Marathon - at anchor

Enough wind for cats

We used the last of our three day weather window to reach Marathon today. We had 50 miles to go but the seas were flat and we had just enough wind to keep the boat steady. It was a holiday so there were lots of boats out racing - we threaded our way through the fleet.

Along this stretch there are lots of crab pots. They tend to be deployed along the exact same line we would like to follow - the shortest distance between harbors. So our path and the crab pots seem to always be the same resulting in lots of dodging - nothing like Maine but still an annoyance.

A weather change is coming

We came into the harbor at Marathon and called the marina and was told by another boater that the marina was closed!! The marina is run by the city and the city closes for national holidays - today it was Martin Luther King day! No answer on VHF 16, no answer on the telephone. No marina other than one run by a city would ever be closed on such a busy day for boating. All the private marinas and fuel docks along the way were open (love the entrepreneurial spirit!). So we anchored to await the opening on the next day, such nonsense. It's a taste of the future if the government runs everything.

The weather is settled for the next few days but we have to look ahead to the weekend when we have to decide just when to leave for Key West. It looks like high winds are due to arrive Sunday through at least Tuesday, not good for moving on to Key West. We may leave on Saturday if the forecast stays the same later this week. The weather rules.