Log 102; Day 279; Feb. 24, 2009; Marathon, FL.

While we were cleaning the boat yesterday, this manatee came to drink the fresh water

She hung around the boat for a long time

This is the outside of Frosty's at Marathon Marina

This is the dockway at Sombrero Marina and Dockside lounge...about 5 minutes from our boat

At Sombrero Marina, this is one of the floating houses that they have in their slips

Again this is Sombrero Marina, and how some of the permanent slip holders have fixed up the dock.

This is the inside of Dockside Lounge at the pig roast and some of the new friends we made that day...all boaters from different parts of the US.

Log 102
Day 279
Tuesday, February 24, 2009

6:30 AM EST
Location: Sombrero Resort and Marina, Marathon, FL.
Weather: 64 with NE winds about 15 mph...the forecast is for 74 and and a little windy today.

Sunday...my plan was to go out to the 7 mile bridge and go fishing...and that’s exactly what I did. The forecast called for light NE winds and that made it possible for me to go out (in the dinghy) further than I would normally go. On the way out of the harbor, I stopped at Burdines to get 2 dozen live shrimp, and everything was going great, until I realized I forgot my life jacket. I was not worried about needing it to survive (maybe I should have been?) but I was worried about being pulled over and having to pay a fine. I made a decision I was too far out to turn around and go 30 minutes back to the boat to get the life jacket, and it turned out to not be a problem, but without the jacket, I decided not to go all the way to where they say the big fish run through. What I did was look at my chart plotter for a spot I thought the fish would gather to feed. It turned out to be a good decision because as soon as I dropped anchor, and put my lines in the water I started catching fish. Nothing huge...but lots of fun. Things were so active, that I had to only fish with one pole, because I could not keep up fishing with 2. Great problem to have, but then all of a sudden they stopped biting. It was like someone flipped a switch. What I figured out was that the tide has stopped flowing (it was flowing from the Atlantic side of the bridge to the Gulf side) and the fish must have stopped feeding. I moved the boat, and tried a couple other spots...no luck. Finally it seemed like the tide was changing, and it was flowing back from the Gulf to the Atlantic, so I moved the boat to the Gulf side of the bridge and dropped an anchor so that the boat would drift almost under the bridge. I put out one pole, and just got the other one in the water, when something hit the line and took off like crazy. It was so strong, I thought I had a shark (it turned out to be a big Jack Cravelle). I kept increasing the drag on the pole, until I had it cranked all the way, and the fish still could take out the line when he wanted to. Finally after about 15 minutes of hard work I got the fish to the boat, but it would not fit in my net (my net was too small), so more chaos, and then I decided to just get the head in, and lay the fish on side of the boat, so I could see about getting the hook out and releasing it...which is exactly what I did. I was exhausted...but laughing out loud. During the time I was fighting the fish, 3 different couples (who were walking by) had stopped on the bridge to watch me, and when I finally got it in the boat, they all gave me a round of applause. Funny. All in all...I caught about 12 fish, and had a great morning.

Back at the boat, Deb and I decided to walk down to Dockside Lounge. They have a pig roast the last Sunday of each month, and they say it’s a big deal. We didn’t try the pork, but it was very crowded, and we met some great people, who (like us) were cruising on their boats. Again...they come from everywhere imaginable...and all have a different story of where they came from...and where they are headed. This area is like a migration point for lots of boats...especially sail boats. People come from all over the world to this harbor, and many of them have done it for years. There is a draw bridge that must open (if you are over 25 feet high) to get in the harbor, and the bridge master always asks the boats where their home port is...or where they are headed...depending on if they are entering or leaving the harbor. I monitor this channel most of the day (especially in the morning) and it is amazing to hear where some of these boats are from (one came in from Germany yesterday) and where they are going (a group got together yesterday to plan their trip to Honduras). Very cool. Back at the boat, I spent the rest of the evening watching the NASCAR race from California (that was our/my movie) and for dinner we had steak on the grill.

Monday...with the weekend over it was back to work, so Deb and I cleaned the outside of the boat. It has been a while since I got up on top of the hard top and did a thorough job of cleaning, so I did that, and then kept on working my way down the boat. It was a nice day, and felt good to be cleaning the boat (check out the picture of the manatee who was all around the boat while we were cleaning it). Before we leave Marathon I have several things on my boat to do list...one of them is waxing the hard top again. Not my favorite thing to do...but certainly necessary to keep the boat in tip top shape. In the afternoon I worked on a couple of little projects, while Deb rode here bike to the store. When she came back I was reading a book (something I have not done, in the afternoon, since we got on the boat) and I actually think she was worried about me, because she kept trying to think of something we could do. So we dropped the dinghy in the water and took a late afternoon cruise...ending up stopping at Dockside lounge for a happy hour margarita. Back at the boat, we had chicken enchiladas for dinner, and no movie. Both of us just read for a while, before calling it a day.

Today...a few more boat chores...I think I will wax the bonnet on the boat, and Deb mentioned doing some laundry today. Our friends, Jerry and Lynn on Sea La Vie, (who we were parked next to in Key West) will be coming to the marina today, and parking next to us for a couple of days, so that will be great to see them again. On Thursday, Deb and I will be renting a car and driving to 250 miles to Cape Coral, to spend a few days with Les and Annie, and Darrell and Donna. It will be a lot of fun to spend time with them, and also have the use of a car for a few days.

I may not do a log until we get back next week, but I’ll keep you posted.

Bob

Log 101; Day 277; Feb. 22, 2009; Marathon, FL.

This is Dockside Lounge...just down from where our boat is parked

Here is a shot from insie of Dockside Lounge...great spot, but not much personality for a place like this.

