On a Mooring Ball in Boot Key Harbor

Day 31: Wednesday, March 23, 2016

Where to begin.  Another day in Marathon/Boot Key Harbor.  The wind abated somewhat but was still blowing from 15 to 20 so we decided to stay at least one more day.  They are calling for lighter winds tomorrow so we shall see.

Second Wind  in her new neighbohood

Our breakfast this morning was sausage gravy on toast made with fresh Jimmy Dean sausage.  Our favorite, although we are not really picky, is Bob Evans. 

The first art of the morning was again occupied by reading.  At around 11:00, we heard the strange horn of Bumbye as Mike motored by on his way to having his boat hauled out.  We again said our farewells as he motored away.  He had already lowered his mast so his boat was ready to be placed on his trailer.  I decided that, having nothing else pressing, I would follow him to the marina and watch.  I jumped in Dink and followed him about a mile out towards the open ocean before we turned back into a narrow passage back into the mangrove.  To my surprise, he passage was lined with numerous large boats.  I had passed the entrance to the marina a number of times and had no idea that this large marina existed.

A beat Balboa 26 like our old Panache

At the back end was a large boat yard with a lot of boats “on the hard” in various states of storage and repair.  They had a large travel lift that Mike predicted could lift 85 tons and a large fork lift.  It took a while for the crew to get the authority to proceed but when they did, they were most meticulous in their work.  They hung two huge straps from forks of the lift and dropped them down into the water.  Mike backed his boat over the straps and the operator very slowly lifted the boat out of the water. He then moved the boat out into the parking lot where he lowered it onto the trailer.  The whole process took probably a half an hour.  The operator would make a move then get off of his lift and check it out.  You had to appreciate the care that he took to make sure that it was absolutely right.

Our backyard neighbors

We again said our goodbyes and I headed back to Second Wind.  While we were loading Mike’s boat, I had received and missed a call from the marina that they finally had a mooring ball available for us.  I waited until I got back to the boat and talked it over with Janine before contacting them and accepting the assignment.  It was not an easy decision.  The anchors were holding well and the forecast was for somewhat lighter winds.  However, the winds were still blowing quite strongly and there was still a chance that we could drag so I returned their call and accepted the assignment.

After lunch, we pulled the anchors which had buried themselves into the mud bottom of the harbor.  With the wind blowing as it was, we used the motor to move the boat forward and once the second anchor broke loose, we motored away.  My

Gulls are tough.  Maybe a laughing gull?

biggest concern was trying to catch the tether for the ball in the strong cross wind.  We found the row in which our mooring was located and started down the row between the boats.  The wind was blowing onto our starboard fore quarter so I turned the motor a bit to compensate.  As we approached our spot, Janine took over while I went forward with a boat hook.  We have, what Frankie calls “Marriage Savers,” a set of Blue Tooth headsets that allow for live conversation without yelling. Prior to our acquiring these things, it was always yelling from the front to the back of the boat trying to communicate over the motor noise.  Often understanding was lacking which brought forth more yelling.  This time, we talked in a normal tone of voice as Janine really skillfully navigated us right to the ball

A busy Nordic Tug

and then cut the engine as I snared the tether.  It was a perfect maneuver.  To handle the boat in that way in a strong breeze deserves commendation.

We now were able to leave the GPS and the anchor drag alarm off and rest assured that we would not drag.  We discussed the load that was lifted by the security of the mooring ball.  These things are designed to hold big boats in gale force winds.  After getting the foredeck cleared of two sets of anchor rodes, we headed to the marina office to settle our account.  It turns out that since we paid for a week’s use of their dinghy dock, we would have three days where we could stay on the ball without a fee.  We still will probably be heading out tomorrow.

Back at the boat, we rested and read until time to grill our last NY strip steak.  Our

The Main Course

hors d’oevures for the evening were KING Oscar (by special Royal permission) Mediterranean style finest brisling Sardines with extra virgin olive oil, herbs of provence, red bell peppers and black olives served on crackers and accompanied with a glass of Lodi zinfandel Gnarly Head wine. The main entrée was accompanied with garlic mashed potatoes.  For desert, we enjoyed the last of our Bake Packer blob spice cake slathered with a thick layer of cream cheese icing.  What a life!

After dinner we climbed back into the Dink and headed back to the marina where we enjoyed warm showers. Back at the boat, we made a couple of phone calls to our sons and lounged around until the bed time hour of nine o’clock.