Birthday girl arrives

On Monday, March 20th, we departed Marathon in thick, dark, stormy clouds, and headed north to Key Largo. We arrived in sunny crisp weather at Ocean Reef Marina and docked on the H Pier among the many mega yachts. We were just in this very place Christmas 2021 and never could have imagined our return would be via our own vessel! Ocean Reef is a private club community which we have been invited to several times in the past by friends, especially Anne H., back in the days when our daughters were in Middle School. Ocean Reef is a colorful golfcart commuity that is spread out with various homes and condos. It's big, but never feels too large or small. While docking, a nice gentleman from the boat across from us, High Cotton, came over. I noticed his boat home was DeBordieu, SC and we begain talking. Turns out, we remembered each other from our sons' class at Woddberry! The next evening Phillip and Ellen A. came over for drinks and we had a great visit! The fist days were really about boat cleaning and laundry as we prepared for our daughter, MW and her friend Isabel to visit us for the rest of the week.

Fresh off the plane, Mary Winston and Isabel met us at the poolside cafe which is also next to ORC's boat channel. They were so happy to swap the NYC Blues for the FL blues skies and water!The girls caught up with their friend, Laney H., who is the OG of ORC, she first invited the girls here when they were 12!

Later that night, we had dinner at the Islander, and of course tuna pizza! Of course, a chocolate chip cookie cake for the Birthday girl!

Marlin Bay Marina

We settled into the marina and found our first community of fellow boaters. Many of our neighbors had spent all winter here, enjoying the warm air and water and not missing their homes far away. Like us, they travel on their boats and were so helpful to David in planning our next trips on the Atlantic. Marlin Bay Resort has condos with families on Spring Break and a giant swimming pool just off the marina. The pool was very refreshing in the hot temps, plus a great place to meet other boaters, all incredibly friendly. Nearby, we discovered our favorite place to eat, down the road past the towers of Crab Pot Town.

The Key's Fishery is famous for their Lobster Reubens and their Key Lime Pies, and of course a great view of the sunset!

Marathon is an active fishing community and the food was amazing as well as the views of the famous sunsets of the Keys. We watched from the bar of the Key's Fishery as the sun was lowering, the bartender poured shots and then the conch horn blew as the sun disappeared on the horizon. There was no need for us to travel to Key West and see the tourist versiona similar event!

David and I spent several days (including St. Patrick's Day, ask David if he remembers that night..) in Marathon at this leisurely pace. We toured the many canals and waterways on our dingy, then retreated back to the pool to end the day. A nice surprise was a visit with a friend from Louisville, David P. who had just arrived at his place in Marathon. He picked us up in his car and showed us a broader scope of what felt like a little town in the keys! His home sits on the water on the Atlantic side and is a perfect get-away home that he has created. I think we could have stayed even longer in this semi bohemian place, (I did leave with a straw fishing hat) but it was time to round the southern tip of Florida and head north!

To the Keys

Our trip to Marathon was one of our last long days of traveling. We left before sunrise and travelled in the open Gulf at a speed of about 20 mph, which is more than double our usual speed! Very necessary since we had 115 miles to go! The auto pilot was set for 7 Mile Bridge, but with auto navigation, we had to be constantly on the look out for crab pots! It was worth keeping our eyes on the water for the 6 hour trip through mostly shallow waters. The seagrasses and fish were visible and to our delight, so were 2 sea turtles in their beutiful natural habitat. When we arrived at the bridge, we took a hard left towards the famous Faro Blanco Marina and just pass it to our place, the newer Marlin Bay Marina. After docking, I was excited to see the bright pink, green and blue parrot fishes just outside our dock.

(That's not my picture, I could not capture the vivid colors with my iphone! At a nearby park, Marathon's Annual Seafood Fest was goingon. Lots of seafood vendors as well as beer tents, local artist booths and live bands. We ejoyed walking around and ended up getting some home smoked ribs from a family selling them from their driveway. The smells were just as good as the ribs (we needed a break from seafood!) We came back to our boat and was rewarded by our first Keys Sunset!

Just Passing Through Naples

Naples is another place we have been before, but a great way to see it from a boating perspective! The sea was calm, clear and a great trip overall! It's always exciting when dolphin join us! Naples City Dock is located in downtown near some wonderful shops, but the only one I was interested iin going to was the Paw's Pet Boutique, lovely owners welcomed us! That night we also ate dinner at a dog friendly place at the Marina called The Dock at Crayton Cove, excellent fresh fish!

Although we wanted to see some friends in Naples, we had to pass thru and start our longer trip to Marathon Key. We anticipated a long day and needed to wake up before sunrise (which can be confusing with daylight savings time!!)

Spring Break 2023 Begins!

Today we departed Venice Beach for one of our favorites, Boca Grande. We cruised in the open Gulf waters and had some shallow areas of crystal blue waters. There we spotted two sea turtles, so beautiful in their natural habitat! We arrived at Miller's Marina with plenty of time to get a golf cart and travel around the main town area near Gasprilla Inn.

We had lunch at the food truck at nearby Whiddon's, which looks so authentic old FL,it almost looks staged! Pig pens, roosters and old boat parts!

It is such a small Island, we even had time to drive our cart north and look at homes and beaches. That evening we ate dinner at The Pink Elephant, with our dog on the terrace. Ran into Kitty and Scott Z. from home and had a nice visit. We had hoped to stay another night, but we had a small window of good weather to get to the Keys, and we know we will be back again to this special place!

Venice Sunset

We started our way south today and travelled in open Gulf waters. I learned a new nautical term, "wind beam" whic is a crosswind from a ship's 90' heading. When it blows like that, you begin to ride the swells of the waves, which is wild and rocky! We barely got into our slip at the Crow's Nest Marina, but it is a wonderful location to experience Venice Beach. It sits inside the Venice Inlet along the South Jetty Beach public park. In a short walk, I was on the beach with my chair relaxing! David explored the area and the man-made island on the paddleboard. Later, we walked down the jetty pier with several other folks and dogs, and watched a spectacular sunsert. Dinner on the boat and a good night's sleep followed!

Wrapping up LBK Vacation

As this month is closing, I went home again, only to travel again! I drove a round trip to Knoxville to see my dad before his 92nd birthday and my old friend's first grandchild!Then I flew to Dallas for Mom/Son weekend with Pierce had major airport delays, due to weather, but it barely phazes me anymore! I had a great visit with Pierce, my sister, Kathy, my old friend, Tina, Louisville friends and SAE moms. The highlight for me was visiting the Dallas Arboretum which was in full spring blooms! David powered thru boat projects like changing the oil in the 3 engines, 2 transmissions, replaced the spreader lights and re-wired and installed a new dryer!! And for entertainment, he visited the nearby ski show!