On to Lauderdale and then the Bahamas

Well we completed our stay in the Keys and we are now in Fort Lauderdale waiting to cross to the Bahamas. The Keys are great and the marina we stayed at was very nice but it was time to move. We had a car for two weeks and made very good use of it to get around. I guess I should say I used the car to get around because Ginny bought a bike. We went to West Marine where they had a folding bike on sale. It is a pretty nice bike and Ginny has used it a lot.

We went to Miami three times, twice to pick up and drop off Stephanie at the airport and once to go to the Miami Boat Show. As you can imagine, the boat show is huge. We spent the whole day at the convention center where they had a few boats but mostly vendors of boating equipment. We didn't make it to either of the other two venues where the boats were but we had a great time and only spent a few dollars.

We met a lot of nice people at Plantation Key Marina who are very knowledgeable about the Bahamas and other places that we are going to visit. We had planned to stay in Islamorada until Sunday because we wanted to go to the nautical flea market being held at Founders Park. After looking at the upcoming weather we decided to leave on Friday so we could get to Fort Lauderdale before the windy front came through.

Originally we were going to anchor the first night in Biscayne Bay and then run to Lauderdale, but we decided to stay in a marina which turned out quite well because Sid and Evelyn from "Something Special" were there. We stayed at Dinner Key Marina which is in the Northwest corner of Key Biscayne. Fort Lauderdale is only about 30 miles away but we wanted to get in early and we knew that it would be slow going on the Intracoastal so we left at 7:30. Even though it was a weekend, the ride was very easy and we didn't have to wait long for any of the bridges. There were only two bridges that we needed to have opened and they were fairly close together. Boat traffic was not an issue until we got to the Port Everglades inlet in Fort Lauderdale and then it seemed liked everyone who every owned a boat was moving around. We made it to the marina shortly before the wind picked up and we are now tied securely waiting for the wind to stop and we can cross to the Bahamas. I don't expect to be able to cross until at least next Friday or Saturday. I think we are going to cross with at least three other boats -maybe four. Two of the boats are here at the marina and one of the others is coming tomorrow so we will all be ready.

We went to a sandbar one day with Sid, Evelyn, Beth (taking the picture) and Dean.

Leaving Plantation Harbor Marina

Gilbert's Restaurant in Jewfish Creek

Miami from a distance

Dinner Key which is near Coconut Grove

Leaving Dinner Key Marina

Downtown Miami on our way to Lauderdale

Cruise ships lined up in Goverment Cut

"Something Special" and "Alquonquin" behind us on the Intracoastal

Fort Lauderdale also has its share of cruise ships

They start the kids young in Ft. Lauderdale.

Did I mention it is Spring Break in Fort Lauderdale

From Marathon to Islamorada

Our last few days in Marathon were busy. We went to the Dolphin Research Center on Grassy Key with Marc and Michele. It was a very nice place and a great way to spend a few hours watching dolphins and listening to the trainers give talks. They have programs where kids can stand in the water and shake hands with the dolphins and adults can swim with the dolphins. We had a nice lunch at the bar next door and then returned to the boat to see another wonderful sunset.

We were going to leave Marathon on the first of February but the weather was a little snotty so Roy said we could stay another night. We were glad we did because I got to play golf with the guys and there was a Looper potluck at Marathon Marina on Wednesday night. My team lost in golf but the potluck was great. There were about 50 people and a ton of food which of course was gone by the end of the night. We met some Loopers that we had not seen in a while and many others that we just met. All of the food was great but there were two things that stood out for me. Someone made jalapeno bread which was quite spicy but great and there was a delicious cherry crumb cake.

The next day was Thursday and we had to say goodbye to Marathon. We were ready to leave but it was sad to say goodbye to the people we shared a dock with for almost a month. We said goodbye to Marc and Michele and headed out of the harbor, under the bridge and East along the Intracoastal to Plantation Yacht Harbor Marina in Islamorada. There were a lot of crab pots but Ginny did a great job of not hitting any and staying in the channel which was very narrow and shallow at times. The depth finder alarm was buzzing the last hour of the trip and we were stirring the sandy bottom but we didn't touch. The marina is very nice and is part of a large community park called Founders Park. They have an Olympic size pool, a private beach, dog park, two baseball diamonds, several soccer fields and a lot of walking trails. The park is not really close to anything so you either have to have a bike or a car. Of course I chose a car. We rented a car from Enterprise for a couple of weeks and it has been so nice to be mobile again.

