Bimini, but no sign of the buoys that mark the channel entrance. We had received some info from the folks at Bimini Big Game Club to look for the condos and head in for them. These particular condos are townhouses with red tile roofs and easy to find as we approached. There is an entrance to Bimini Sands Marina between the condos and their entrance channel lines up with the two outer red and green buoys. Several boats were coming out of the channel, making it easier for us to figure out the layout. The buoys finally came into sight and it was a happy afternoon for the crew of Beach House on her first Gulf Stream crossing. The boat, not us. The current Lat and Long as of today just west of the buoys (things can change) is 25 42.671' N and 079 18.522' W. The channel requires frequent dredging and it was just finished in the last several weeks. We happen to hit the entrance at low tide and saw 9.7 feet over the outer bar. Once inside the channel that leads up to Alice Town and North Bimini, the depths were 15 to 17 feet.

Once through the outer buoys, the channel turns to port on an angle. Our plan was to arrive in the early afternoon so the sun was high and behind us and it worked out perfectly. Some of the clouds we had experienced earlier were gone and the darker waters of the dredged channel stood out clearly through the white shallow bars on both sides. The small mountain of white sand to starboard was the sand dredged from the channel, and that pile of sand stands out for miles before you arrive. At one point earlier in the day, we had counted 18 boats that we could see all heading in the same direction. It was going to be a busy afternoon in Bimini, but there were plenty of slips in the local marinas and a couple of small anchorage areas.

Our plan was to spend at least one night at the Bimini Big Game Club Marina so we could clear in at Customs and Immigrations. We had been in contact with them several times during our waiting period in Florida and they were very helpful and understanding when weather delayed our departure over and over. The Customs House is under renovations so Customs has an office at the marina, making checking in easy. At 2:30 in the afternoon, we were comfortably tied up at the dock and really enjoying the moment. Could it really be that we finally arrived after waiting and waiting? But the wait was worth it after a very uneventful crossing. I took the ships papers and forms we needed to the Customs office. The marina provided the forms for us as soon as we were tied up and secured. Check-in took about 10 minutes at Customs and then a short walk of a few blocks south to Immigrations took another 5 minutes. By this time, new arrivals were lining up behind me to go through the check-in process. The Immigrations Office is in a small pink building next to the Tourist Office at the town dock. There is a small craft market there making it easy to find.

The Settlements of Alice Town and Bailey Town make up most of North Bimini. The Island is rich in history but has definitely seen better days. There is an effort underway to clean things up and revitalize the area. The very narrow streets are lined with small grocery stores, shops, restaurants and a few pubs. All of the marinas line the main street. We counted about 5 small grocery stores and found a coin-operated laundry just north of BBGC. One of our errands was to go to the BTC office and get sim cards for both our phone and the data stick for the computer. We wrote details of how to do this in a previous post. We carry an unlocked GSM phone and using a prepaid sim card, we now have a Bahamas telephone number. The sim card for the data stick turned out to be more work. We purchased the card and were told it was activated. When we returned to the boat it wouldn't connect. We took both the computer and the wifi stick to the BTC office the next day and sorted it out. When using the USB stick, it asks for an access point, user name and password - a few things that the young lady at the BTC office neglected to provide the first day. In addition, even though we paid for the sim card and $30.00 for a months worth of data, we still had to add funds to the data plan online in order for it to be activated. So we added $5.00 to the account, input the needed login information and all was right with the world. The ladies at BTC were helpful and courteous.

Wouldn't you know it? Our weather window to cross the banks to the Berry Islands did not materialize when we thought it would. It's almost 90 miles from our slip to Bullocks Harbor in the Berry Islands and that's our next destination. For us that means a long day and spending the night anchored out on the banks. We will then finish the trip the next morning. With the number of hours of daylight we have and the speed we travel, our arrival would be midday the following day. So we need at least 2 good weather days to get there and get settled into a safe harbor, because it will start to blow again for 3 to 5 days before there will be another 1 or 2 day window to travel again. It's just how the weather patterns have been in the Bahamas all winter and the pattern does not seem to be changing any time soon. But Spring will be here soon. Won't it? Since we're being held up again, some exploration is in order. There is a LONG white beach on the northwest side of the island and we took a long walk on this great beach that we had to ourselves. Many of the homes that line the beach are in serious need of repair and the erosion will put many of them in the water in the not too distant future. Some of the once grand resorts are in a sorry state and a few appear to have been converted into apartments. But all in all we're absolutely delighted to be here. We have already met several other boaters that made the crossing at the same time we did and they are preparing to move on, too. We are glad to finally have experienced Bimini and look forward to new harbors and walking new beaches.

