Hanging around in Boot Key Harbor

Wednesday 18th February
Rented a car for a week using our ever increasing Aeroplan Points.

Thursday 19th February
Took a drive down to Key West and met up with Bill and Jo from Buckaroo who are on a mooring there and they gave us a tour of Key West, a place they know very well. We ate lunch at a great place call BO's and walked the famous Duval Street.

Before going home we had to visit the most southerly point in the US.

Friday 20th February
We got a surprise when we found Buddy had tape worms which he's got from the fleas he also had. This isn't Canada! Without an anti-flea stuff dogs here WILL get fleas. So we had a visit to the vet and Buddy got a shot which laid him pretty low for a day.

We did some shopping and then rounded out the afternoon at local restaurant and bar for happy hour with Doug and Cindy of St. Catherine's Ontario, on Never Say Maybe.

Saturday 21st February
Drove up to Islamorada with Doug and Cindy to visit the giant nautical fleamarket where we bought more stuff including this wacky pair of (knockoff) Crocks that you'd only get down here we're sure.
Sunday 22nd February
Took a drive down to Bahia Honda Key and the state park there. Quite a busy place and I intended to go snorkelling even going so far as to buy a 'diver down' flag (the law here) but settled for a swim.

Monday 23rd February
Making the most of our car rental we went in search of Key Deer on Big Pine Key which is the only place the severely diminished and protected population lives. They're a sub-species of white tailed deer but a very much smaller and really Bambi cute.

They're not in the least bit afraid of humans which is their downfall, 12 have been killed on the roads this year already. It's illegal to feed them but humans being humans, of course they get fed.

For supper, Doug and Cindy invited us to the local Moose Lodge (Doug's a member) for cheap booze and a shrimp jambalaya.

Tuesday 24th February
Our last full day for the car so we head off to see Coco Plum Beach but it's too crowded to even park.

The day before we'd missed the Blue Hole on Big Pine Key so we headed off there to possibly see turtles and aligators. Well we did see this fella who's about six feet long and look like he wouldn't hurt a fly. Again they should not be fed but he was clearly expecting a handout.


Again we went out for supper. This time just two boats away on Three Penny Opera where we had a pot-luck supper with Addison and Pat whose boat it is, Mike and Georgie from Alcyone and Milan from Adena.

A good time was had by all.

Miami to Marathon

Thursday 12th February
Finally we left the Miami area and headed down Biscayne Bay for the lower keys. On the way we passed the 'historic' Stiltsville of which there are only seven buildings left poking up above the water. Hurricane's have taken their toll over the years and now there are jurisdictional problems. Unfortunately we didn't pass that close and so they're a little hard to see.


That's an airship up in the sky, that seems be fly round the Miami area every day.

We chose to travel the ICW route down the keys which means we traveled the western/north western side of the upper keys. Many boats cannot do this because of their draft but at 4'2", Incognita is acceptable for this route.

After Biscayne Bay we travelled through various sounds, connected by 'cuts' through mangrove islands and anchored in the south east of Barnes sound, off Key Largo.

Friday 13th February
We were up early and soon on our way through some very pretty areas with tiny islands everywhere, to anchor close to shore in Islamorada. We had three dolphins chasing our bow at one time but before I could take a picture they veered off. It was quite shallow water and we found it disconcerting to be motoring along at full speed in less than 6' of water.

Saturday 14th February
An early start again as we do the last leg to Marathon, our immediate destination. We had a little crab pot problem on the way. Here in Florida they seem to put crab pots everywhere, right in the channels, anywhere they please, so you are constantly taking evasive action. We were heading thorugh the channel that took us to the Hawk channel on the Atlantic side of the keys when suddenly the boat was going half speed, yet the engine was doing the same rpm. I soon found that we appeared to have a line wrapped round our rudder heading off behind us. After having cut it, we carried on as normal but the steering wasn't quite right. Turns out we had these babies on either side of the rudder - how could that happen? Especially as we didn't go anywhere near any visible crab pots.


After a bumpy ride down the Hawk channel on the Atlantic side we arrived in Boot Key Harbor (Marathon) where we were very lucky to pick up the last available mooring that day.

Boot Key Harbor has over 200 moorings and probably another 100 anchored boats - it's quite the place for cruisers.


This is the dinghy dock area - it's tough to find a spot sometimes.


