Blackfin Resort and Marina, Marathon, Florida, is an island paradise and a welcome slice of old Florida. Jim and I have been wintering at this marina since 2013. Because of its old Florida character and its relaxed atmosphere, we keep coming back. In our minds, when we leave Traverse City, Michigan, for Florida, after the holidays each year, we head to a warm, friendly place where our friends are also returning. We look forward to soaking up the sun and ending each day with beautiful daily sunsets over Florida Bay. Blackfin is not a high-end, fancy place, and that’s what we love most about it. The energy and friendliness of everyone, staff, and boaters are palpable. Many of the same boaters come back every winter, making it a home away from home for most of us.

From the perspective of being trailerable boaters, we find Blackfin satisfies all our winter, boating needs. We switched to a trailerable boat 13 years ago. One of our objectives was to lengthen our boating season and get more use out of our boats (we’ve had three trailerable boats since 2011), by towing them south, to escape Michigan’s harsh winters. At best, we might get only 4-5 months of boating in the Great Lakes.

For the first few years, as trailerable boaters,
we explored both coasts of Florida, especially the Gulf Coast.
It is a little less built up and we feel it has more natural areas to enjoy. So, after driving south, for 3-4 days, we typically would launch the boat in Tarpon Springs and spend a few weeks cruising down the Intracoastal Waterway. We would anchor or stay at little marinas along the way. It was fun to explore the little towns we could walk to, stroll the beaches, and talk with other boaters along the way. From Tarpon Springs, we would cruise down to Fort Myers, to our other favorite marina in Florida, Legacy Harbor Marina. We might stay there a few weeks, or a month before we continued on to the Florida Keys. Our route would take us around the Everglades in Florida Bay, or by crossing the state on the Caloosahatchee River. Either way, we would cruise south to the Keys. After a while, we switched that route around by launching in Marathon and cruising north, the same route but south to north, to Fort Myers. Our thinking is that it is a little warmer in the Keys, in January. So why not start there?

At the beginning of our Florida cruising, we stayed on Stock Island (one island up from Key West) at Key West Marina. We had docked there before, while doing the Great Loop, in our bigger boats. When dockage anywhere near Key West became almost prohibitive, we looked for other options and landed at Blackfin Resort & Marina. Key West is only an hour’s drive from Marathon. Since we towed the boat with our truck, we had transportation to drive down to Key West when desired. Occasionally, we’d cruise the boat down to Key West for a few days of fun.

The last few years we have spent most of our time between Fort Myers and Marathon, with shorter side trips, away from the marina, during those stays, and one to two weeks in between marinas to anchor our way to the next.

Since we tow our boat around the country, and it is only a 25-footer, we don’t have room to host visitors overnight. Another thing we like about Blackfin Resort and Marina is that it has a motel as well. We like to take advantage of the proximity of the motel to the marina when friends come to visit. They can rent a room, but hang out with us on the dock, join us for a day trip, on the boat, around the islands, or a drive to Key West, or the point where everyone gathers at night, to watch the sunset.

We like to be outside!
Blackfin encourages people to not only make their boat and dock their home but the surrounding area as well. All the boats have a picnic table at the end of the dock. Boaters encourage each other to top their nautical, beachy-themed outdoor decor. Competition is fierce! Socialization is key to a great marina stay. If Chris, the manager, does not make a special main dish for an occasional potluck, plenty of food, shared musical talents, fun, and conversations occur around our picnic tables. Plenty of walkable access to nearby grocery stores, a drug store, Home Depot, and many outstanding restaurants.

Blackfin’s boat ramp offers guests easy access to the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. Boat slips can accommodate vessels up to 40 feet. Slips are available on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. Electric (30 amp), water, wireless internet, and pump-out service included. Fishing, swimming, throwing cast nets, etc., are all allowed and encouraged on the lighthouse side of the beach area. Call for current rates and availability.

BLACKFIN RESORT AND MARINA
(305)-743-2393

As we left, in March, spring flowers were popping up all over the island resort.

Lots of dedicated places to grill and have a meal in the shade.

This fella (above) jumped into the pool while were there. In January, the iguanas are still used to roaming around the resort, but as it gets busy, they are hard to find.

Lighthouse Point (above and below). A relaxing spot to have happy hour, a meal, or to watch the sunset over Florida Bay.

There’s Kismet (above, on the right).

Blackfin is a small marina channel cut out of the coral the island is made of, when that was allowed many years ago.

The is the owner of the beautiful blue boat, Fishtales (above and below). We asked how many fish he caught that day. We ended up with several bags of freshly caught Spanish Mackerel and a lesson on how to easily clean and cut up fish. We don’t fish — so, it is a very interesting process for us.

Our family Scott and Denna came to visit us at Blackfin. They rented a room at the motel and we got to watch many sunsets together.

A typical evening at Blackfin Marina and Resort. Drinks, music, lots of food, and fun!

This year Kismet was joined by seven other trailerable trawlers. The photos (above and below) show three of them, our Ranger Tug, a C-Dory, and a Rosborough.

