Merry Christmas

. . . FROM MARATHON!

We are south! Carina reached the Boot Key Harbor City Marina in Marathon a week ago and became part of the floating community of almost 200 boaters on mooring balls. Grocery stores are just a mile away, as is Kmart and – in the other direction – West Marine. The marina has a Tiki Hut gathering place, a "great room" for mail, WiFi, and TV, a lot of showers/laundry, a large work area for projects, and a daily VHF Cruisers' Net broadcast to unite everyone. What more could you ask for?!

We've already met new friends -- Walt and Pat -- on a Catalina 42 nearby. Life 

in Boot Key Harbor is what you make it: you can stay at the mooring all day 

or reach out to meet people and become involved with others.

But First, a Gauntlet of Crab Pots

Before we left Everglades City, Jeff and Anne at Outward Bound had warned us about the many crab pots south of Little Shark River. They didn’t exaggerate.

The resemblance of a crab pot to a time bomb must be deliberate. A catamaran coming into 

Boot Key Harbor had snared two crab pots on its way in. They luckily did not foul its props.

Crab pots are laid in lines, so that it's easy for the crab boat to check them. Think Deadliest Catch on a much, much smaller scale. Pictures sometimes don't show the scope of a situation; there are 16 crab pots shown here that we had to sail through.

A Construction Wonder

Turning toward the channel to Marathon, we traveled through what was left of the old bridge built in the early 1900s by oil tycoon Henry Flagler. Next to it is the new Seven-Mile Bridge that connects the middle Keys -- including the several islands that the town of Marathon covers -- with the lower Keys.

The old bridge on the left is now a long dock for fishermen. The new Seven-Mile Bridge

 is actually 6.7 miles long and hosts a “fun run” each April that 1,500 people

 usually participate in.

Here for Awhile

We expect to be at Marathon for a month or maybe two, enjoying everything the Keys and Boot Key Harbor have to offer. .  . meeting other sailors, shuttle bus trips to Key West, a visit to the Dolphin Research Center, a Christmas sing-along at the marina’s Tiki Hut, snorkeling, a New Year's Day Polar Bear Plunge (bring your own ice in a glass or a bag), and maybe some fishing, too. This area is a fisherman’s paradise.

Squirt and Kent approach the inside dinghy dock. Squirt's been trained on his green 

pad, but still needs to touch ground, smell things (other than us) and stretch his legs.

Merry Christmas to You All

Carina has a tiny tree and a few other decorations, and Christmas carols have been playing on the satellite radio, all to remind us that Christmas is coming. It's hard to remember because warm temperatures, palm trees and seagulls aren’t usually part of our Christmas.

Our family and friends are never far from our thoughts, especially now. We wish you and your loved ones a Merry Christmas filled with the true meaning of the season.