Ft Myers to Marathon

OK...We've been in Marathon for a few weeks and it's been cool (60's) windy and rainy so I have no excuse for not posting sooner other than we've been working hard to make the best of it. Truth be told I probably would have put off posting longer if we hadn't run into a fellow boater and blogger today who reminded me how long it's been since my last post. You faithful followers deserve more...both of you.

After an enjoyable Christmas in Ft Myers we left on the 26th and ran out in the gulf down to Marco Island. There is some of the old ICW below Ft Myers but we would have to go out above Naples anyway so the gulf it was. Seas were less than 2 feet so it was a pretty easy run down. Things got pretty busy once we entered the pass into Marco but we got into Rose Marina without any real issues. Any of you that have been to Marco know it's a $$$ kind of town and not really our speed but it is a good jumping off point for the keys. We were there for 3 nights waiting for the wind to calm down (again), It would be a 2 day run to Marathon from Marco with an anchorage in the Everglades on the way.

One highlight while in Marco was a dinghy ride up the Marco River to the town of Goodland. Every Sunday in the winter Stans has a party that is off the charts!! If going by boat you have to get there early, heck the parking lot fills up early too. The party officially starts at 1:00 with the National Anthem but we were there before noon just to get a spot. We were lucky enough to get there a few years ago while Stan was still alive but they have carried on the party pretty well since his passing.

Stans on Sunday

We pulled out of Marco early on the 29th for a 60 mile day to Little Shark River in the southern Everglades. Once past Cape Romano just south of Marco we really started getting into the crabbing area. There were small Styrofoam floats everywhere along the route. Problem is they are connected by a poly line down to the crab trap that can foul your prop and bring things to a shuddering halt if you pick one up. The line of traps run for miles and not always in the direction we're headed. Some are painted dark colors that blend with the water and are hard to spot until you're on it. Luckily we were able to avoid getting one caught but it was a pretty stressful day.  The picture below was a rarity. Brightly colored floats and going in our direction. We have been eating crab since we've been here just to thumb our nose at them!

Once inside the boundaries of Everglades National Park there is no crabbing allowed so that provided a nice break. We puled into a nice cove at Little Shark River and were greeted by a lovely sunset and about a zillion stars once the sun went down.

Early the next morning we had the anchor up and were headed toward Marathon. We stayed in the park as long as we could but were back into the crab pots in about an hour. Luckily there were less once we got into the Keys National Sanctuary and we were into Faro Blanco by 1:30 and will be here for 2 months. 

 

This is a very nice marina and there are several other Loopers here with more on the way. We have been getting some boat projects done as well as exploring the area on our bikes. We've been down this way a bunch by car but it's amazing how many little dive bars we miss when going by at 50 mph. 

Starting end of the month and continuing through February we will be having friends and family visiting from up north, sure hope it warms up for them! We have had one visitor already who is always fun to see. I call him Bobby........

 

Even though it's been cool and rainy don't worry about us. We've been eating OK. Until next time....