One of the many potlucks we enjoyed at the resort. The manager, Chris, and his wife, Ruthie, can sure cook up a storm.

Potlucks we attended included beef brisket, roasted pig, BBQ chicken and fish boil.

Chris is at it again, a fish boil this time.

Our friends, from Traverse City, Lisa, and Fred are staying on their sailboat at a nearby marina. They were headed to the Bahamas after we saw them.

Meals are often a group effort at Blackfin, shared onshore near our boats.

Manatees frequent the marina. We had many delightful encounters with these gentle giants.

We also had two Nimble Nomads with us at the marina. They each pulled their boats out by the ramp at the marina.

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A sunny day on Biscayne Bay for the crew of Kismet as we left Boca Chita. We cruised straight toward Miami, then veering to the east of the towering urban area. Our destination to anchor tonight was Lake Sylvia. After spending a month in the laid-back Florida Keys, Miami’s tall buildings stood off in the distance as a stark contrast to our adjusted, and now mellow, attitudes. Our two days on the island provided closure as we prepared to leave the Keys to transition back into city life.

We’ve anchored at Lake Sylvia before. It’s minutes from Fort Lauderdale where we had reservations for a long week with family arriving in a few days. We are not keen on arriving at a marina too late in the day. Not a good dollar value, so we’ll often anchor nearby, get up early and go the final mile or two to claim our slip. This way we get the biggest bang for our buck.

This is a good anchorage. Lots of space available without feeling crowded. We settled into our selected spot and spent the night observing the boater activity in the surrounding neighborhood. Dinghies moved to and from boats or onshore excursions, and construction on houses stopped. As dusk approached, we were treated to an amazing sunset over the rooftops and palms in the harbor.

Leaving Miami behind us we made our way to Lake Sylvia for a one-night stay at anchor.

This catamaran (above) had the most beautiful periwinkle blue hull!

Holy Moses, what a sunset that was!

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Within sight of Miami’s towering shoreline sits Boca Chita Key –

This breezy manicured isle is the northernmost island in the Florida Keys. Once a mangrove-covered island, it soon became a hot spot for affluent industrialists. Mark Honeywell created the current structures on the island in the early 1900s. Wealthy boaters frequented the boating paradise as a balmy retreat from the fast-growing city life of Miami and Miami Beach.

Boca Chita Key, now frequented by day boaters looking for a Bahama-style picnic retreat, can be a busy place. People may come by a small ferryboat, it shuttles people back and forth for family picnics on the island. Boca Chita became part of Biscayne National Park in the late-nineteen hundreds.

Don’t Go On the Weekends!

The island features a man-made concrete-walled harbor with the ability to host lots of boats around its circumference. We always try to avoid going to Boca Chita on Saturdays or Sundays due to the crazy activity. The weekend crowd differs substantially from the weekday visitors. They come to party hard on a typical weekend, it can be noisy with music blasting from boats. During the week, the harbor is empty and more of a pleasant stay for the crew of Kismet and other unhurried boaters. On a sunny day, you can see Miami across the bay and at night the lights twinkle far away beckoning us to partake and play.

The main feature of visiting Boca Chita is the ability to get off our boat and walk the trail around the island. We like to swim in the crystal clear water and relax on the clean white-sand beach. Boaters who visit here are friendly and relaxed, just as we feel we are when we visit. No room for stress here! Boca Chita is a gem for boaters transiting this area. If you haven’t been yet, put it on your “Go To” list.

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Key West is always a delight to visit. We cruised down, after our month-long visit to Marathon, for a two-night stay at Key West Bight Marina, in the heart of Key West’s harbor. Time to get some of our favorite almond paste croissants, visit with friends, take a walk in the morning for exercise, and again at night to see what was going on with the nightlife in Key West. After all that, time to hit our favorite happy hour spots. Our drill the two days we were in Key West Bight.

When we left here, we began our slow ascent north to Fort Lauderdale.

Our friend, Rick, came to visit and celebrate the new Kismet.

On one of our walks, we took notice of all the amazing artwork around downtown Key West.

Turtle Kralls and the massive dinghy dock is within easy reach of our slip.

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Call us Snowboaters or Boaterhomers – Using Our Boat On Land And Water! –

We’re certain you’ve heard of the term “Snow Birds.” Southern Boating just coined a new boating-related term for what the crew of Kismet has been doing for over seven years. “Snowboaters!” We also like to reference our over-land adventures by saying we are “Boaterhomers.”

Whatever the term you use to describe what we do regularly, as a lifestyle choice, it’s working for us in a big way. Using our trailerable boat as both a land vehicle and a water vessel provides us with some amazing flexibility in our adventures. Not only on water but on land too!

To read the article, click on the screenshot below…
OR CLICK HERE

To read more posts by Trailer Trawler Life on their adventures as Snowboaters/Boaterhomers,
CLICK HERE.