The Waiting Game

We are often asked what one piece of advise we would pass on to those planning a transit that is weather dependent. My answer is always three words...Wait, wait and wait. Well, our resolve has really been tested waiting for a good window to cross over from Key Biscayne to Bimini. Yes, we have had a couple of one-day windows that we might have been able to at least make the crossing, but then we would be stuck wherever we landed in the Bahamas. Our options are to sit in an expensive marina in Bimini or hang out in Key Biscayne with some great folks and enjoy it. The decision is really a no-brainer. But this winter seems to be the windiest we have encountered in a long time and the windows are few and short. Everyone has asked us what we want for a good weather window. That's a good question.

If we still were on our sailboat, many opportunities have presented themselves to do a crossing. But a small trawler like Beach House requires a bit more care in crossing the Gulf Stream in winter months. A Gulf Stream crossing in any vessel shouldn't be attempted in a north wind of 10 knots or more against the north flowing current at any time, in our opinion. If the vessel is sound, it can easily make the trip, but the crew will be very uncomfortable, and if any problems rises during the transit, they will be multiplied by the uncomfortable wind-against-current conditions. Many years ago, Bruce Van Sant gave us some of his advise that we follow to this day. When we do, we have a pleasant transit. When we go against it, we regret it. First, we look for the same weather pattern of at least 2.5 to 3 days without changes. If every forecast that comes out is different 3 times a day and changes constantly, then the weather will be unsettled and the chance to get caught out in bad weather is great. If the forecast remains the same and the conditions are acceptable for a period of 2 to 3 days, then the window will probably hold. We have found the National Weather Service to be wrong more times than right.

Several of the current forecasts have been for a day of good conditions followed by many days of up to gale force conditions. A big consideration for crossing over to the Bahamas on a slow boat is that once you get there, you are still at least a day away from getting to any safe harbor across the Banks. This is another area you don't want to get caught out in adverse conditions. In all of our years of cruising, the Bahamas Banks is the only place we have come close to loosing the boat when a weather window slammed shut on us after the first day out. You don't forget something like that. Beach House, like many trawlers, is an uncomfortable ride with seas on the beam. In the Gulf Stream you encounter ocean swells that can be large and generated from hundreds or even thousands of mile away in big weather systems. Add wind waves on top of those and, well, you get the picture. Our estimated time to cross to Bimini is about 6 to 7 hours and rolling in seas for that long is not something we even want to consider. Our plan is to cross over to Bimini, check in with Customs and Immigrations, spend a day there, then head across the Banks to the Berry Islands. If our window holds, we will leave at first light on Sunday, arrive in the early afternoon so the sun is high but behind us so we will be able to "read the water" and spend the rest of Sunday and Monday getting acquainted with Bimini. We have not been there before so it will be a new experience for us. On Tuesday, we plan to cross the Banks which will take us a full day, probably sunup to sunset.

The delay here at Key Biscayne has been made much easier by the wonderful people we have met. That's one of the major reasons we live this lifestyle. We have been hosted by our new found friends Larry and Eva that have kindly given us use of the dock behind their home while their Krogen Manatee, Bucky, is being worked on at a yard farther north. We can't thank them enough for the hospitality they have shown us. Until the day we pulled up to their dock we were perfect strangers. During our time here we also found we needed some additional parts and equipment. During the Miami Boat Show we had the good fortune to meet up with a couple of folks we have been conversing with on an online discussion board called Trawler Forum. One of those folks is Parks Masterson, President of Hopkins-Carter Marine Supplies located at 3300 NW 21rd St. in Miami. When we couldn't get to his store to pick up materials, he brought them to us, not once but twice. When we couldn't find spare fuel filters for our Ford Lehman from ANYONE else in Miami, Parks not only had them, but brought them to the boat. If you're in the Miami area and are in need of supplies, give them a call at 305-635-7377 or 800-595-9656. You don't even have to be in Miami; they will ship whatever you need to just about anywhere in the world. They have been family owned and operated since 1916. That's a pretty good run for a marine supply store.

