Feb 16, 2010 to March 23, 2010, Boot Key Harbor, Marathon, FL MM 1195

This posts begins with the trip's one-way southbound stats. In addition it contains photos of a boat fire, cruising with pets, charts & cruising guides, canvas work and fun.

Stats from Sunday 11/1/09, Solomons, MD to Monday 2/15/10, Dinner Key, Marathon, FL.

Total Days - 107
Total Distance traveled - 1,346 miles (combined nautical and statute miles)
Sailed - 58 miles...
Engine Hours - 240.9
Diesel used - 152 gal., cost - $ 454.45, average per gal $ 2.98, GPH .6
Honda generator - 47 hrs.
Travel nights:
Marina - 37, ave cost $ 48 night
Mooring - 24, ave cost $ 17 night
Anchor - 27, ave cost free
Free dockage - 18 (friends homes and no charge while boat being repaired)

Repeat of LOON arriving Dinner Key. See small houseboat behind LOON.

Again, see small houseboat behind LOON's bow.

Small houseboat at 0300 on 3/14/10. I awoke to loud voices and saw the boat on fire.
The harbor fire boat (a 15' inflatable) pumped water on the boat for 45 minutes. I guess for practice as it didn't make a difference.

Next day. Photo taken standing on the dock looking past LOON to the burnt hull. If the wind direction had changes 45-50 degrees the boat fire could have been on my stern. Also, if you recall from my last post, a 32' sportfish dragged its anchor into Dinner Key mooring field in a thunderstorm. I bring these two events to your attention to show just unsafe your boat really is. Not in a mooring field or a slip in a marina. Keep your insurance coverage. It IS the other guys that will get you.

All that remains. Update. TEN days laster the powers to be had not removed the burnt hull and it began leaking fuel. In Dinner Key they will hang you for shitting over the side, BUT will not removed a burned boat. And recycleing is a joke.

The joys of traveling with pets.

A few pictures of a pelican.

A pretty schooner in Dinner Key Harbor.

A very small boat with a young couple planning to sail the Bahamas.

Low tide. The small boat has a flat bottom... and doesn't drag anchor at least 1/2 the time.

Next are the charts and cruising guides I used. There are hundreds of guides, so pick the one your like. They all contain similar data, just say/present it differently. Remember double click to enlarge the photo.

Two Maptech ChartKit I used. West Marine around $125-$130 ea.

Flip chart by John and Leslie Kettelwell, 5th edition, $69.95 Used it every day!

Skipper Bob- a must have and economical. Skipper Bob's widow has contracted with Dozier's Waterway Guide to continue the publication. Used the "Anchorages" almost every day!

Dozier's Waterway Guides, $39.95 ea. I purchased at the Annapolis Boat Show and received a 20% or 25% discount.

While in Marathon I attended a nautical flea market. Gail, a cruiser, was showing her canvas work. Soooo I contracted for lee cloths for my book cases.

An outboard motor cover.

And an anchor bag for the dinghy.

Daysail on Biscayne Bay.

My cousin from Marathon. Some days are just better than others!

Sharing the anchorage with a 120 foot yacht. West of Key Biscayne near MM 1095.

A hard rain in the Dinner Key mooring field.

Rain washed the salt away. That's it for now.

The next and final post will be from Marathon and is entitled FRIENDS.

Feb 4, 2010, to Feb 15, 2010. No Name Harbor MM 1095 Via Hawk Channel to Marathon, Boot Key Harbor MM 1195

This post begins with a goodbye to two friends, includes my 10 day stay, on a mooring, at Dinner Key Marina in Coconut Grove, FL, and ends with the two day, 113 sm, trip down Hawk Channel to Boot Key Harbor in Marathon.





........ WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

On final shot of Ben, Jemma and Marc. Marc and I taveled (ICW term- buddy boat) from Savannah, MM 585, to Coconut Grove, MM 1095, or 510 sm. Jemma joined us from Vero Beach to Ft Lauderdale, 120 sm of the 510. We had a great time so I'll close with an update.


Jemma Packett is traveling southern GA and FL in an RV before retruning to Brighton, Enland. She is a unique photographer. See www.realstreets.info/cityrunning


Marc Pilon is in the Bahamas. In the past 30 yrs Marc created and sold three companies and still found time to cruise fulltime for 15 years. He is remarkable.

Ben arrived Marathon 2/15 and will retrun to the Chesapeake mid June.




A final photo of Marc and Ma Muse, his Bristol Channel Cutter 28, as he motored to an anchorage in order to get an early start crossing the stream to the Bahamas.

