In early December we drove to New Orleans to meet our friends Michelle & Joe as they travel the US in their RV. You may remember them from Joe's retirement cruise with us last year.
Soooo when you're in New Orleans around Christmas you never know who or what may join you on the streetcar. Make sure your volume is up for this one....
After the trip we came home to get the house ready for Christmas in true South West Florida style.
Also before Christmas we had the boat hauled for a bottom paint job and a few other projects at Owl Creek boatyard. (If you're thinking about having work done at Owl Creek get in touch with me first!)
One of the scariest days as a boat owner is seeing the boat move from the water to the yard...I've seen too many videos where it went wrong.
It's always nice to see a couple of fresh coats of paint on the bottom and running gear knowing we're good for another couple of years at least before we repeat the scary moment!
Mid January we were back in the water and at Legacy Harbour to provision the boat for another trip to the Keys. We had the house closed up and were back on the boat and underway on January 26 with the goal to be in Marathon in time for Jill's birthday on the 31st. The forecast was for a cool morning with a chance of rain but conditions were supposed to improve as the day went on....wrong again Mr. Weatherman!! As we turned east toward Everglades City we were faced with wind waves and rain from the north. Had to drive from below which makes the crab traps even harder to find!!
We spent the next few days at Everglades Isle RV park and marina. This is a really nice class A motor home resort and a good place to wait for the weather to improve.
Being a bit off season for Everglades City meant it was a quiet start to our trip which was just fine knowing what the Keys always have in store.
Tuesday morning we were up early and off at first light for the long run to Marathon. This time the weather guessers got it right with nothing more than 1' swells and plenty of sunshine all day.
It's a few miles down the river to get back to the gulf and it was calm with a slight mist on the water. Near the gulf we spotted a flock of American White Pelicans on a sandbar that really glowed in the early light. A wise boater once gave me some great advise that I always try to remember...."don't boat where the birds are standing"
On the entry to the Gulf we were greeted by a Dolphin who seemed to be pointing us the way south.
And before too long the sun was higher and the water began to take on that brilliant blue color we associate with the Keys. If you zoom in on the picture you may notice a few black dots, these are crab trap floats and the most difficult thing we had to deal with all day.
After a great day on the water we arrived in Marathon at Marlin Bay Yacht Club which is a newly opened marina and villa rental place we had heard good things about. Wow...we were not disappointed!! After being impressed by the RV resort in the Everglades this place really raised the bar as far as amenities. We're not usually "resort" people but treated ourselves to a relaxing pool day during our stay.
There is also a nice point you can walk out to and watch the sunsets which never gets old. In the picture below the lighthouse is at Faro Blanco where we've stayed in the past and several of our boating friends winter.
So with the goal of being in Marathon for Jill's birthday achieved we were able to bike to Burdines for her favorite birthday "dinner". The deep fried Key Lime Burrito and the french fry's with whatever that magic dust is they put on them...delicious!!
After a too short stay in Marathon we left on Sunday for Key West (Stock Island actually) to stay ahead of the weather. It was another smooth travel day and we arrived eager to begin our month stay and catch up with more boating friends as well as make some new ones. We'll save that for another installment...
