Sailing South aboard Lucy III: 2020-2021 (Part II)

 Sombrero Marina, Marathon, Florida:  January 30-31, 2021

https://www.google.com/maps/@24.6982386,-81.0849577,15z

Saturday was project day.

Sunday was a day of rest an exploration.  Big Pine Key.

Marc-   We have combined both days in one blog entry since our internet was very slow yesterday.  I completed a project on both Lucy III and one on Fiddler's Green.  We went over to Michael's to enjoy a a group New York Times Cross Word Puzzle with Brian.  Lots of fun working out solutions while enjoying Michael's coffee.  The big project of the day was installing a new 110 volt electrical  outlet with two USB ports in the forward cabin of Fiddler's Green.  All went well despite it being difficult to snake new wires from a midship power outlet.

The Lucy III project of the day was installing non-skid in the cockpit.  Sue and I also did our usual share of walking about and spied interesting pine trees found here (photos below).  the pines found on Marathon today were confirmed by John and Mindy Donnelly to be Monkey Tree (a relative of Norfolk pines).

The Monkey Puzzle Tree Pine (from Chile and Argentina).

Sunday was a bit different.  We started off with online St. Ignatius Mass, then walking over to the Town Park to the tennis courts for some Sue and Marc tennis.  Next was Michael's coffee time. We were treated to a trip to Big Pine Key Wildlife Preserve by Michael in his really neat F-150 deluxe truck.   The colors displayed on the water while crossing the 7 Mile Bridge never cease to amaze us with the many shades of blue and green.  Our first stop in the Wildlife Preserve was the Blue Hole.  This is a freshwater pond in the middle of the island in a protected wilderness.  The first trail we took brought us to the Blue Hole where a boardwalk led to the edge of the pond.  When we looked over the edge into the pond there were two alligators about 5 feet below us.  They were 5-6 feet in length.  See a moving alligator:  https://youtu.be/dMNgd_lCAWY    It was amazing to see fish swimming in their midst.  One of the larger fish was a 3 foot long Atlantic Tarpon.   We learned that tarpon came to the Blue Hole when a hurricane in 2005 raised the sea level by 5 feet flooding the whole island.  When the waters receded the tarpon remained in the Blue Hole and were able to adapt to life in fresh water.  Our second trail went through some new growth forest after a controlled burn.  The third trail brought us to nearby No Name Key looking for the elusive Key Deer.  We saw one on the road when driving in and I got out and went along a path about a half mile to a grassy area where there were two small deer.  Unfortunately they fled before I could get a photo.  We went back to Big Pine Key and were surprised to see several Key Deer in a developed neighborhood grazing on the mowed lawns.  These deer were fearless and a baby walked right up to me as I was taking photos.

Long Leaf Pine on Big Pine Key. 

Key Deer

Two rather slow moving alligators in the Blue Hole.

We also enjoyed an excellent lunch outdoors at the No Name Pub on No Name Key.

Sailing South aboard Lucy III: 2020-2021 (Part II)

   Sombrero Marina, Marathon, Florida:  January 29, 2021

https://www.google.com/maps/@24.6982386,-81.0849577,15z

Marc-  59 degrees with 15 knot North wind this morning in Marathon for our morning walk.  I wore my blue jeans and a sweatshirt.  There were not many people out.  Sue and I decided to explore a new neighborhood near the airport.  Amazing that the road to the nearby peninsula is Aviation Drive when it does not go to the airport.  It does cross the approach path to the one runway (a rather long runway since jets land here at the Marathon airport).  Many of the homes have rental signs in front.  Most of the homes on the water appear to have been rebuilt to the new hurricane building code.  

It does seem strange that we are thinking of upgrading our air conditioning on board Lucy III when dealing with cooler weather here in the Keys.  Long range weather reports call for a return to warm humid weather. Our small AC unit simply cannot keep up.  I met with a local marine AC expert who spent considerable time educating us on systems and space requirements.  We do have space in the lazarette (the empty storage space behind the pilot berth, a/k/a Sara's bunk).  We are awaiting a quote.  Next to the AC store is a bike rental shop.  We do miss our bikes and are thinking of renting.

The lazarette storage space and potential AC unit space.

Tonight was pizza night here aboard Lucy III. Michael ordered an excellent pizza and came over for dinner.  We have evening entertainment from the bar with live music nearby (two boats away on the docks).  Closer to home the marina cat, Gizmo, decided to come on board for a visit while we were eating in the cockpit.  He immediately shot down the companionway steps and headed for the forward cabin with Sue in hot pursuit.  He found his way through a small opening into the space under the forward bunk.  Sue enticed him out of his hiding space with a slice of roast beef and carried him off to the dock.

Gizmo the marina cat.

Sailing South aboard Lucy III: 2020-2021 (Part II)

  Sombrero Marina, Marathon, Florida:  January 28, 2021

https://www.google.com/maps/@24.6982386,-81.0849577,15z

What's missing here?  The colors are incredible.

Marc-  Today we did repairs and counted on Michael to drive us around for parts.  I awoke this morning with wet feet as I got out of my bunk.  My immediate thought was a leak in the domestic water system under pressure.  I tackled this project after our five mile morning walk.  A cold front came through just in time to cool us off to 70 degrees and only 70% humidity.  After opening up the floorboards I traced the water lines looking for defects.  Parts of our water system date from the early 1970's  and are heavy walled plastic rated for use in the dairy industry.  This means that when I first installed the pressure water system in the 1990's I used old plastic tubing saved from my parents dairy farm in Vermont.   The hot water lines will expand and burst when they reach a certain age.  I discovered two areas that were expanding to twice their normal size but neither were leaking.  The wet floor was from sink runoff after washing the dishes after dinner.  When both of us went over to the port side of the boat this caused the water to drain to the floor from the countertop.  New reinforced tubing was obtained and installed.  We should not be having any leaks for a long time.  Michael did drive us over to Big Pine Key over the seven mile bridge and a few other bridges to get what we needed.