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The Boat Galley Provides Valuable Tips and Tricks for Boaters! –

Occasionally you’ll come across someone who will inspire you. A few years ago I started to follow The Boat Galley, a popular boating blog created by a talented woman, Carolyn Shearlock, a full-time cruiser. Being a fellow blogger, I can appreciate the valuable content she shares with boaters. The depth of her skills, as a writer and marketer with tech-savvy computer skills, is impressive. Carolyn is a popular force in the boating community. It’s easy to see why—she loves to learn and is eager to share that knowledge with other boaters. How she does this is brilliant with a simple, well-designed, user-friendly, blog.

Carolyn started by writing a cookbook and sharing tips for cooking on a boat. In the natural progression of things, The Boat Galley expanded to include more information on boating, living on-board, cruising, and gear.

“The Boat Galley can help you with tips, reviews, and how-tos for every step of boating. From deciding if cruising’s for you to chartering, buying a boat, outfitting it, moving and living aboard, cooking, getting underway, even maintaining and repairing your boat.”–The Boat Galley

https://theboatgalley.com

From reading articles on The Boat Galley, and being a subscriber to her newsletters, I read that Carolyn and her husband, Dave, spend a lot of time in Marathon, Florida. We are in Marathon, so I contacted her, hoping we could meet… blogger to blogger. My goal was to pick her brain about some aspects of blogging I did not have experience with. I found Carolyn so friendly and open to a meeting during our text messaging back and forth. I said to myself, “I should have done this sooner?”

We planned to meet at the Hurricane Bar & Grille, right next to the office at Blackfin Resort and Marina where we dock our boat. I found out that Carolyn is the real deal, a trailblazer for the boating community. She has spunk and a beautiful smile. Carolyn is more than willing to help anyone with anything–even more so if it relates to the subject of boating.

After lunch, I asked Carolyn to come down to the marina to see Kismet and meet Jim. I also wanted to surprise a friend, Tammi. She is living with her husband on their boat, Liberty, and doing the Great Loop–she follows The Boat Galley with regularity. Can’t tell you how many times over the winter Tammi referenced Carolyn’s blog as the source for some items she bought for her boat.

A big thanks to Carolyn for taking the time to sit and talk with me about blogging. I don’t get to do that often, almost NEVER!

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Blackfin Marina has a Laid-back, Friendly Atmosphere

If you had a doubt about how much fun cruisers enjoy while boating, let’s put that notion to rest. Spending a month at Blackfin Marina and Resort in Marathon (Florida Keys), provides many social activities. Kismet has migrated to this hot spot during winter while escaping the frigid cold of Northern Michigan. We come here to hang out with other boaters who share a love of the Keys.

Sometimes we tow our boat south to Marathon and put her in at the public boat launch on the Florida Bay side of the island. Or, we cruise from the west coast of Florida, typically from Fort Myers. We’ll go on the Okeechobee Waterway to the east coast, before pointing our bow south to the Keys.

“We’re chipping in to buy lobster, give us a twenty and bring a salad”

Once settled in our slip at Blackfin Marina and Resort, we step off the boat and social interactions are a given. “Hey, join us for ‘Happy Hour’ tonight” or “We’re chipping in to buy lobster, give us a twenty and bring a salad” or “Let’s hop in our truck and drive down to Key West for the afternoon.” AGLCA (America’s Great Loop Cruisers’ Association) and MTOA (Marine Trawler Owners’ Association) put on reunions in Marathon. During these events, we often get to reunite with boaters we’ve traveled with on our cruising adventures.

We’ve been going to Blackfin Marina for several years now. Interesting how we’ve become part of that community. Half of the boats in the marina call Blackfin home year-round. The other half are transients who come for a season or a month or two. Amazing how many people, from the year-rounders, the transients, and the Loopers we’ve met over the years, have settled into various marinas in the area. Ranger Tug owners are gaining a presence in the area as they often migrate to spots together. One marina over, Banana Bay, is another popular marina on the Florida Bay side of Marathon. Many Gold Loopers settle here after completing their “Loop.”

We look forward to our 2019 stay in Marathon. Every year brings another level of connectivity to the boating community we love. Whether it be the Ranger Tugs group, the Looper group, or the Blackfin group, it’s our people and always a fun time.

Our first get-together on the point was a “Bring Something to Grill and a Side Dish” affair.

Farmer’s Market (above) is within walking distance of Blackfin Marina and Resort.

This was one of those nights when some of the Ranger Tug owners invited everyone to share their catch from a fishing expedition the previous day. We gathered onshore in front of our boats, side dishes at the ready while the cooks fried up a huge batch of fish for consumption.

It’s Not a Vacation, It’s a Lifestyle!

Aside from the social opportunities, the support and help boaters share are abundant. We can’t speak for other cruisers, but it has been our experience, you can’t cruise and sit on the beach, day after day. It’s not a vacation, it’s a lifestyle! Some can, but many can’t. So, on Kismet at least, boat projects are in full swing most days in the marina. There’s always something to add, fix or improve on a boat. I know my Jim is that way, and so am I. We’ll enjoy a leisurely breakfast and then work before we hit the pool, exercise, or run errands. It’s amazing how busy we can be during the day just doing those things.

While on the boat, we live outside most of the time, at the least our doors and windows are open to the elements. We’ve even continued this practice at our home in Traverse City. Doors and windows wide open, sometimes the bugs fly in one door and out the other. Guess after all the boating we’ve done, over the years, it’s hard being closed in with stale air.

