As we prepared for our departure from Marathon, we did so with very mixed emotions. It took us a good while to get used to being in one place after we first cruised into Boot Key Harbor. We had been moving from one place to another just about every other day until we arrived there. But after being there for a while, we truly enjoyed the feeling of community among the other boaters and the small town of Marathon. It was also a great place to have friends from home join us for a while, exploring the Keys, and getting some relief from winter weather.
We will miss our mooring field neighbors, the numerous activities that are organized for the boaters, the church that we have been attending, and of course, the unbelievably beautiful weather of warm days, cool breezy nights, and no bugs. We got up this morning, March 2nd, and had a simple breakfast celebration of Stel’s birthday up on the bridge of Estrellita. It was a beautiful warm and sunny morning to enjoy some time looking over the harbor full of boats before we departed. We spent some time thanking God for the wonderful years that he has given my wife and then got into the dinghy for a final cruise through the neighborhood to say our goodbyes. I promised I would take her on a cruise for her birthday, and of course I always keep those special promises. We pulled out of the harbor early this afternoon and headed north along the Florida Bay side of the Keys. It will take us a few days to get to Miami and then we will follow the Intracoastal Waterway route that leads us up the eastern coast of Florida, into Georgia and then finally to our home near Charleston, SC.
It felt great to be underway again. As we spent the afternoon cruising through these clear turquoise waters, the joy and rhythm of this Loop adventure suddenly returned to us. We had really missed being on the move. It will take us about a month to travel the final 600 miles of the Great American Loop, which will put us home during the first week of April, Lord willing. In the meantime….happy birthday to my wonderful first mate!!!
- Mark and Diane Nelson, friends from Charleston, come to spend a few days with us
- Friends enjoy some time together in a little piece of paradise
- Sunset in Marathon with Mark and Diane
- More of our Charleston friends, Alex and Karen Graham (right), come spend the day with us as we cruise to Bahia Honda State Park
- Appears to be some “iron sharpening iron” going on here!!
- Group photo op at Bahai Honda Beach, one of the few beaches in the Florida Keys
- My pitiful attempt to blow the conch upon sunset, a tradition in the Conch Republic
- Preparing for the wet dinghy ride from the Estrellita to the marina parking lot
- Mark and Diane say goodbye after 3 short days with us on the Estrellita
- Stel re-coats the gold lettering on the Estrellita name plaque
- A view of toward the eastern section of Boot Key Harbor as the sun sets in the west.
- Enjoying lunch at Tranquility Bay with friends Alex and Karen Graham, owners of Charleston Bicycle Tours
- Ever see a sprouting coconut ??
- We witnessed a turtle release on Sombrero Beach, not too far from our anchorage
- Stel likes that we can go to boat parties bare-foot!
- Small sunset gathering with friends Van and Lauren on their sailboat, Gratitude
- Parking attendant ensures that we tie up properly before we leave our dinghy at the dock
- Captain Jack, the 93 old patriarch of Boot Key Harbor, grabs a hug from Stel after giving her a flower
- Manatee’s love dangling hoses that offer a drink of cold fresh water
- Some say they’re cute, but I’m not seeing it yet!
- I used to dive for fun, but cleaning the bottom of the boat is now high adventure!
- That’s not a smile, it’s me gritting my teeth! This water is colder than it looks!
- Roy and Krista, some of our good friends in Boot Key Harbor on their boat Sola Fide (Faith Alone)
- This dinghy driving is serious stuff!!
- Nearby Sombrero Beach is a great place for cleaning the dinghy bottom.
- Pelicans who don’t care to fish for themselves wait for a handout
- Patience is key…..
- ….then utter chaos breaks out over one little scrap of fish guts!
- New definition of “dog paddling”
- Hard to say goodbye to these incredible sunsets!
- Stel gets a birthday package in the mail just minutes before we depart. Happy Birthday Stel!!
- Leaving Boot Key Harbor, our home for 2 months
- First evening at anchorage after leaving Boot Key