Weech's Marina, Alice Town, Bimini 2/23/2014

We left Marathon, Florida on Friday and sailed the entire way to Angel Fish Cut in Hawk Channel in 16-19 knot winds from the southeast.....it was awesome!  We never turned the engine on......now that's what sailing is all about!  On Saturday we left the anchorage at 6:30 am with Snow Goose and Our Desire and crossed to the Bahamas.  At 2:30 we anchored in Nixon's Harbor which was very rolly.  Walt finally had to put part of the mainsail up to steady the boat.  Today we sailed up the western coast of Alice Town and then came in to Weech's Marina at high tide around 3:00.  The channel has just been dredged and is well-marked.  I read that customs is closed on the weekend but not here....we cleared customs and immigration with no problem even though it is Sunday and got a 90 day cruising permit.  At 5:00 we celebrated a great gulf stream crossing with Rich and Anna, and Tom and Deb.  Tomorrow we sail to Cat Cay.

Cousin Marilyn visits 1/29/2014

My cousin, Marilyn and her friend, Marilyn, drove up from Key West to have lunch with us this afternoon and stroll along Sombrero Beach.  We hosted her son, Dan and granddaughter, Allie the week before Christmas.  We have stayed at Marilyn's shrimp dock in Fernandina Beach previous years.  Both Marilyns live on Long Island for part of the year and in Florida when the northern winter is just too cold....

Dolphin Research Center 1/24/2014

We visited the Dolphin Research Center on Grassy Key today which is a non-profit organization that promotes educational programs about marine mammals.  We saw the dolphins at their best, performing tricks and "talking" to the visitors.  There were two young pups swimming with their moms.  The pups usually nurse for two years before going out on their own.  One fact that I learned today is that the dolphins get almost all of their fresh water from eating fish!  Drinking salt water makes them very sick.

Another glorious sunset over-looking the dinghy dock and anchorage 1/21/2014

I am amazed at how beautiful the sunsets are here in Boot Key.  Yesterday we had a complete rainbow over the anchorage but alas, my camera was on the boat.  I did have my camera when I saw this sunset from the dinghy on our return trip from the park to walk Ranger.

No Name Pub at Big Pine Key 1/17/2014

Wayne & Patti are camping near us again this year at Knight's Key.  We met them five years ago when they were moored next to us in Boot Key on their sailboat, Bumm's Rest.  They sailed to the Exumas that year and we followed them on their blog.  This year we're planning to sail to the southern Bahamas and will take another look at their blog and check out the places they liked the best.  Since they are camping, they have a truck and they picked us up and drove us to No Name Pub on Big Pine....what an awesome, off the beaten track,

pub this is!  Wow!  It's unique and I highly recommend a ride out.  The walls and the ceiling are entirely decorated in one dollar bills....thousands of them!  You'll need your GPS.  The address is 30813 Watson Blvd...Enjoy!

Trip to Bahia Honda

It's been very windy and unusually rainy here this winter in Marathon but last Sunday we had a weather window to sail to Bahia Honda State Park and back.  The winds were blowing 15-19 knots at 90 degrees to the boat so the sailing was awesome.  We pulled our Mercury dinghy behind us just to make sure that its bottom got scraped!  It was a bit too windy to anchor so we sailed into and out of the harbor between the two bridges and then back to Boot Key.  Walt saw a huge sea turtle on our way back.  We love sailing Hawk Channel....except for all of the crab pots!

Iguana country! 1/14/2014

We see iguanas everywhere here especially when we are biking around town on our boat bikes and it's sunny and hot.  There were three iguanas in the one photo and two facing away in the other picture.  Today we saw another manatee alongside the dinghy dock but no gators yet.....

65th Birthday!

I celebrated my 65th birthday with my great cruising friends Roy & Yasmine and Bonnie & Sid today.  Walt treated me to breakfast at I-Hop in the morning and then at 4:00 we all biked to the Sunset Grill for Happy Hour and were treated to a fabulous sunset.  Yasmine and Bonnie surprised me with birthday cake, champagne and goodies on Yasmine Ann.  What a special day!

Tax Office Visit 12/27/2013

I visited the tax office here in Marathon today to ask some pertinent questions about Florida taxes for cruising boats......The tax office is not far from the City Marina and since we just had a meeting in Boot Key with the FWC I just wanted to get my facts straight.
     1.  A boat that is stored on the "hard" in Florida does not have to register.
     2.  A sailboat that is in Florida for more than 90 consecutive days must register and title in Florida
     3.  When we return to New York in 6  months then we have to re-register and title in New York
     4.  If we decide to stop in another state and stay for several months then we have to register there too
     5.  If we leave Florida after 90 days and come back then our 90 days starts over....
     6.  We could just forget the rules and sail to the Bahamas where we'll encounter other rules and regs.....

Key West 12/18/2013

Everyone visiting the Keys wants to visit Key West so the four of us set out to explore the southernmost tip of Florida today.  I took a few photos that represent the lifestyle down here....relaxed!  There were plenty of Tarpon swimming under the pelicans in the old harbor.  Walt and I took the afternoon bus back to Marathon to attend the three hour meeting with the Florida Wildlife Commission.  Boot Key Harbor sailors have been harassed by the younger members of this group.....dinghies checked for lights, fire extinguishers, mildew-free life jackets, whistles, and original registrations.  The meeting went well and hopefully the harbor will again become hassle-free!  There is always a fine line between safety and government meddling.