It has been fun to be docked on a canal in Key Biscayne surrounded by beautiful homes and friendly people. But we start to get a little antsy after a while and with each passing day, we hear the sea calling to us. The days are filled with lunches, dinners and good company along with last minute preparations and system checks. The fuel filters are changed so they will be clean for our crossing, all of the engine fluids checked and topped off and a thorough inspection for leaks and problems have all been done. The last minute stowing of everything that can get thrown around and securing everything for a passage will be done tomorrow. We really hope we won't be disappointed again, but if we are, there is always plan B. We're very hopeful that our next blog post will be from Bimini reporting on our smooth, uneventful crossing. Stay tuned.  

Blackwater Sound To Key Biscayne

We fell asleep to the muffled tunes from our one-man band at the Tiki Bar ashore. It was not at all unpleasant and kind of added to the already peaceful tranquility of our anchorage for the night. If you can't have Jimmy Buffet sing you to sleep, this is probably a fair substitute. The next morning brought clear blue skies, calm seas and a short transit to Key Biscayne. This meant no rushing around in the morning to get the anchor up and get underway. We could relax, enjoy breakfast, Susan could check in on the Waterway Cruiser's Net and I could check all of the engine fluids and go through our pre-departure check list.

It was close to 9 AM before we actually got underway and we hated to move on. But we did want to get to Key Biscayne and get prepared for our Gulf Stream Crossing. The forecast looked good for Friday and we needed to fill up with fuel and top off the water tanks. Crandon Park Marina has the best diesel prices from Miami to Key West and we were starting to get low on fuel. A .35 to .34c saving per gallon means a significant savings on an near empty tank. We carry 300 gallons of fuel so you can do the math. Shortly after getting underway, we crossed under the newer 65-foot Jewfish Creek Bridge. For many years, this was a drawbridge that either held up traffic on the highway or traffic on the water waiting for an opening. The new bridge was a treat for both boaters and folks on the highway.

Cruising north we were in the waters of the Biscayne National Park. We crossed Card Sound and sailed along Elliott Key. The waters of Biscayne Bay offer some of the best year-round boating in the country. The closer we got to Miami, the more boat traffic we encountered. There were trawlers, sailboats, sportfishers and small fishing boats heading in all directions. We have noticed over the years that the boaters in the Miami area seem to be only able to operate their vessels at full throttle. Perhaps they come this way from the dealer. We were surprised a little at the number of boats heading south into the Keys given the fact that most of the marinas and anchorages in the Middle and Lower Keys were almost full.

Once again we were casually heading north in no big hurry. We probably could have made the trip in half the time, but why just burn up fuel. Beach House burns about 2.5 gallons of fuel per hour at our normal cruising RPMs of 1700 to 1800. Less than this and the fuel burn goes down even more. At higher RPMs, the fuel burn goes up considerably. At 2:30 PM we dropped anchor behind Key Biscayne (lat 25.41.597N and long 080.10.597W) between Hurricane Harbor and the Key Biscayne Yacht Club. Since this was Wednesday and we didn't plan to leave until Friday, we had a couple of days to prepare the boat and take a closer look at the weather. The only down side of anchoring here is the boat wakes from all of the boats running up and down the bay can at times make this a rolly anchorage. Fortunately most, but not all, go home by dark.

Crossing the Gulf Stream in a small trawler like Beach House is very different than crossing on our sailboat. Sea Trek was a 40-foot, full-keeled, heavy displacement ketch that actually liked it when the wind picked up. The trawler is very uncomfortable in moderate to heavy winds and any kind of seas on the beam. This is why we sat in Marathon for so long waiting for the winds and seas to lay down. We began to be concerned about the weather forecast by Thursday morning. We learned a long time ago that when the NWS changed a forecast a couple of times a day and it was a different forecast from other NWS sources, that they really didn't know what the weather was going to be. Given their track record of being wrong so often and way underestimating wind and wave conditions, we began to have second thoughts. Add to that the fact that the weather window was only one day and if the front were to speed up just a bit, we would be caught out in it with no place to go. The winds were to start blowing pretty hard after the front passed and it would mean holding up in an expensive marina in Bimini for a number of days.