The weather has been a little windy and rainy but we are still having a good time. We did take the dinghy out one day to a place called Toilet Bowl Pass. It is a cut in the water that is lined on both sides with toilet lids on stakes. They are all decorated and from all parts of the country. I am not sure of the origin but it was a fun trip. We are also right next to the Snake River which is a crossover between the Atlantic and the Gulf with some very nice homes and a restaurant that has a dinghy dock. There are other Loopers here so we tend to do a nightly happy hour to catch up on the days important activities.

Wednesday we received a random call from a friend of our daughters who said he was in Islamora and was getting married the next day - could we come to his reception. I checked my busy calendar and was able to squeeze him in. His name is Sam and his new wife is Cristina. Cristina is a marketing director for a clothing store and they were here for a photo shoot for the catalog and Web site. Sam and Cristina decided on Monday to get married on Thursday by a judge and have their reception at their hotel. Cristina's mom was there but nobody from Sam's family so Ginny and I were really happy to represented his home town. The next day our daughter Stephanie arrived for a long weekend. She flew into Miami so we picked her up at the airport and will take her back on Monday for the flight back. She looks great and we are so happy to have her here with us for a few days. Sam and Cristina were still in town for one more night so we met them for drinks and gossiped about their friends.

The next day we went shopping and then had a wonderful dinner at the Green Turtle Inn. Green Turtle Inn is at mile marker 81 and if you are near there and want a great dinner (not cheap), go there. There is a branch of Bass Pro called the World Wide Sportsman at mile marker 81. It is a large Bass Pro kind of store and they have a replica of Ernest Hemingway's boat called the "Pilar" inside the store. We are going to be here until February 27th when we will begin our trip to the Bahamas. I hope to go to the Miami boat show on Friday with some of the guys here so that should be a lot of fun and I am sure we will be checking out some other good restaurants along the way.

Dolphin Research Center

One of Flippers relatives

Begging for fish

They can really jump high

One of our last sunsets in Marathon

Quite a spread at the pot luck

The other half of the table

All packed up and ready to leave Marathon

Michele and Marc waving goodbye

Rocco's bar and grill at the marina

Heading under the 7 Mile Bridge again

A nice old Trumpy named Tireless docked across from us at Islamorada

Our view onto the Gulf

Anything to attract tourists

Toilet Bowl Pass

My favorite

The lighthouse marking to the entrance to the harbor

Cristina and Sam on their wedding day

Doesn't she look great?

The "Pilar" inside the store

Still in Marathon

It has been about 10 days since the last post from Marathon and we are still here enjoying the sunshine, people and the seafood. The weather is perfect almost everyday. Temperatures in the high 70's, slight breeze and no rain. The marina is full so there are many people to get to know. There are quite a few current and past Loopers here so we have a lot in common. Some of the Loopers have stayed for only a short time and then moved on so it was nice to see them again. Sid and Evelyn on "Something Special" moved on to Islmorada, "Once Around" and "Algonquin" were here for a few days and moved to Key West.

The highlight of the last 10 days was that our son Dean came to visit. We did not have much on the agenda so Dean mostly just relaxed and enjoyed the weather. Dean and I went on a nice dinghy ride. We went to the beach, explored the many canals with nice houses and then we went to the other side of the island and went under the 7 Mile Bridge. Unfortunately when we got back, Dean slipped and fell and we all thought he broke his little toe on his right foot. Ginny and I thought he was was being a drama queen so we told him to walk it off, but when he got back to Columbus he went to the hospital and it ended up that his right foot is really broken. Sorry Dean but we still had a great time. We rented a car and took Dean back to Key West for his trip home last Saturday. His flight was scheduled for 5:15 P.M. but the airlines called and said the flight was rescheduled for 6:00 P.M. Actually the airlines called about every 15 minutes with a recorded message. We dropped Dean off at the airport around 4 and drove back to Marathon. When we got back the airlines called and said the flight was cancelled. Dean called several times with updates and the airlines decided to send all of the passengers to Miami by taxi, put them up in a hotel and reschedule their flights for Sunday. Dean wasn't really happy about that but he did fine and arrived home safely on Sunday morning. He is back to work using an air cast :).

Marc and Michele on "Marc"s Ark" are docked next to us and we have been having a good time. We last saw them in Fort Myers. They are both sunset lovers and sometimes even set a alarm to let them know the sunset is coming. We have been to a few different restaurants looking for a good sunset and I think the one we like the best is Sunset Grill which is right next to the 7 Mile Bridge on the Atlantic side with an unobstructed view of the sunset. Marc scheduled a 1/2 day fishing trip and asked me to go which was great. We went to Seadog Charters on the Gulf side and went out in a 60 foot boat with 8 other people. We went under the bridge into the Atlantic a few miles and anchored. The captain and first mate were fantastic. They told us how to fish, baited the hook, took the fish off and entertained us throughout the morning and then filleted the fish when we got back. Everybody caught fish and the weather was great. The total catch was 56 Yellow Tail Snappers which were divided up 8 ways because there was one couple from Utah that were leaving the next day and didn't want any fish. Marc and I took our share to Rocco's Bar and Grill in the marina and asked them to cook them for dinner. They did a great job and the fish was fantastic. They grilled some, fried some and blackened some. My favorite was the blackened because it was a little spicy with a slight crust. We did the best we could but couldn't finish them all so Michele took the rest home.