Our friends had a month-long 50th-anniversary celebration, this is only one of the cakes (above) they received.

Lobster night on the point with our Ranger Tug buddies was a feast and a lot of fun.

Every winter there is a Sunset Celebration for past and present Loopers, this year it was held at Banana Bay Marina.

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Zooming down the Overseas Highway, through the town of Marathon, you might be at a loss to understand the attraction some people feel toward this small, laid-back, community. Marathon sits on a group of 13 islands in the mid to lower half of the Florida Keys. Many of you have probably seen a movie or TV show depicting life in the Keys as lethargic, perhaps even a little unrefined. Things move at a slower pace here, Folks don’t get wound up about things so much. Life is simpler in the Keys – especially in Marathon.

Marathon has an “Old Florida” appeal.

The area isn’t new and shiny, it’s weathered and worn, more like something out of the late 1950s. This was especially true this year as most of the Keys were still recovering from Hurricane Irma. We enjoy a lifestyle that fits the easy-going reputation and attitude of the Keys.

Kismet arrived at Blackfin Marina and Resort by way of the Everglades and Florida Bay. Our goal is to try to stay for a month if possible. Lisa and I have visited Marathon about seven times during our boating endeavors. We have enjoyed docking at many of the local marinas in the area. We also stayed on a mooring ball at boot key harbor once or twice. This is our third stay at Blackfin Marina. Our crew fits in well with the friendly year-round boaters who call Blackfin their home. Blackfin, like many of the marinas here, also has rooms to rent, which is nice for boaters, like us, with small boats. We can have guests come to visit us and just rent a room at the marina. Marathon has become a home base for us when we cruise and winter in the southernmost location of the United States.

I was talking with Barry, the property manager, one afternoon and I asked him how his day was going. He replied, “Well, the day started off kinda slow and it tapered off from there.” If you like beautiful sunsets, funky music, casual outdoor bars, and the company of easygoing and friendly people, Marathon could be for you too.

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Here are some trailerable boats we saw while in Marathon this year. Friends, Leslie and Flint (above), on their boat Grace Full have been an inspiration to Jim and me since we cruised the Great Loop Boat trip, many years ago.

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Suffering from Incurable Keys Disease!

When trailering our boat to the Keys, we had the added benefit of having our truck nearby, making it easier to stay a distance from downtown Key West. As we’ve mentioned many times before, our favorite spot is Key West Harbour Marina, on Stock Island. The best of both worlds when visiting Key West. Keys Disease is kind of like a virus that once caught stays in your system forever. It shows up like clockwork as soon as we hit the string of islands south of Florida.

Taking the Conch Tour Train was a new experience for us. Although we have extensively walked the streets of Key West, we learned a lot about the history and downtown area during the tour.

Happy hour in Key West is one of our favorite things and NO, we did not visit the upper floor of the Garden of Eden.

Key West is well known for its nightly sunset celebration. This night the event was in full swing with the promise of a stunning sunset for the crowds amassed on Mallory Square. Before sunset, the street entertainers will capture your attention with stunning acrobatics or other fascinating shows.

We all come for the sunset because it is spectacular. A true Key West ritual.

One night we treated ourselves to a show at La Te Da, famous for its female impersonators. Great Show!

We met up with friends Rick, on Wishing Star, and Denise and Jeff downtown at the A&B Marina. Happy Hour on the boat and dinner on the beach later.

We are always happy to meet up with Ranger Tug friends, Dominic and Caroline (above), on Poppy. They brought their tug down to Key West to meet family, so we got to meet them for a Cuban lunch at El Siboney Restaurant.

I’m calling this a “barnacle truck.” (Above)

I am totally fascinated by these Shaving BrushTree flowers (Pseudobombax Ellipticum).

St Patrick’s Day was in full swing when we toured downtown one night near the end of our stay in Key West. All sorts of leprechauns and fairies wandering the streets of Key West.

Our new favorite Happy Hour bar and restaurant is 2 Cents. Free bacon is served while you roll the dice to determine the price you will pay for a drink (see photo above right).

Another great happy hour establishment is the fabulous Kelly’s Caribbean Bar and Grill. Great margaritas and wings.

One day we visited the Key West Art & Historical Society. We learned a lot about Ernest Hemingway and his time spent in the Keys.

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Staying at Key West Harbour Marina affords us the best of both worlds.

We’ve stayed at Stock Island several times before. We keep going back to Key West Harbour Marina because it just makes sense. We usually stay a month in the Key West area and the downtown marinas are too expensive to stay long. Not sure we’d appreciate the crazy activity of downtown Key West for more than a few days. Staying at Key West Harbour Marina affords us the best of both worlds. Because we trailer our boat to Florida, we have transportation while in the lower Keys. So, we enjoy the laid-back island lifestyle on beautiful Stock Island knowing we can drive the short distance into Key West any time we want to experience the attractions of that busy little tourist town.