So we decided to pass on this window. On Thursday midday, we arrived at the fuel dock at Crandon Park Marina to fill up the tanks. While we were there, we decided to spend a few days at the marina and wait out the winds. The boat had a pretty good layer of salt from transiting the Keys and we hadn't done a good wash down in a month or more. So a marina stop made sense if we were staying put. There was a slip available for us (the marina is almost full) so we pulled in for a few days. During our marina stops we make the most of our time at the dock. The boat gets a good wash down, laundry is done and any shopping or supplies we need are just a bus ride away. Susan was able to contact an old friend and they went out for lunch and some shopping. Now we will start analyzing the weather sources we use and see when our next weather window opens. Maybe Tuesday?

Here's a list of our favorite weather sources...
http://www.nws.htmnoaa.gov/om/marine/zone/usamz.
http://forecast.weather.gov/gridpoint.php?site=mfl
http://www.bahamasweather.org.bs/index.php?page=marine
http://www.ikitesurf.com/windandwhere.iws
http://www.wunderground.com/MAR/flm.html
http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/maps/Florida.shtml
http://www.passageweather.com/
http://windmapper.com/FL/observations
http://www.buoyweather.com/wxnav6.jsp?region=gulfofmexico&program=Maps
http://www.geoffschultz.org/weather_map.php
http://www.zygrib.org/
http://www.windfinder.com/forecast/north_bimini_north_beach
http://www.myfoxhurricane.com/custom/models/rtofs/rtofs_current_gulf.html
http://weather.noaa.gov/fax/gulf.shtml

We use all of these resources and more to try to make our own determinations about weather conditions we will encounter. It does take some time, but we have often been able to determine on our own that the conditions would be right or wrong despite the official forecast. Stay safe out there and stay tuned.

Gulf Side Of The Florida Keys

Marathon, Florida was our home base for 10 years. We have sailed between Marathon and Miami many times. But we always traveled along Hawks Channel because of our 6-foot draft and the reports of how shallow the waters on the Gulf side of the Keys are. Our experience on the Gulf side has been limited to the Middle and Lower Keys and day trips on small outboards. Finally being able to free ourselves from Boot Key Harbor, we vowed that we would explore more of the Gulf side this time since Beach House's 4-foot draft is ideal for exploring areas we could never consider on Sea Trek in the past. And oh man, were we impressed. I can't believe that in all of those years we missed the best part of cruising in the Keys. And a bigger surprise was the fact that with only a couple of exceptions, the ICW route is not all that shallow.

The winds were forecast to be out of the east and then northeast and light, so we opted to travel Hawks Channel to the Channel Five Bridge and then cross over to the Gulf side. Of course, this was a forecast from the National Weather Service so it was no surprise that the winds were more southerly and the Hawks Channel route still presented some rolly conditions for us. Fortunately, they were still light so it was tolerable and by the time we reached Long Key, things had settled down nicely. What we found traveling the rest of the way to Biscayne Bay left us in awe - the clearest emerald green and turquoise waters we have seen anywhere else in the Keys. Susan remarked how reminiscent this was of cruising the waters of the Bahamas and it was further enticement for us to get north and make our crossing over to Bimini. 

Our first of the reported shallow cuts on the Gulf side was Bowlegg's Cut which we reached about 45 minutes after crossing over to the Gulf side. The cut is a straight run and we transited pretty close to low tide. The shallowest depth we saw was 6 1/2 feet and with a 1 1/2- to 2-foot tidal range, most boats could easily have passed through. Forty minutes later, we transited Steamboat Channel and again, never saw any depths below 6 1/2 feet. By 2 PM, we were at Cowpens Cut and the water depths through the cut were never less than 8 feet. There was a long stretch of water just past Cowpens that was 5.9 feet at low tide for quite some distance. By now we were at about mid-high tide. Bakers Cut leading into Tarpon Basin was also fairly deep. Astronomical tides and wind driven events can and do lower the depths of the water more than normal.

Even traveling in 8 to 10 feet of water, the bottom was clear and visible as if it were only a couple of feet deep. There are long stretches of sandy bottom that seems to go on for miles. These were the areas that especially reminded us of the Bahamas. Even though it appeared shallow enough to get off the boat and walk, our depth sounder constantly read 8 to 10 feet. Once we reached the grass covered areas, the water colors quickly changed to a dark emerald green, but were still crystal clear.

