Beware the winds of March

After the storm - Red sky at night promises a better day tomorrow.



The calm before the storm - Boot Key Harbour


On our return trip to Marathon we spent a night at anchor in Newfound Harbour, beside Big Pine Key. The harbour is very shallow, and it's best to enter on half-tide or higher. We had anchored here last year, but each year the sandbars shift and it's hard to decide which way to jump when the sand rises to meet your keel. On our way into the harbour we cast an envious glance at the luxurious resort of 'Little Palm Island', perched on the tip of Munson Island, and only accessible by launch or float plane. However, our destination for the evening was not to be a five-star restaurant, but a waterfront restaurant we had loved last year which goes by the wonderful name of 'Parrotdise', in honour of the musician who has done more than most to put the Keys on the tourist map - Jimmy Buffet. After ensuring the anchor was secure, and saying 'hello' to Frank on a neighbouring boat, we dinghied up under the Highway 1 road-bridge and joined in the Happy Hour festivities at our destination!
When we had anchored the previous evening we had been a long way from any other boat - in fact there were only about five in the whole of the huge harbour. The wind had got up during the night, but we didn't stir. However, when we awoke and looked out, we found that the large Nordhaven tug which had been anchored at least 300 metres from us was now about 2 metres from our stern. While Southern Vectis has had a few incidents of dragging anchor, we figured that, for once, we weren't at fault this time. As we watched, the tug continued it's slow and stately progress backwards. There was no sign of anyone on deck, and the boat wasn't in any danger, so we watched its' progess until the owner came on deck, gave us a wave, and calmly went below to cook breakfast! Maybe it was all part of the plan. It was certainly a good way to save on the fuel bill!
We decided to head off back to Marathon as the weather for the weekend was looking a little stormy and we wanted to be sure to get a mooring ball in Boot Key harbour. We waited until midday for the tide, and, after a very fast sail, made it into the harbour by 5 p.m. The rule for getting a mooring ball is that you cannot request one until you are entering through the gap in the old bridge. When we called Anne at the City Marina office on our VHF radio she was pleased to welcome us back, and we were relieved that she still had a mooring ball for us. It turned out to be one of the last ones available for a long time. Many boats have had to anchor either outside or inside the harbour during the stormy days and gale force winds that arrived in force on Sunday 4th March. Though our boat has rocked and rolled
during the past ten days of 20 - 35 knot winds, we have slept soundly knowing that we are tied securely to a large piece of concrete buried in the sea-bed!
Since we've been here we have become the proud owners of yet another bargain ($15) bike - so now we have three. The reason for this is that my little boat bike, though handy to pack up and store on the boat, has wheels smaller than our granddaughters' bikes. This has meant that I was just arriving at a destination when Bill was ready to turn around! Now we can see the sights together.
Last Saturday we cycled to view the homes on the Marathon Garden Club's 'House and Garden Tour'. We had done this last year and found it interesting to see some of the lovely homes in this area.
Boot Key Harbour is a very friendly place and we've met up with old friends and made new ones. There are at least five boats in the harbour from Toronto.
Last weekend Bill & I worked as volunteers at Marathon's annual 'Seafood Festival', put on by the 'Organized Fishermen of Marathon'. Apart from working a shift at the entrance gate, we ate lobster dinners, snacked on shrimps fresh from the Florida Straits, and oysters freshly plucked from the rocks! The band that played on Saturday evening, 'The Regs', put on a fantastic 'act' and had everyone dancing on the stage at the end of the show! A wonderful weekend.
And now for the weather! Well, it is very warm, but still very windy and blowing in the wrong direction for most sailors who would like to head back to Miami and ports north, or sail over to the Bahamas. Once the winds change direction and the seas die down a bit there will be a huge exodus. There's no real sign of this happening yet. We are happy to be here for the next few weeks, and looking forward to the arrival of Louisa, Steve, Leo, Orson and Simon at the beginning of April.