Photo from Marc. Cut between Bimini and South Bimini he crossed. I have not seen water like this in the Keys.

Photo from Marc. Bimini Bay Resort and Marina. Quote from Marc' email "this is one of the marina's pools, the other one is heated, no kidding. $1.20 per ft, per wk. I will be here one week!"

Damn, wished I'd have gone...



Back to reality and the Keys.

Leaving No Name Harbor, Key Biscayne in route to Dinner Key Marina, only five sm to the West.

MM 1095. Crossing Biscayne Bay, looking North at Miami.

From mooring in Dinner Key Marina. Photo of US Customs and Border Protection boat.

Another photo. If you double click and enlarge, you can see the Four, 225 hp engines.

Friday 2/12/10, from LOON in Dinner Key Marina mooring field. My log reads:

1835 strong wind hit from approximatel 200 degrees +/-.

1900 saw a 32' sport fish (later identified as Hardball) dragging anchor across the south channel west of mooring #41 (LOON is on #41)

1915 noticed James (assistand Marina Mgr) on scene in marina water taxi (24' flat bottom, center console with twin 75hp). James tied water taxi to dragging sport fish and stopped it from hitting a sailboat on a mooring. That boat was only one mooring from LOON. A slight wind shift and it would have hit LOON.

I guessed the wind to be 40, the rain stung my face. Next morning talk around the marina estimated winds from 40 to 60 kts, who knows, but for 15-20 minutes it was ugly.

Photo shows running lights on marina water taxi. When James arrived winds were 20-25 with rain.

Lesson: Just because you are in a mooring field, you are not safe. Especially, when there are "anchored" boats to windward.

Friends, Dave and Britta from England climbing aboard their Tayana 37 and James, red windbreaker in water taxi. Typical cruisers' day. Jumping from the taxi after shopping- see all of the bags on the sidedeck.

A little local history. Stilt houses (total of seven) in Biscayne Bay just west of Key Biscayne. They are abandon and I think owned by state or federal government.

Another shot.

MM 1095. 2/14/10, 0650, after dropping my mooring in Dinner Key I motored sailed across Biscayne Bay, through Cape FL Channel into Hawk Channel. Hawk Channel runs between the Keys and Florida Reef. (Per cruising guide FL Reef is really a series of reefs streaching the length of the Keys between the Atlantic and the Keys.) My log shows I sailed for three hours. The next few photos show the pretty waters of Hawk Channel.

Clean water at last.

On autohelm, as it should be...

Hawk Channel is a little like the Chesapeake. It is shallow and has some, but not anywhere as many crab pots as the Chesapeake.

Another large motor yacht heading from Key West to Miami or Lauderdale.

Molasses Reef Light off Rodriguez Key. You will see many of these lights marking the individual reefs of Florida Reef to the east of Hawk Channel.

Same light.

Mororing.

Sailing.

MM 1175. From Hawk Channel, looking NW, at Long Key Viaduct. Approximately 2 miles long.

MM 1195. Looking, from Hawk Channel, almost due North at the entrance to Boot Key Harbor (BKH).

Still approaching Boot Key Harbor (BKH) entrance. Lazy Days Rest. (low building to left of center).

Frist building on left is Pancho's Fuel Dock. The second build, with the straw roof, is Burdines Waterfront Marina and Rest. Burdines has one of the best harbor views, from its second deck, and the best french fries ($5 a basket) in Marathon. More about my weight gain in final post.

Winding my way through anchored boats in the harbor. In addition to the anchored boats, the City of Marathon has approximatley 250 moorings--everyone you talk to gives a different number.

Part of the BKH mooring field.

Boot Key Bascule Bridge. Around 2009 it was permantely opened.

BKH mooring field.

LOON approaching Sombrero Dockside Marina. (On my cell phone talking with the dockmaster, re slip assignment. Because VHF traffic on the ICW is very heavy-nonstop chatter, I found it much eaisier to talk with marinas on the cell.) Have one month reservation beginning 2/15. Monthly rate $19.50 ft plus electric, PLUS 7% tax.

LOON approaching slip B4. What does the photo tell you about this particular docking?

Ans., NO wind. For the singlehander, approaching a new slip, no wind or current is a gift.

Brain dead... Just docked in a new slip following 113 sm in two days. Thinking are the docklines, electric cord, fenders etc. ok?

Good friends Walt and Mary stop by to celebrates LOON's arrival. 123 days and 1/1330 miles.

1/ I did not differentiate between nautical and statute miles.

Next post. More photos of Boot Key Harbor, friends and trip statistics. Also 30 days in a slip and restaurants with resulting weight gain.