But first, we have to leave Marathon. We’ll anchor out a few nights on our way to Stock Island. So, we went from the Florida Bay side of the Keys, under the old and new bridges that connect the Keys, to Hawks Channel side to get to our first anchorage, Newfound Harbour.

Our first night’s anchorage was at Newfound Harbor. A new spot for us.

Newfound Harbour, (above and below). The anchorage is in the lower keys between Big Pine, the Torch Keys, and Ramrod Key. The anchorage is fairly shallow – that’s not a problem in our tug. We did drag that night, but the anchorage is so wide open it was not a problem.

We arrived at Stock Island one day early on our reservation’s arrival day, so we decided to anchor just inside Boca Chica Channel, the cut between Stock Island and Boca Chica island. It was a little exposed to the east, but it was a fair weather day and it turned out to be a very delightful spot.

We left our anchorage late morning to go the short distance to Key West Harbour, our home for the next month.

The crews of Roam and Illusions joined us for an afternoon and evening of fun. After they brought our truck down from Marathon, we all hopped in and headed down to Key West. Starting at Hogfish Bar And Grill on Stock Island.

Our dock neighbor introduced us to his pet parrot who had a lot to say upon meeting us.

One of the perks of staying at Stock Island is that the Stock Island Lobster Co. is right next door, within walking distance. We couldn’t wait to pick up a spiny lobster for dinner.

We met up with the crew of Shady Lady and a few of their friends at Square Grouper, it was a halfway point between our respective marinas.

We heard about this party from other boaters in the marina. It is a monthly celebration of the full moon. Local bands provide music to listen or dance to. We heard a lot of different bands that night and felt like we were at a private party, in someone’s backyard.

We liked our spot at the marina. Quiet and close to shore for easy access to our truck and showers. Our month-long stay on Stock Island really brought on the full-blown effect of the famous condition known as “Keys Disease.”

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Ranger Tugs, C-Dorys, and Rosborough’s are everywhere!

The number of small trailerable boats on the east coast of the United States is growing. During the past ten years, while we’ve been extensively cruising the eastern waterways, we’ve seen this movement snowball. Ranger Tugs, C-Dorys, and Rosborough’s, and a few other, small live-aboard-type trailerable boats are everywhere. During our almost month-long stay in Marathon, we were surprised at how many “pocket trawlers” there were scattered at the marinas on the island. There is a certain amount of excitement among the boaters we’ve met recently and that of course translated into a casually organized cocktail party at Marathon Marina, where a few Ranger Tug owners were staying.

Watching the sunset on the other side of the dock before the party ended.

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We left our anchorage in Curry Hammock to face a fairly windy day cruising to Blackfin Resort Marina in Marathon.

This is our first stay at Blackfin Resort Marina. We walked through the marina when we were visiting the Keys before because we are always on the lookout for places to stay. It helps with future trip planning. Blackfin is a fairly rustic and laid-back establishment, but it’s big on delivering an authentic Keys experience. We had all the amenities we needed for our month-long stay. The marina is within walking distance of the local shopping area. We enjoyed a heated swimming pool, clean shower rooms, nice docks, and a beautiful outdoor boater’s lounge. We could relax there at the end of the day to watch the setting sun while mingling with the other boaters at the marina. The staff was friendly and very accommodating. We just felt like we were at home.

Jim changed the zincs today, so he had to go swimming.

The tiki hut (above) is what I call the boater’s lounge. It was windy and chilly most nights when we first got here, but we enjoyed a lot of beautiful sunsets from this spot.

Sometimes you have to get creative with storage space on a Ranger Tug. Jim decided one day that the bar was going to reside in the starboard side cockpit corner. Works for me! We saw lots of interesting things while staying in Marathon. The sun goddess wishing pond (above right) and the coconut cocktail holder (below left) are just a few.

Something important to know when visiting the Keys. The sign (above) says it all. Water comes a long way, from the mainland. So it’s good to be mindful of that fact when consuming water, especially when cleaning boats etc.

Not sure what this guy is collecting on his boat, it looked like a bag full of coral.

We had several delightful manatee encounters right by our boat. The water is so clear it was easy to see them below the surface. The woman, in the photo below, hurried over to our dock when she heard there was a thirsty manatee there. She seemed to know all about the creatures, but I was surprised that she grabbed our hose to give them a drink. We have always heard that it is illegal to give them fresh water. See this article about manatees.

Dave (below), on Will-C (above), is the consummate chef. Not only did he spend hours out on the bay fishing, but he knows how to cook. We were the happy recipients of that endeavor. Fish cakes are his specialty and he doesn’t mind sharing his recipes. Thanks, Dave!

When the winds finally calmed down, we decided it was time to do a loop around Marathon. First, we headed south to the new marina, Faro Bianco Resort, and Yacht Club, to see if some friends were there. We found them tied up there, but they begged off of a visit, they were both sick and were laying low, so we continued on. We cruised under the 7-mile bridge into Book Key Harbor for a quick tour around the marina. Then we went up Sisters Creek to take a tour of the many canals there. Next, we went out into Hawks Channel and proceeded north to Vaca Cut, which separates the island, to get back to the Florida Bay side of the island.

