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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