Between the main Keys and the Gulf, there are many, many smaller Keys that would make for some great overnight anchorages or just interesting places to explore while daysailing. These small Keys and shallow banks keep the seas down on anything but strong northers and make this side of the Keys a pleasure to sail or just slowly cruise along in your trawler. We enjoyed the trip so much that we puttered along at a much slower pace than we normally travel just to be able to take it all in. The weather could  not have been more perfect and after sitting in Marathon for weeks while the winds howled, this was almost heaven.

There are dozens and dozens of tranquil anchorages along this side of the Keys, many we detail in our book, The Great Book Of Anchorages. Places with names like Long Arsenicker (page 94), Pumpkin Key (page 94), Jew Point (page 95), Steamboat Creek (page 96) and Sexton Cove (page 97). We would have loved to spend a night in each, but then it would have taken us weeks to make the short trip to Key Biscayne. We did do some rechecking along the way. At times it just meant cruising through the anchorage to be sure depths had not changed. The great thing about most anchorages is that unless there is some major weather event, they won't change for many, many years, if at all. We have been using many of our favorite anchorages for over 20 years. They have become like old friends. But of course it's always nice to experience something new just for a change.

We saw an interesting hang glider operation going on as we passed by. A small powerboat with a hang glider on the back speeds along the water, allows the hang glider to be reeled off the stern until it's airborne and then released. The hang glider stays airborne for a short period of time and then lands back in the water. The boat then retrieves it, hauls it back on the stern and starts the process all over again. A quick stop in Tarpon Basin (page 98) for some reconnaissance detailed the heavy grass bottom on the north side of the channel. Anchoring here requires finding a sandy spot in the bottom to be sure you get a good hold. The bottom on the south side is a combination mud, grass and coral. There are several shallow areas to avoid but they are obvious and locals have marked them. There are also several local boats that seem to be permanently moored there.

Our destination for the evening was Stellrecht Point (page 97, Lat 25.09.200N and Long 080.23.815W) off Blackwater Sound. The winds at this point had almost completely diminished and the anchorage was flat calm. There were a few local boats at anchor and a couple of cruising boats, both power and sail. The holding was excellent, and at 4:50 PM, the anchor grabbed as soon as it hit the bottom. This is a commercial area and there is a dive operation and a couple of resorts ashore. One of the resorts had an outside Tiki Bar and entertainment that went on for quite a while. It was a single guitar player singing Jimmy Buffet songs and we were far enough away that it was not annoying. The feeling of being back on the water and underway at last is beyond words. Tomorrow will be another glorious day.

Return To Boot Key Harbor, Marathon Florida

It was June of 2008 when we last visited Marathon, Florida and Boot Key Harbor. We wrote about our feelings of returning to one of our former home harbors in our Sea Trek Blog, http://sea-trek.blogspot.com/2008/06/boot-key-harbor-marathon-florida.html and here we are again over 4 years later. Our observations are still pretty much the same. We are impressed with how clean the harbor has become and we applaud the efforts by the City and County to make it happen. But we're still reminded that Marathon is not interested in cruising boats that would prefer not to take advantage of one of the expensive marinas or pay for a mooring. The attitudes, although friendly, are pretty much, "this is how we do things and if it is not to your liking, see ya later."

There is one new free shore access in the harbor that does not require you to buy something or use their services and that is the new dinghy dock at Sombrero Resort and Lighthouse Marina (the finger pier at the corner of the canal). How long this remains available, time will tell. The other options are the dinghy docks at either City Marina or Sombrero Dockside. If you are fortunate enough to find a small space to anchor, tying up your dinghy will cost you $13.00 per day at City Marina or $5.00 per day at Dockside. Yet the cars parked in the parking lots in town pay nothing to park. Why is there a distinction? Because boaters will pay it and auto owners will take their tourist dollars elsewhere if that ever happened. If you happen to need water and are not tied up at a dock, it will cost you 5 cents per gallon. If you're not at a mooring or dock, it will cost you $5.00 for a pump out by the city pump-out boat. Now that's not a lot, but other than the Bahamas, we have never had to pay for water in any of our travels in over 20 years, except here. I can understand it in the Bahamas since most water is made through reverse osmosis and those systems costs money to maintain. But in Marathon, it comes down the pipe from Miami. The city marina controls all aspects of the harbor including anchoring. The sign on the bridge as you enter the harbor instructs you to call the city marina for mooring, docking or anchoring instructions. I'm not sure how I would feel about one marina essentially trying to control the entire harbor if I were the owner of one of the other marinas in the harbor.

