Day 51 - Marathon - A Dinghy Adventure around Boot Key

The morning began cloudy and cooler than it had been, so we did laundry and worked on the blog before launching the dinghy for the first time on the trip.  The sun broke through around 10:30 a.m. and we pushed off at noon.  We took a channel to the Marathon City Marina where tons of boats, mostly sailboats, were moored.  The homes and few hotels on this bay are smaller and more modest than what we saw on the west coast of Florida. 

As we moved through another channel to the Atlantic however, the difference in the houses was striking – much larger, some with huge boats tied up in front.  This dichotomy is characteristic of the Keys, where there is a mix of old and new, trailer parks and estates, tiny California style motels and mid-rise Marriott hotels.

 

 

According to Captain Randy’s calculations, the water near shore on the Atlantic would be close to flat and he thought we would be fine taking the dinghy out for the short ride back to the marina, rather than retracing our route back.  So out we went, with the scenic Sombrero Beach and a tiny island to our port.  The water started out fine, but was quite shallow and we noticed a man out of his small craft pushing and pulling it off a sand bar.  To avoid a similar fate, Captain Randy took us out further and it began to get a little rougher, splashing us as we got up on plane.  I was beginning to wonder if it was such a good idea to be out on the Atlantic in a dinghy!  The Kristin Says would barely notice these waves, but it was a different story in the dinghy.  The Captain managed to get us back safely, although a little wet.  Quite the adventure!

After drying off, we walked about a mile to the Sea Turtle Hospital for a tour.  It was completely booked for the rest of the day, and we made a reservation for the next morning.  On the walk back, we stopped in a few retail businesses including Captain Randy’s favorite, West Marine, where we picked up a few supplies.

From there we walked to a seafood market to pick up some fresh seafood to eat on the boat, but they were already closed.  Castaways Restaurant was next door and we sat down in their outdoor section and had our seafood there.  We noticed a table of 4 who were wearing South Haven (MI), Grand Haven (MI), and Michigan State shirts and we greeted them as they passed us.  They were 2 couples from Holland and Grand Haven, Michigan who started their Loop in July.  One of the couples had sold everything they owned and were living full time on the boat.

Back to the boat for another spectacular sunset, this one punctuated with a pod of dolphin frolicking behind the boats.  A perfect end to a day of adventure in Marathon.