Grassy Key to Vaca Key - Marathon

Day 19: Friday, March 11, 2016

Another great day in the Florida Keys!  Our morning ritual began with a pot of coffee followed by bacon and eggs.  We are now out of bread so no toast.  We are carrying a lot of tortillas (to be used in soft tacos and as a non-molding bread substitute) but we have yet to discover how to get them to stay on our camp style toaster.

Doug from Li’l Penguin swam over and banged on the side of the boat and received an invitation to return for a cup of coffee.  We scurried around to again prepare the boat for a guest and at around 9:00, I took the Dink over and carried him back for an hour or so of scheming and planning. 

Doug's Li'l Penguin  Leaving Grassy Key anchorsage

We decided that we would again head out this time for the large Vaca Key and the city of Marathon.  I began making calls looking for a dock space for the two boats but, except for one that catered to really large boats and charged accordingly, we found absolutely none. Janine and I need some groceries and a place to deposit some trash and Doug needs some diesel fuel and water.  I would like to pull into the large well protected Boot Key Harbor which is in the center of Marathon, however, the entrance to the harbor is on the Atlantic side of the Key and the waves are still predicted to be 12 to 14 feet so that is out of the question. Also, services on the north side of the Key are really limited with that expensive marina the only one that has fuel. It was finally decided to head for that marina and get fuel and ice and then anchor out in one of several acceptable spots.

Although I hate to use our drinking water for showers, I felt I should return Doug’s Sun Shower with water in it and in the process of filling it, our 20 gallon main tank ran dry.  I carry two 5 gallon jugs of water as a backup but now we also need water.

Doug swims every day and had hounded me about my need to join in, so this

Little bungalow west of Grassy Key

morning I agreed.  We dug out our skin diving stuff and I spent around 45 minutes swimming around our little cove.  It was really great.  We saw probably 6 spiny lobsters which are now in season, but since we did not have a tickle stick and net, we were not able to catch them.  We also saw crab and several barracudas.  Where we swam, the water was never more than about 5 feet deep.  There were also numerous sponges and other various forms of underwater plants and animals.  We saw a few fish but there were no underwater structures around which you usually see them.

Back in the boat we had our typical taco/PBJ lunch and then prepared for a 2:00 launch for Marathon. The winds continue to blow in the 20 knot range so we again set the jib and had a wonderful 10 mile ride.  I had set up a route in the chartplotter so it was an easy passage with a wind following on our port quarter. 

Great White Heron in Fero Blanco Marina

I was the lead boat and as we neared the Faro Blanko Marina, I reduced sail and waited to Doug to catch up, however, as I approached the marina, a dock hand called me to inquire about my intentions and I told him that we were coming in for ice and fuel.  He directed me to a dock on the lee side of the channel.  With the wind now blowing at my side, I knew that the landing would be tough.  There were about 3 or 4 dock hands waiting to catch us as we came smoking up to the dock.  It turned out that their new fancy dock was higher than the side of our boat and they had only two widely spaced fender posts the keep us from going under the dock.  Long story short, we got moored on one of the posts with no damage.

I told the fellow that I didn’t need fuel but I did need ice and water.  He assured me that they had ice, all that I needed for free and that I could also fill our water tank.  He said that they delivered buckets of 15 pounds of ice and needed to know how many I needed.  I could only hold one and away he went soon to return with ice for both me and Doug had come crashing behind me.  I filled the water tank and deposited our trash in one of their beautiful white fiberglass trash boxes with

Possibly a Little Blue Heron in Fero Blanco Marina

a trash can hidden inside.

I was concerned about getting away from the dock and turned around but again with the help of this older friendly dock hand, we accomplished the maneuver smoothly.  Just before we left, I slid a $10.00 bill into his hand for his help and great friendly demeanor. 

We returned back west for about a mile to the lee side of a gorgeous abandoned

Anchorage at abandoned marina

marina that had gone bankrupt in the final stages of construction.  It is to have cost one hundred and fifty million dollars to build and recently sold for fifteen million.  Too bad because there are so few marinas on the north side of the island and the location of this one is prime.

I again set 2 anchors and was pleased that both seem to catch and hold firmly.  We took the Dink over to Doug’s boat where we enjoyed a glass of Gnarly Head and Gouda cheese.  After our private happy hour, the three of us climbed into the dinghy and headed for the Keys Fisheries Market and Marina for dinner.  This famous establishment is located on the water so we motored slowly in past a

Anchorage with Keys Fisheries, Market and Marina in the background

throng of dining patrons and tied up on the wall where a number of folks were standing round drinking and feeding the large tarpon fish that were attracted there. 

We climbed the wall at the order window and joined the long line of folks waiting to make their selection.  They are famous for their lobster Rueben which, of course, both Janine and I needed to try.  We agreed that they did live up to their reputation. 

After dinner we again crawled into the little dinghy and motored away through the diners several of whom made interesting comments about our little vessel and its crew.

Back to the boat, we sat and pondered the day’s activities before crawling into bed at around 9:00.