The pump-out boats in the harbor and the pump-out facilities at the marinas are a big reason the waters are so much cleaner. We have always been advocates of the clean wake philosophy and the use of holding tanks and pump outs are the right thing to do no matter where you boat. But the pump outs are pushed at you after the first five minutes of arrival. You aren't asked if you need a pump out, you are told when the pump-out boat will arrive to pump you out. The objection is not the requirement to pump out. It's the right thing to do in this harbor or any other. It's the feeling that I can't be trusted to arrange a pump out on my own and the marina again must control when I pump out rather than leaving the decision to me. We have had the pump-out boat pull alongside the second day we were there and wanted to pump us out. That would have been fine, had we asked or had we needed it. But the fact is our tanks were almost empty at that time. We were told they automatically come to pump you out the second day you're in the harbor. It's the constant pushing that I find a little unsettling. The entire process is, in my opinion, designed to discourage anyone from spending any time in Marathon at anchor. It just feels like, "bring your dollars or go elsewhere." But we often anchor at many towns we visit and spend our dollars at restaurants, grocery stores, gift shops, etc. We have spent a few thousand dollars for other than dockage during our current visit, not all expected. In the past, we measured our time here in months, but now, we limit it to days, or weeks unless the weather pins us down. There are still many boaters that are quite happy to come down and park their boats at a marina or on a mooring for the winter months. But not so many as we remember when the harbor was open to all.

While the cruisers are very carefully controlled, many of the long-term liveaboards that have been in the harbor, some since we came down in the early- to mid-90's, continue to live on boats that are barely afloat and piled high with all sorts of miscellaneous materials. I just can't help feeling that there must be a way to accommodate everyone without compromising the positive changes that have been made. I think maybe it may be too late and the current pattern has been established for the foreseeable future. I know this has been a lot of negativity and for that I apologize. The cruising community is still strong here, in a very controlled manner. We have met some great folks and had many fun get-togethers. The recent holiday boat parade was small, but still fun to watch with a group of boaters on the stern of their boat with drinks and snacks. The VHF Cruisers Net is held every morning at 9 AM and at least once a week, if not more, there is some activity at the Tiki Hut at the City Marina or at the City Park. Many of the local establishments have specials and discounts for the boaters. But we also know from living here for many years that in December the prices go up at the restaurants and shops because the tourists are coming and not because things cost more here. Even the morning VHF net is rife with bickering amongst the long-term liveaboards.

We've met some great people on this visit and the one-on-one with other cruisers is always pleasant and fun. But the overall atmosphere, in my opinion, is not a welcoming one and I don't feel like a guest, but rather a cash cow that needs to be lead around by a bridle. I'm sure others will disagree and I would very much like to hear those thoughts if you have been a recent visitor.

Businesses we highly recommend for their friendly and professional service includes Marathon Boat Yard (Not to be confused with Marathon Marina and Boatyard or Marathon City Marina) for any major repairs or haul-outs and Shoreline Inflatable Boat and Outboard repairs. Also Keys Welding for the reasonably priced and fast service on our new tank. All did a fabulous job in the various repairs we needed and we feel are priced fairly by normal Keys standards. Marathon Boat Yard is inside the harbor on the canal that runs next to the old Boot Key Bridge and Shoreline is right next to the West Marine store (we don't recommend West Marine) on Overseas Highway. Our favorite restaurants are Burdines, The Island Fish Co., and both ice cream shops in town (Kandios or Sweet Savannahs).

Our stay here has been way too long due to unexpected repairs and lousy weather patterns so we look forward to heading up to Key Biscayne within the next few days to wait again for weather and stage for the Bahamas crossing.

Are you still in Marathon???