Near the end of our stay, good friends Mike and Jess, on Illusions, and Rich and Cheryll, on Roam, joined us at Blackfin for a few days. We enjoyed Dave’s fish cakes one night and the girls went shopping one day.

Dominic and Caroline, on Poppy, live in Marathon when they are not cruising on their Ranger Tug or in their native land of England. So, at the end of our time in Marathon, we were invited to their home for a delicious feast and conversation. Can’t wait to see Dominic and Caroline again.

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Research and Local Knowledge

As with most things in life, we find it comforting to return to places we’ve been before. Revisiting takes a lot of the guesswork out of the trip-planning process. This is especially true when traveling by boat. With that said, it can also be exciting, rewarding in fact, to try something new. I do a lot of research before we venture out on the road to launch the boat in a new territory.

Before heading out I check several mapping resources, such as Active Captain and Salty Southeast Cruisers’ Net. I then review the charting resources. These include Navionics and my Garmin GPS. My preferred method of research is by contacting locals in the area where we plan to cruise. We do this either ahead of time or as we are cruising. This most valuable resource is called “Local Knowledge.”

While we docked in Key Largo, I checked with several boaters native to the area. One was a good friend, and Eco Tour Guide, Captain Sterling Kennedy. We asked Sterling about good anchorages between Key Largo and Marathon and came away with several good ideas. After reviewing and comparing that information with my charts and other references, we settled on two. Wilson Key for our first night’s anchorage and Curry Hammock for the second night’s spot. I picked these two over others because they offered a natural setting with few, or no, houses. They also appeared to provide good wind and wave protection from almost all angles. We are happy to say, both anchorages met our needs and expectations. We can always judge our satisfaction level by how well we slept at night. We can say the research paid off – a good night’s sleep was had by all.

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Our first stop in the Keys this year was John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park. Time for another Keys Eco-Tours. This was a new stop for us and we’re glad we had the opportunity to check it out. We left Boca Chita while it was still quite windy, but manageable. When we got to where the waterway narrowed down a bit, we passed under the Jew Fish Creek Inlet and Bridge, in Key Largo, Florida, and passed the Anchorage Resort and Marina. We’ve stayed there in 2010 when we helped the new owner of our Fathom 40 take the boat north from Key West to Palm Coast.

Shortly after we emerged from Jew Fish Creek into Blackwater Sound we headed toward the man-made cut, Marvin D Adams Waterway (mile-market, 103.6), it would take us into Largo Sound and shortly after our destination, John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park. The “Cut,” created in the late 1950s and completed in 1961, was interesting because it is an exception to the many natural passageways available to boaters, it is a very narrow shortcut, and it reduces the distance by half, to the other side of the Keys. The man-made, one-and-a-half mile, the cut has 15-foot high vertical chiseled walls, and sports a 25-foot depth, is cut through solid coral. Many homes now line the waterway with boat access and patios cut out of the remaining wall.

John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, established in 1963 and adjacent to the Atlantic Ocean waters, is home to the first undersea park in the United States. Covering 70 nautical square miles, the park offers a unique Florida experience with mangrove swamps, seagrass beds, and tropical hammocks, but it is the coral reefs and the bountiful marine life that brings most visitors to this park. Many activities are offered and available for visitors including rentals of kayaks and canoes, also several tour boats, some with glass bottoms, are available for scuba diving or snorkeling. There also is a small marina and campground on the park grounds.

The park is named for the late John D. Pennekamp who teamed up with Dr. Gilbert L. Voss, to lead a fight together to protect the reefs from further damage. The Florida Keys and the Flower Garden Banks in the Gulf of Mexico off the Texas coast are the only living coral reef formations in the continental United States.

Shortly after we arrived at our assigned slip at the marina, we got a call from Ranger Tug owners Tom and Pam, on Evolve, (above) they were nearby and wanted to know if there was room at the marina for another boat if so they would call and make a reservation. It’s funny because their “new to them” tug was the first Ranger Tug we ever saw. At the time Laurie Ann was owned by John and Laurie Gray, who later became friends of ours after we bought our tug, in 2011, Kismet. It’s a small world!

We had to wait a few days for the wind in Largo Sound to subside a little so we could take our small dinghy out for a long tour around Key Largo. After transiting through South Sound Creek, we’d be exposed to the openness of the ocean so we had to pick the right day and we did. After a long trek through the mangrove swamps, we exited and quickly headed toward the protected canals where we had lunch at Sharkey’s Bar and Grill.

Look what we spotted just before we tied up for lunch at Sharkey’s, the boat (above and below) is the original African Queen from the 1950s movie of the same name, starring Katherine Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart. The iconic vessel is still afloat in Key Largo.

Just an idea of what the mangrove swamps look like at John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park.

Whenever we are in Key Largo, we have to look up our friend Captain Sterling, Everglades Eco-Tours. We met the captain while doing our second Great Loop boat trip, he was also the first person to buy our book on the Great Loop, When the Water Calls… We Follow.

