Voyage to Miami

On Saturday, we left ORC and went into the open waters towards Miami. The winds and waves created a very rough and wild ride! At one point, waves were splashing into our cabin's windows. Needless to say, I needed for the first time Dramamine. We came into Biscayne Bay just in time to join other boats in a lively afternoon party. Loud music from many different boats, all sizes from yachts to dinghys were there to play in the sun and the waves. We enjoyed a fun swim and soaked in the Miami party scene.

We stayed at the Bayshore Marina and walked to a lively area called Coco Walk in Coconut Grove and tried a place called Sishi It probably was the best creative sushi (Rosemary Eel Roll!!) as well as service we had this entire trip! Mw and Isabel met up with some friends and David and I saw a line for icecream so, we knew it was good! Ii's called Salt & Straw and we discovered once again creative flavors like Honey Lavender, Arbequina Olive Oil and Roasted Pineapple Coconut Sherbert. The next morning we had Starbucks and the girls left for their flights home. David and I stayed another day to clean the boat and picked up groceries at Fresh Market then had a wonderful early dinner on the boat followed by a great night's sleep.

Relaxing vacation at ORC

The rest of the week was relaxing and pampering! I nearly fell asleep during my overdue pedicure and Rugby had the Mobile Grooming spa treatment. He came back 3 pounds lighter and fresh as spring! David and the girls played tennis and pickle with friends and MW hit some golf balls. I think we got to experience everything we wanted to do and more. Did I mention the landscaping is beautiful here??

Found the Snowbirds

Another day of reading and relaxing by the pool for the girls. David and I are fortunate to have several friends who spend their winters in Ocean Reef so it only made since to clean the boat once and invite them all to visit! Our friends Chrissy & Jay S from St. Louis met with our Louisville friends, Anne H., Lisa A., Joe & Kelly H., and Heather & Steve C. for drinks and appetizers which evolved into a light dinner and a late night.

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!!)