Marathon!

1411 nm   N24 42.406  W081 05.739

Back into the "traveling" routine.  Up before dawn, coffee, breakfast, and on the move.

Once we left the Little Shark River, we stayed inside the "1 mile limit" around the Everglades as long as we could.  The reason for this is that watermen are prohibited from placing crab pots within the 1 mile limit!

So we hugged the shore until we got to Cape Sable, and then struck out across the Florida Bay.  Once outside the protection of the Everglades Park, the crab pot floats were so thick you could almost walk across the bay on them!  It required constant vigilance.  If you let your attention wander for even a moment, the next thing you know you're bearing down on a float and have to make a sharp maneuver around it.  Especially the black ones, which are already practically invisible.

We have a prop on a strut, instead of snugly protected in a cutout on the keel. As a result, if we run over a float we WILL snag it, and I will have to go over the side to untangle it, something I NEVER want to have to do again!

So on we went, in our zig zaggy course, dodging pot after pot.  The water got calmer and calmer.  Finally, 7 mile bridge came into view on the horizon.

7 Mile Bridge in the Distance

A little word about 7 mile bridge.  Its part of the long chain of bridges that connect the Florida Keys from the mainland all the way down to Key West.  Originally built on the railroad trestle bridges (built in the early 1900s by Henry Flagler),  the 7-Mile span has been replaced by a modern highway bridge that has a 65 ft high clearance in the center to allow sailboats to get under it.  The old original railway trestles are still there, but two spans have been removed to allow access.  It's one of the few places in the Florida keys where a sailboat can get from the Gulf side to the Atlantic side without sailing all the way around Key West.

Our passage through it was pretty uneventful.  Looking down the space between the old and new spans reminded me of sailing under the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, as we have done many times at home.

The Old Trestle

Reminds Me of Back Home

Once under the bridge, we turned East and headed into Marathon.

Marathon Ho!

After following the entrance channel, and passing through the "Bridge to Nowhere" (a partially disassembled drawbridge), we entered Boot Key Harbor and called in to the City Marina to request a mooring ball.  Boot Key Harbor has been almost entirely packed with moorings,  leaving little space to anchor.  We were informed that we would be #24 on the waiting list!!

We located Pearl, and Joanie "jumped ship" onto their dinghy to go in and register us (you have to do it in person!) while I idled around the harbor looking for anchorages.  Once she came back, we anchored just outside the mooring field, close to Pearl.

Later that evening, we had Bruce & Gayleen over for sundowners and threw some steaks on the grill for dinner for us all.

Our First Sunset in Marathon

We plan to stay here in Marathon for a couple of weeks, while things warm up a bit.

Life is good.