Real time update and Our First Week in Marathon

We have been in Marathon since November 25. We have only moved off of our mooring once to go out on a day sail. We are currently in a Gale Warning. The wind is blowing over 35 knots outside of the harbor. They are seeing seas with 10 foot waves. We are in this nice protected harbor and we have seen no more than 2 foot waves, but we are still seeing winds of close to 30 knots. I have been checking our mooring lines on a regular basis and all looks good.  We have been stuck on the boat for two days and it looks like it is going to stay very windy for two more days. We could get the dingy down and go ashore, but it would be a wet ride. We have been reading, playing games and keeping up on the events of the day on line and on our VHF radio. We will see how long we can last. The good news is that we have plenty of food and water. Our solar system and wind generator are producing plenty of power. I am really glad that I was able to get the wind generator fixed. With this much wind it is doing a fantastic job 24 hours per day. I will tell that story in a coming entry.  So for now, all is good, so let's go back to our arrival here in Marathon.

After getting checked in, we made contact with our former slip neighbors, Dave and Janice that are here in the harbor. We went to dinner in a restaurant for just the second time since we left Palmetto 3 and a half weeks earlier. We compared stories of our trips down and found that we had very different experiences. They had some seriously strong wind and much rougher seas. It was a fun evening and a beautiful sunset.

Looking from Burdine's back up the channel to the Atlantic.

Almost immediately we started to meet other cruisers that are here in the harbor. There is a daily "cruiser net" on channel 68 on the VHF radio. Many tune in to hear announcements and other news of the day. You can also ask for help if needed. It is amazing when someone asks, how quickly the problem is solved by another helpful boater. We heard about the Thanksgiving Pot Luck Dinner and decided to participate. We brought appetizers and a pie for dessert. There were over 100 people at this dinner and we met a number of other cruisers that we now call friends.

This was one of the tables to get food. There was more than enough to go around.

This large building is the office and common area for the marina. They have a library, TV rooms and places to charge your electronics. There are also work areas that can be used to work on projects off of your boat. 

They have a large bathroom and shower house with individual rooms for showers. There is also a laundry.

There is a beach called Sombrero beach that is about a mile dingy ride away. Kim and I took a trip to see what it was like.

This is where we landed our dingy. It seems to be running well and we use it almost every day to get around. 

This Great Egret did not seem to mind that we came for a visit.

Another Kim on a beach picture.

We saw an island about 200 yards off shore and I decided to investigate. It looks like it would be a good place to do some snorkeling. We have been talking about going ever since, but, as of this writing, have not made it. Too much socializing I guess.

Kim claiming this new land as ours for the day. The water was crystal clear with lots of sea life. 

The following day, I agreed to go to a play with Kim. I was looking to pay her back for going on this crazy adventure with me, so we went to see a production of "Greater Tuna", put on at the community theater. Kim enjoyed it, and that is all that I need to say about that.

This picture is proof of me being there and agreeing to attend. 

All kidding aside, it was really pretty funny and I have to admit, I enjoyed it.

Well that is about it for the first week. I will try to break down our activities by week, but we will see how inspired I feel to write about all that we have been doing. In my next entry, I will write about some time in Key West and will show you some of my favorite sunset shots I have ever taken. Thanks for reading!