This is Frosty's...where we had lunch on Saturday. The view behind us is looking due west. The 7 mile bridge is just to the right and behind the island you see.

BK heading out to fish

This is the 7 mile bridge where I'm heading out to fish this morning.

Log 101
Day 277
Sunday, February 22, 2009

7:30 AM EST
Location: Sombrero Resort and Marina, Marathon, FL.
Weather: 66 with light NE winds...heading for 76 today.

Here’s what’s been happening the last few days.

Thursday...another beautiful day. Light winds and bright sun. Because it was so nice I decided to jump on the bike and ride to West Marine...which I assumed to be a 2 to 3 mile ride. Turns out I was right, but the ride did not seem so bad. It was one of the worst kept West Marines I have seen. Just the opposite of Key West’s store, which was immaculate. I have been looking at the cost of batteries for the boat. Since the boat was new I have only replaced the 2 house batteries, and I have been going back and forth on whether to replace the other ones (5 more), so we don’t have a problem. On one hand, there is no better time to do it, then when I have the time, and we are in a place where they are readily accessible. On the other...they are expensive, and at this point everything is running great, so why replace them? So far I have done a lot of thinking, and looking, but no buying.

After a long ride, and then back at the boat, Deb and I decided to walk down to the marina just south of us (Sombrero Marina) and try to have lunch again at Dockside. You may remember we tried to do this, on the dinghy, a few days ago, but ended up walking out. Well this time I said we would eat what ever they have, and then give it a rating. Turns out it was great. Deb had fish fingers...I had a hot dog with fries...excellent. As much as we love dockside type restaurants...this one still has not sold us. It really has no atmosphere. Deb said “it’s like eating in a tent”...and she’s right.

Back at the boat, I jumped on the bike and headed to home depot to get something for a project I was working on, and Deb jumped on her bike to do some exploring. On the way back from home depot, I stopped in where they were working on the dinghy, to see how things were going. The mechanic was just getting ready to fire up the engine and set the carburetors (it has 3 of them). He attached a vacuum gauge to each one, to set them exactly perfect, and it ran great. It turned out that I had two issues. First of all there was a lot of dirt in the carburetors, so he cleaned them, and secondly they were not adjusted just right. So after 4 hours of labor (at $110 each) it now runs just fine again. So, I took my folding bike and put in the front of the dinghy, they put it in the water, and I headed back to the boat. While doing so I called Deb to see if she wanted to take a dinghy ride to test it out...I knew she would...so we took a couple hour ride, and ended up finding a great margarita and pina colata at Frosty’s at Marathon Marina...we’ll be back there. Back at the boat Deb made a great salad for dinner, and we watch 2 episodes of American Idol for the movie. Another great day.

Friday...bright and sunny, but windy. In the morning Deb read for a while and then cleaned the inside of the boat. I took the dinghy and went out to Burdines and got 2 dozen live shrimp, and a shrimp bucket (to keep them alive) and went back in sister creek to go fishing. I left about 8:30, so I told Deb I’d be back for lunch, but I was enjoying myself so much I didn’t make it back to the boat until almost 1, and if I had packed a lunch I certainly would have stayed longer. Using the live shrimp the fishing certainly was better. Way back in the coves I was getting a lot of bites, but could not hook up on anything. I was watching several big fish sort of “roll over” on the surface, so I knew the big ones were there. But after an hour or so of small bites I went further out of the cove and set the anchor to try again. This time I put a shrimp on one line, and put a jig on another and started casting across the water. 2nd cast I had a huge hit, and it took at least 5 minutes (seemed like 20) to bring in a big fish (I think it was a Jack Cravelle). It was a great fighter, and I was laughing the entire time. I also caught a couple of snapper on the live shrimp. Very cool. In the afternoon, Deb took the bike to the store (she loves that she can load up the basket) and I worked on a project to install new water filters, and a better “set up” for arranging the filters on the dock. Dinner was egg rolls and fried rice...the movie was a recorded episode of Lie to Me, and Trust Me.

Saturday...the days are getting longer...sunrise is now 6:54 and sunset is almost 7. Deb and I decided to take a dinghy ride and find some lunch, but before that I went fishing for an hour...caught a couple of snapper. It was a little windy, but the dingy ride was dry, and we headed all the way out of Boot Key to Frosty’s, which is located at Marathon Marina. The menu says “the best cheeseburgers in the Key’s”...not as far as we were concerned. Good flavor, but way over cooked. Maybe the chef was having a bad day? After lunch, we kept going west out of the harbor towards the 7 mile bridge. I wanted to see what a wind like we were having would do to the waves, so I would have a reference for fishing. It was great going out...but coming back we had to go very slow to keep from getting wet. I’ll keep that in mind when I head out next time. From the entrance of the harbor to our boat is about a 30 minute dinghy ride...and we enjoyed every minute of it...getting back about 2 pm. Deb had planned to do some laundry, but saw her book sitting there (she’s reading Chesapeake) and decided that would be a better way to spend the afternoon. I watched some of the NASCAR racing from California, and did a lot of nothing. For dinner we had beef spare ribs that Deb had been cooking in the crock pot all day (awesome) and we actually watched a real movie. It was Bee Season with Richard Gere...Deb found the DVD in the bargain bin for $4...if you haven’t seen it...you’re better off.

Today...Sunday...after I finish this log, and have some breakfast, I’m heading out to the 7 mile bridge (about a 40 minute run in the dinghy) and try to catch some fish. They say that is were the big fish are...as they wait for the tides to come through from the Gulf of Mexico to the Atlantic Ocean...and back. We’ll see.

I’ll keep you posted.

Bob