We picked up Chinese food at a local restaurant, Panda House, and brought it over to Michael's marina for dinner.  

Sailing South aboard Lucy III: 2020-2021 (Part II)

 Sombrero Marina, Marathon, Florida:  January 27, 2021

https://www.google.com/maps/@24.6982386,-81.0849577,15z

Marc-  Visiting the Turtle Hospital here in Marathon was our main activity today.  We started out with our 07:00 morning 5 mile walk in the neighborhoods.  I've included photos of some new construction we have seen.  All of the homes here are on both a street and a canal.  I am not sure if the front of the house faces the canal or the street.  Marathon has become a mini Venice with its numerous canals.  Some streets have a nice wide bicycle/pedestrian path alongside.  The low volume side street have none but traffic is very limited since these street are all dead ends.  The town has alot of homes under construction (or reconstruction post hurricane Irma).  New homes are made of reinforced concrete as seen in the photos below.

Look carefully for the rooster in this colorful vegetation

The Turtle Hospital conducted an excellent tour throughout its facilities.  I was impressed that some of its large rehabilitation tanks are built hurricane proof at elevation.  The staff residences are not elevated and are subject to flooding during hurricanes.  

Turtles with numbers were rescued from Cape Cod after being stunned by cold water in Cape Cod Bay on the way back from Maine to Florida.  They were literally stuck in the arm of the Cape.

                                                               Turtle feeding time

Michael saw a manatee swim into the marina near his boat today.

I finished the engine compartment exhaust fan installation today.  We tested it was sucking in air.  Michael suggested reversing the wires which reverse the direction of the 12 volt motor and voila we had an exhaust fan.

Sailing South aboard Lucy III: 2020-2021 (Part II)

 Sombrero Marina, Marathon, Florida:  January 26, 2021

https://www.google.com/maps/@24.6982386,-81.0849577,15z

Marathon Public Golf Course

Marc-  We spent today doing chores around the boat.  Our new routine is an early morning walk and an evening walk.  Luckily it's daylight here at 06:30 through 18:30.  Mostly we have been walking through various neighborhoods and around the local public golf course adjacent to our marina.

Some of the boat repairs included installing a replacement engine compartment exhaust fan and rebuilding a toilet.  Not glamourous tasks to say the least but necessary.

Sue went online to the County Library system to order the books we wanted.  Michael drove us over to the Marathon Library so we could pick them up.  The librarian leaves them outside in a cart with names on them - so it's completely contactless.

Sailing South aboard Lucy III: 2020-2021 (Part II)

Sombrero Marina, Marathon, Florida:  January 24, 2021

https://www.google.com/maps/@24.6982386,-81.0849577,15z

Sombrero Beach, Marathon

Marc-  Today we mostly hiked to the beach and took it easy organizing the boat a bit.  The hike to the beach is 2.5 miles one way.  We passed many beautiful homes built to the new hurricane building code such that the are elevated on cement piers ten feet from the ground and made of concrete.  That bein said the homes came in many different styles and finishes.  

Sombrero Beach is beautiful white sand with a few coral reefs.  The beach ends at Sister Creek which is the back door exit to Marathon Harbor (shoal draft boats only).  The Voice of America has the strongest AM radio transmission towers (transmitting to Cuba) from a small island in Sister Creek.  Boaters are warned not to anchor in front of the towers.  Radio Marti (Voice of America) broadcasts a 24-hour radio program over a medium-wave transmitter in Marathon, Florida (GC: 24°41′58″N 81°5′19″W). Its studios are located in Miami, Florida.

Coral 

Sister Creek

Entrance to the Voice of America facilities.

There are four giant transmission towers here.

Just a nice little house.

Sailing South aboard Lucy III: 2020-2021 (Part II)

 Sombrero Marina, Marathon, Florida:  January 23, 2021

https://www.google.com/maps/@24.6982386,-81.0849577,15z

Marc-  A day to explore the neighborhood.  Today we traveled down to Bahia Honda Key State Park just to the West of Marathon.  This island has a lot to offer, beautiful beaches, sparkling clear water, campgrounds, a nice anchorage between the the two bridges and two deep water marinas.  We explored the marinas first and learned that one is reserved for volunteers and the other is open for business with 6 feet in the channel and the basin.  Power posts and bathroom facilities are provided but the cost is $2.00/foot.  There is a maximum stay of 14 days in this, and all Florida State Parks.  The only downside we heard of was the no grey water discharge rule.  The marinas have been closed since damage from Hurricane Irma in 2017; they just re-opened on January 12.  I got my feet wet at the beach and saw that the water here is about 70 degrees.  We are lucky to see water that warm in New England in the best of our summer months.  

Sue made us a fantastic dinner of pasta and chicken with fresh fruit for dessert.  There were many picnic tables to choose from at the beach.  After dinner we headed to the Western tip of the island to see a sunset to remember.  I also noticed the old Flagler railroad bridge and its modifications.  After the 1935 hurricane the railroad was never repaired.  This section of bridge was turned into a roadway by adding a deck on top of the railroad truss bridge.  It does look odd although it gave the vehicles a more elevated view.

One of the few boats in the marina

fish in the marina

A brave mangrove tree stakes out its place in the world

Hawk channel beach

Bahia Honda Anchorage

The old railroad bridge turned highway bridge (now out of service except for fishing)

Bahia Honda Sunset 18:02