Our first encounter was arranged ahead of time and when we were heading south through Key Largo, Captain Sterling met us at our boat which was anchored nearby Key Largo to take us for a tour through the mangrove swamp. This encounter, while staying at John Pennekamp’s marina, he and his partner, Jill met us in their pontoon boat and took us for an incredible cruise through the waters of Key Largo, including back through the “Cut,” with a stop at their new house on a nearby canal. It’s always fun to run into Captain Sterling and Jill.

We get to have our own personal Keys Eco-Tours with Captain Sterling and Jill.

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Boca Chita Key, an Island Paradise!

Kismet is on the wall at Boca Chita Key. Twelve miles south of Key Biscayne sits this beautiful Bahamian-type island. It is part of Biscayne National Park and consists of 32 acres of land, a beach, and a harbor. It includes a beautiful 65-ft. ornamental lighthouse that sports an observation deck overlooking the beautiful harbor, nearby islands, Key Biscayne Bay, the ocean, Miami, and Key Biscayne Island. Down below the lighthouse sits an old canon salvaged off a nearby shipwreck. There is a nice hiking trail and picnic facilities with several grills. There is a little campground, an open-air pavilion, and saltwater restroom facilities. This island always makes us think we are in the Bahamas. We left Key Biscayne Key and Miami in our wake as we headed south to one of our favorite Florida islands, just north of Elliot Key and the start of the Florida Keys.

Over the years we have learned to time our arrival to Boca Chita Key to fall on a weekday. Since boaters from Miami and southern Florida tend to fill up the harbor on the weekends, making it is almost impossible to find a space on the wall. If you are looking for a more subdued experience and less of a party atmosphere, you’ll want to schedule your trip to fall on a weekday.

The harbor entrance depth is approximately four feet at low tide, it leads into a large well lined by a cleated wall, but no other amenities like water or electricity are available. Sorry, but if you have a pet, it is not only not allowed on the island, but not even on your boat in the harbor. Oddly enough as we were preparing to leave some boaters were frantically searching for their cat who had jumped ship the night before and was still missing. Visitors must take all of their own trash out with them when they leave as there are no services in place for hauling trash off the island of Boca Chita Key. A boater, or camper, must register to stay overnight on the island and there is a small $20 fee. We encountered many mosquitoes this trip, making it hard, when the wind died down, to stay outside for very long at the end of the day.

The photo (above) was taken on a previous trip to Boca Chita Key. That day the Park Ranger was visiting and he let us into the lighthouse so that we could see the view and take photos. This time around, our Ranger Tug, Kismet, looks good on the wall of Boca Chita Key.

The native coral rock was used to build most of the structures on Boca Chita Key.

Looks to us like a couple of very old boat ramps (above and below).

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“Big Water” – Lake Okeechobee and the Rim Route

From our one-night stop in LaBelle, we proceeded toward Lake Okeechobee (or in Seminole Indian language, Big Water), we’ll be taking the rim route around the lake instead of going straight across this time. The Okeechobee Waterway, which includes the Caloosahatchee River and the St. Lucie River, boasts 134.3 nautical miles from west to east and is the 2nd largest freshwater lake in the United States. You can transit the lake by going straight across or by the more protected, though shallower, rim route that follows the southern edge of the lake. We’ve never done this path before and are looking forward to seeing something new. We’ll stop one night to anchor at South Bay Cove, a spot Jim found on Active Captain and heard other boaters talk about. It is located at the southern end of the lake.

It was a very thickly overcast day so we did not get very good photos but when we reached the anchorage we were treated to a smoldering, slowly setting sun that got more intense as the early evening wore on.

To see more photos of Lake Okeechobee (when we crossed it a few years ago), Favors Great Loop Blog.

We went through a few locks today, not busy we were the only boat every time.

The rim route to Lake Okeechobee is lined on one side by this rock bank. They have been working on this for some time.

We got creative tonight during happy hour and used this bottle of hot sauce we found in our cabinet to put on top of some hummus. That and a few taco chips almost made a meal! We got the bottle from Mark Coles, Boating Georgian Bay, last summer during the 2014 Ranger Tugs and Cutwater North Channel Rendezvous in Little Current, Ontario, Canada.

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Lots of interesting boats in Boot Key Harbor, mostly sailboats.

This is how we get our holding tank pumped out in Marathon. It’s as easy as one, two, three.

Tomorrow morning we’ll put Kismet on the trailer and head north out of the Keys to Homestead, Florida to camp out for a night or two before heading to Fort Lauderdale for a week-long visit.

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When leaving Key West by water, and heading east to Marathon, there are two Intracoastal Waterways (ICW) route choices. There is the unobstructed, direct route of Hawk Channel which runs parallel to the Keys and cuts into Florida Bay at Marathon. Hawk Channel is somewhat protected from the coral reefs that separate it from the Atlantic Ocean; this is the most popular route because you don’t need to worry about dodging shallow water.

We’ve taken Hawk Channel several times but have never taken the route less traveled, the Florida Bay ICW. One of the reasons the route north of the Keys to Marathon is not preferred is because of the shallower water depths. With a 2.5-foot draft on our Ranger Tug, we felt we’d have plenty of water below us. Besides we were up for a new adventure, and we wanted to take a route we’d never done before. Our objective was to slowly cruise the 30 miles to Marathon by anchoring out for a couple of nights enjoying one of Mother Nature’s many gifts.