Our plan is to move on next week to Islmorada and then go to the Bahamas in March. We were planning on going with "Free 2 B" but they won't be able to make it this year. "Something Special", "Marcsark" and "Algonquin" have expressed and interest in going so maybe we can all hook up and go together but we will see.

"Something Special" leaving Marathon

Dean spotted this iguana in a tree in one of the canals

One of the great sunsets at Sunset Grill

That's me walking in the water at Sombero Beach

Dean's last day in Marathon was celebrated at the Stuffed Pig

One of the many marinas in Key West

Marc and Michele

Guess who

SeaDog Charters (I know the picture is sideways)

Heading back to port after we were done slaying the fish

The catch - see if there really is 56

The band that was playing in the bar while we were eating our fresh caught fish

Winter in Marathon and I miss ALA CARTE

We are getting settled in at Marathon. We are in Sombrero Marina at the very East end of Boot Key Harbor. It is a nice marina with a bar/restaurant and walking distance to Publix and other stores. We only have reservations for January but we are trying to get the dockmaster to let us stay through February. Two days after we arrived, our good friends Terri and Mike came to visit us. They have a place in Daytona so they drove down and stayed for two nights. Mike knows a couple (John and Donna) in Marathon and they invited us over to their house for drinks and then we went to dinner at the Sunset Grille. Their house was in Key Colony Beach on a canal and it is beautiful. The Sunset Grille is a great place to hang out, eat and watch the sunset which is what we did.

I met a guy on one of the boats, who is a diver and cleans boats. He said he would take a look at my bottom and zincs so I said great. He found a piece of nylon rope on one of the shafts and removed it for $10, what a deal. He said everything else was OK.

There was an organized happy hour with snacks on Thursday night so we got to meet a lot of the people which was great since we will be spending a lot of time here. Most of the boats are here for an extended period and many of them come each year for the winter so they all know each other.

On Friday morning I got a call from Sid and Evelyn on "Something Special" who had just left the Shark River and were heading for our marina to stay a couple of nights. They had just called the marina that morning and were able to get a slip. They are only two boats away from us and it has really been great catching up with them. They were supposed to leave on Sunday but it has been very windy so they are stuck with us until probably Tuesday. We have missed them and it is so good to see them again. When we were traveling with them we had played a couple games of Euchre. Sid and I were partners and each team won one game so we needed to have a tie breaker which we did last night. Needless to say the good guys won convincingly but unfortunately it wasn't Sid and I. Evelyn and Ginny beat us fair and square but there was a lot of table talk (oh yes - that was Sid and I).

Our son Dean has come from the cold North to visit us for a week. He flew into Key West so Ginny and I rented a car and drove down to pick him up on Sunday. It was great to see him and he looks great. Ginny and I have been to Key West several times but Dean has never been so we walked around Duval Street for a while and ate at Sloppy Joes. Dean is flying back from Key West next weekend so we will have more time to visit the city then. We are not planning anything special, but if the weather gets better then we will go out in the dingy and fool around.

Now for ALA CARTE. I know I talk about food way too much, but darn it I miss a good breakfast out. I can cook a nice breakfast on the boat which I do but occasionally I like to go to a dive and eat a breakfast that is not good for my body but great for my soul. I am not talking about Denny's, IHOP or even Bob Evans but a place where you can get a good breakfast with good coffee at a reasonable price. There is such a place in Port Clinton, Ohio called ALA CARTE. They make their own sausage, they have the best fried potatoes and for my money the best coffee ever. Just to be fair, I have tried many places in the last six months but none of them stack up. I had high hopes for a couple of places in Marathon and they were good but not as good as ALA CARTE. I won't post the names because the sensor would remove them but they are both local and have a loyal following. I vow to keep looking and I will report back occasionally.

Sunset Grille in Marathon by the Seven Mile Bridge

A nice sunset at the Grille

I have no idea who these people are but they looked so happy I had to take a picture

Mike and I at the Stuffed Pig for breakfast

The rope on our shaft

Mom and Son at Sloppy Joes

I know I posted this in July but I wanted to remind anyone who may be going to Port Clinton