That's the question we are asked over and over lately, and the answer is yes, we're still in Marathon, and not because we love it so much, although we can't complain. Yesterday and last night the winds were howling, and buoy reports in the Keys were 19 to 27 knots from the northeast. That is the direction we need to travel. About a week ago, we stuck our nose out into Hawks Channel to see if we could move up the Keys to somewhere around Tavernier. We have a hard and fast rule - if we get underway and it's not fun, we turn around and stay put. That's what happened and we turned back to Boot Key Harbor and picked up a mooring. The winds have not let up a bit here, even though it has been much lighter on the mainland and in Miami. We just can't get there from here. The harbor here in Marathon is packed full because no one in their right mind is moving. When things do settle down a bit, it will look like someone pulled the stopper out of the drain. There are lots of other folks besides us that are waiting for the opportunity to cross over to the Bahamas. At some point, the wind gods will blink and we can make a run for it.


So we're doing what we always do and make the best out of the situation we have. A long time ago we came to the realization that things happen for a reason and we should just accept that and wait for the outcome, which is usually for the best. We have decided to pretend that we have actually planned to spend 2 months here and do the cruising thing like everyone else. Our visit with friends delayed our departure for two weeks and then the need to replace the leaking water tank cost us another couple of weeks and then the winds came up and have not subsided for weeks. This isn't very uncommon for the Keys in the winter time but this will be the longest weather delay so far for us. Our previous record was 10 days. Every day flies by with chores, topping off the water tanks, shopping, visiting with friends and doing local stuff.

We decided to go to Customs and Border Protection and get what was formerly known as the Local Boaters Option card so it would be easier to clear back into the U.S. from the Bahamas. The card and Customs sticker would allow us to clear in by making a phone call instead of having to visit a Customs office. This isn't guaranteed but is usually the case. This is now known as the Small Vessel Reporting System (SVRS) and requires EACH crew member go to the website and fill out the application for participation. It's important that each person that will be on the boat when you return complete an application before you go to Customs. There is also a form to register the boat which must be completed. At the end of completing the form, you are asked to schedule an appointment. You can't just show up so be sure and make the appointment. A confirmation email is then sent to the email address you provide. Here is where things went a little wrong for us.

Our confirmation email, as well as the SVRS website, stated we needed to report to the Simonton St. address in Key West. There is a daily shuttle that runs from Marathon to Key West several times a day. The one-way fees are $4.00 per person and $1.50 for seniors over 60. Not a bad deal since if we drove down we would use more gas than that (not to mention having to rent a car), so at 10 AM, we caught the bus a few blocks west from the City Marina entrance. The bus makes several stops along the way, and the trip to downtown Key West takes about an hour and a half. We got off the bus on Simonton St. a few blocks from the Customs building. A security guard at the door informed us that Customs had moved to the airport about 2 years ago and that we would need to go there, even though the paperwork we had in our hand said Simonton St. When we called the airport, they were very apologetic, but stated we would have to come to the airport. Luck was with us since we had a friend that worked at the nearby courthouse and was able to get free and take us to the airport. It seems that the website has been incorrect for a long time and had not been corrected. We also called the day before and no one mentioned this.

The Customs Officer couldn't be more helpful and friendly. He went above and beyond to help us get through the process and even waived the requirement that we could not come back until the following Wednesday because we had only filed an application for one of us online. We couldn't do it there at the Customs office. An option would have been to go to an internet cafe in Key West and then come back, or if we had a smart phone, we could have done it there. Time was not on our side and we were at the mercy of the bus service at this point. We decided to come back and were told we could do it on Monday, even though Monday is not normally a day to process the applications - it is usually reserved for clearing in cruise ships. We had a nice lunch at the restaurant in the airport, the Conch Flyer, and caught the bus back to Marathon. After we returned, we went online, completed the missing application and scheduled another appointment. The available dates are only Tuesday through Thursday, but we had already been given the OK to return on Monday. Surprisingly, we received a phone call from Customs in Key West instructing us to go to the airport and not Simonton St. and telling us that the website had just been changed. As we said, things happen for a reason. We like to think we had something to do with getting this corrected since we were pretty vocal, in a friendly way (this is U.S. Customs after all), about the problem of the wrong address.

That was our excitement for the week. Once again, the forecast is for lighter winds starting on Tuesday, so we have paid up our mooring until Monday night. Since the forecasts are more often wrong than right, we will wait and see once we poke our bow out on Tuesday morning.We're asking all of our friends and followers to cross their fingers and toes for lighter winds so we can make a break for it and escape the Boot Key Harbor vortex.