For a short bit, were escorted by a school of dolphins who were playing tag around our boat in the white sand-bottomed crystal clear waters of the Keys.

Our first stop was an anchorage behind some mangrove islands in Jewfish Basin where we were serenaded by birds and saw plenty of rays. We took time to have a little lunch before we went to explore the surrounding islands by dinghy.

Breakfast on the back deck this morning (below)

On the second day out, we re-entered the ICW to head to Porpoise Key and our second night’s anchorage. Porpoise Key sits just off of Big Pine and No Name Keys, within seven miles of Marathon. So, I guess we averaged 10 miles a day for the three days it took us to get to Marathon, that’s the way we like to cruise, slow enough that we can absorb our surroundings – this time we enjoyed the crystal clear and shallow waters around the many scattered islands on the Florida Bay side of the Keys.

The Seven Mile Bridge provides a pass from the Florida Bay side to the Hawk Channel side. You can access Marathon by either side but this time we’ll be picking up a mooring ball in Boot Key Harbor, so we have to go under the bridge, turning to the east, to get there.

One of our favorite harbors to enter, this channel into Book Key is a boater’s visual delight.

We grabbed this mooring ball for a two-night stay in Marathon. We had some friends to meet and work to catch up on before we reclaim our truck and trailer (which Jim drove up here a week ago) and take our boat out of the water to head north.

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Time to move on, but we were a little sad to leave Key West Harbour and Stock Island. It was a great month, we met a lot of neat people, met up with some friends we hadn’t seen in awhile and had good weather. What more could anyone ask for?

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One last walk around Key West before we start heading north up the Keys, through Florida, and finally home to Michigan.

Key West is a visual delight…

We met Anne and Hank, Queen Anne’s Revenge, on our second Great Loop boat trip. We were happy to see them again and share lunch at Salute’s, on the beach.

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We can’t say enough good things about Key West Harbour, on Stock Island. Our second stay here, for the month of March, was ideal. Great slip right by the tiki hut on the outer rim, open-air showers under the hut, and a spot to enjoy happy hour under the other hut. Life is good.

We were happy to meet up with Brenda and Vern, on Trouble II, they were our neighbors at Key West Harbour in the winter of 2010.

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We left Key West Harbour early in the morning – with calmer waters and clear skies forecasted, we thought it was time for a little excursion to the Marquesas Keys. The Marquesas sit 18 nautical miles west of Key West and are uninhabited. Our thoughts were that it would be fun to anchor out and enjoy the serenity of these isolated Keys.

Although It was a pleasant enough cruise out, shortly after we had cruised halfway around the island and dropped anchor the wind kicked up. There really wasn’t an option to move to the lee side of the island because the water depth around the island is VERY shallow for a long way out, so even the lee side would have been a problem because we’d have to anchor far away from the shore where the wind had plenty of access to us. With no protection available to keep from rocking and rolling, we had to abort the mission, it would have been an ugly night.

We are just passing Key West here (above) heading towards the Flats and finally the Marquesas Keys.

On our way back from Marquesas Keys at the height of the day the water was a gorgeous turquoise and dark green in spots – with the deep blue skies and puffy white clouds, it almost seemed surreal.

We retreated to the flats area where we knew we could find shelter from the high winds and spent an enjoyable night anchored on the lee side of Barracouta Keys, in the Lakes Passage area. As you can see much calmer waters and a glowing sunset greeted us for a peaceful night at anchor.

In the morning we got up and headed toward downtown Key West.

The last part of the trip included a cruise past the southern part of Key West, the anchorages, cruise ships, and fishing boats.

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As you can see from the photo (below-left) we were not disappointed. Jim ordered creme brûlée and I got the signature dish, “Better than Sex.” They assured us both selections would live up to our expectations. Jim, of course, wanted to know if there was a money-back guarantee if the dessert did not live up to the name of the establishment.

We liked the games on the table. It kept us entertained as we waited for our desserts to arrive.

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Not only did the fishermen “bring home the shrimp,” but we also brought it home, to the boat that is. Freshly caught shrimp for dinner tonight, what could be nicer? Fresh seafood all within a mile of the marina. Fishbusterz usually has a full array of fish and shellfish available. The Lobster Company, closer to the marina, has more including stone crab claws, a new favorite of ours. This is just one of many reasons we love to stay on Stock Island.

The shrimp boats raft off each other in the basin behind Fishbusterz. We originally thought there were docks out there for the boats to tie up to but one day we visited when all the boats were out for the day getting their catch and we realized there are very few docks but that they all raft off of each other when they come back to port.

The Safe Harbor Marina next to Fishbusterz and the Hogfish Restaurant has a few houseboats in residence. Looks like a fun lifestyle.

No shortage of tropical folk art in the keys. These are just a few of the items that caught my eye today along with this old classic boat (below left) this unusually decorated car (below right), this small modern loft house (below left), and metal sculpture (below right)

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