Sunday 15th February
We have booked in for a month so we don't have to worry about going anywhere on the water for a while but we intend to rent a car with our Aeroplan miles so we can visit places like Key West which is not far away. But this place has got all a cruiser needs inclduing the ability to dinghy right up to West Marine and also the ever popular Publix which we did to replenish provisions.

Monday 15th February
After a lazy day doing not much of anything we took a trip out to the ocean side in the dinghy and took a walk down the dog-friendly beach there.


Tuesday 16th February
After filling a propane tank from the travelling propane truck; a social event that took about an hour, we headed for lunch with a couple we met back in Belhaven, North Carolina, Mike and Georgie on Alcyone plus Pat on Three Penny Opera and Milan single-handing Adina.

Oh yes, this big fella also joined us for lunch.


By the time we got back to the boat the day's almost over - hey ho!

Wednesday 28th January
Took a walk into Key Biscayne Village via the beach. Since the tide was out it didn’t look too impressive all strewn with seaweed.

Thursday 29th January
Started cleaning the waterline of the boat which was beginning to look rather grungy where things were growing on the bit above the ant-fouling paint. Managed to do once side, tomorrow’s another day.

Friday 30th January
Finished the other side of the boat which had actual barnacles growing – better do this more often. Then I took the dinghy to the beach and flipped it over. Wow! Major barnacles on that.

Way back on Catskill Creek in Hop-Nose-Marina we Roger and Danielle from Ottawa (Barrhaven actually) aboard their catamaran ‘Chocobo’. We’d been following their blog (see left panel of this blog for a link to this and several other blogs of people we’ve met along the way) and we finally met up with them again in Crandon Park where we got invited aboard for bouillabaisse – Danielle style.

Chocobo is a 40’ Manta – wish we had half the space you get on these things.

Saturday 31st January
Had a little excitement as we sat waiting for the bus to take us into Key Biscayne. A car on the other side of the divided highway came skidding across the reservation towards us, carried on straight a bit and then flipped on its roof.

Once nice thing about Crandon Park that compensates somewhat for the current lack of facilities, is the fishing charter boats that sell fresh fish on the dock. As they fillet the fish right there on the dock they throw bits away which attracts a bevy of pelicans, plus this night heron which never seemed to leave.

Sunday 1st February
Carol came down with a cold and I headed off to the pharmacy for medication.

Monday 2nd February
Cold fronts are on the way and Carol is sick anyway, so we aren’t going anyway.

Tuesday 3rd February
The temperature drops precipitously and it’s only 8 degC in the cabin in the morning.

Wednesday 4th February
A trip to the library for consistent Internet.

Thursday 5th February
Took a trip into Miami to go to Home Depot and West Marine via bus and the metro railway system which travels high in the sky. The little train you see here is a free monorail that just circles downtown.

Friday 6th February
We decided to leave Crandon Park and return to Sunset Lake where we first stayed in the Miami area where the anchoring is free and there is easy access to laundry facilities which by now we are in dire need of.

Saturday 7th February
Had a day at the laundromat.

Sunday 8th February
A day working on the boat diagnosing and fixing a problem with an engine mounting bolt that had worked itself loose.

Monday 9th February
Another trip into South Beach for boat bits and some provisioning at Publix.
When we left Crandon Park we told other boaters about what a great place Sunset Lake is and we were followed here by Chocobo and John and Debbie aboard Aqua Vita who invited us over to their boat for ‘happy hour’. It was quite a party of Canadians with Jeff from Sounds of Silence and Doug and Cindy from Never Say Maybe.

Tuesday 10th February
Chocobo left for Pumpkin Key ready for the trip across to the Bahamas on the first part of their planned four year around-the-world trip.

We decided to try and visit the beach by going up the canal here across the island. We ended up just a block away from the beach and headed over for a peek. Like most Florida beaches, dogs a are not permitted, so we each had a turn holding Buddy while we took a look.


Miami Beach has been ph0otographed many many times, but we had to add to the collection.
Wednesday 11th February
The houses that line the shore here looked quite big from the water but from the road side they are even more impressive. This is the biggest finished one. Unfortunately I couldn't get it all on without a wide-angle lens.


The guy who owns it, as you might imagine, turns out to be the biggest unmentionable (in a family blog), playing loud rap music from his docked boat all day and late into the night and shining a floodlight on boats that anchor in front of his palace.

This place impressed us as the one with the best foliage in the driveway.


But right next to our anchoring they are just finishing this place that will take the prize. This is the water side view

And this is the side view.

Today is our last day in Miami Beach for tomorrow we head south for the lower keys.