Marathon to the Bahamas

December 1, 2007 – Jan. 6, 2008

Turtle Ambulance	Sick Turtle	Recovering Turtle
Marathon Boat Parade	Wind Generators Anyone?	Key West Character

Our original plan was to dock in Ft. Lauderdale for a couple of weeks while we visited family and friends.  Mother Nature had a different idea (sunny skies, but lots of wind), so we “parked” the boat in Marathon Key at Sombrero Dockside Marina and commuted by rental car.  This alternate plan gave Steve lots of driving time (2 to 3 hours each way to Miami and Ft. Lauderdale), but it was fun getting to know Marathon better.  Very laid back.  Lots of character boats and “free spirit” residents. 

Three fun experiences while in Marathon were the Turtle Hospital, Christmas boat parade, and a day trip to Key West.  The Turtle Hospital is a non-profit outfit that tries to help injured and sick sea turtles, plus educate the public through daily tours.  We enjoyed checking out the turtles, although it was sad to see the sick ones. 

We thought that the boat parade was exceptional for such a small harbor.  At least a dozen decorated boats passed our bow as we watched from the foredeck.  Lots of colorful lights, snowmen and Santas.  And then there was the svelte blonde in the flesh colored body stocking, posing on “Neptune’s Love Palace”.  This live sea nymph created quite a ruckus in the local newspaper, but we were actually relieved to see that the Keys haven’t totally succumbed to political correctness.  It is part of their charm. 
 

Donny & Stephanie

Happy Graduate

Jean Anderson

The second week, we did a whirlwind tour visiting family and friends.  THIS IS THE PART WHERE WE BRAG ABOUT OUR KIDS.  Our son-in-law Donny Parra graduated from FIU with honors (major in computer science), so we were proud to attend his graduation and participate in the celebratory festivities!  Another day, our daughter Stephanie arranged for Steve to tour the Trump Tower in Ft. Lauderdale she is helping to build.  Steve was duly impressed. Stephanie has a great position with Stiles Corporation as assistant project manager on this huge project.  Go girl!    

Jean Anderson generously allowed us to stay at the Anderson Hilton (her house!) to save us some miles on the car.  She has helped us on numerous occasions while we are visiting by boat and we always have fun spending time with Jean. 

Sandwiched in between fun visits with Stephanie, I flew to Ohio for a Christmas visit to my parents (who are doing well).  My folks keep praying that someday I’ll be “normal”, but reluctantly try to accept my wanderlust spirit.  To help ease their concerns, my good friend Treinnia (who I have known since Kindergarten!) has been a HUGE help to me.  Treinnia prints photos and updates from our adventures and then her Dad hand delivers them to my parents (along with treats from his garden in the summer time).  Thank you, Treinnia, John, and Goldie for all your help and support! 

Lunch with Treinnia	Sunrise in the Keys	Leaving FLL for Bahamas
Green Turtle Cay, Bahamas	Hopetown Fireworks	Hopetown Fireworks
Native Lobstermen Heading Out	Truman-Steve Fishing	Walking on Elbow Cay

The day after my return from Ohio, the winds calmed and we cast off our lines to head to the Bahamas.  We anchored the first night off Key Largo, spent the second night at Harbor Town Marina in Hollywood, FL and then crossed to West End on Grand Bahama Island on Christmas Day.  The boat performed beautifully and the seas become calmer the further we went. It was an easy crossing and what a great Christmas gift!  

From West End we went to Great Sale Cay.  Steve was suspicious that there might be a crab trap line wrapped around the shaft and he was right.  It wasn’t doing serious damage, but he knows the boat well enough to recognize when it’s not performing at peak potential.  Wiley was fascinated to watch over the side and try to figure out what Steve was doing down there! 

From Great Sale we went to Green Turtle Cay.  The Green Turtle Club has a terrific plan where you can apply money you spend at their restaurant toward the dockage bill.  Our kind of place!  We spent several days there, but then moved on to Hopetown where our long time Bahamian friends were saving turkey dinner for our arrival. The fireworks display in Hopetown was spectacular on New Year’s Eve (only a few hundred feet from our boat!).  We had a terrific belated Christmas/New Year’s celebration at Truman and Lyn Major’s house on January 6^th .  It was worth the wait! 

So now we are situated in Hopetown harbor in the Abacos on Elbow Cay.  It feels like coming home.  Truman was kind enough to give us our old mooring (which we used for our sailboat “Lazy S” for several years, even through TWO hurricanes!).  We have a list of chores to get done, including varnishing, polishing, installing a single-side band radio, and most importantly, sewing a new bimini top and isinglass enclosure for the flybridge. Some work, but lots of long walks, dinghy rides, and reading, too.  Life is good!
  

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