We spent two days coming down the Hawk Channel along the Keys. Beautiful weather, with 10 kn winds just a little too much on the nose for direct sailing, so we motor-sailed. The first night we anchored in a bight on Long Key near the Channel Five bridge. This is a large, shallow bay - near low tide we only had a few inches under the keel. We were the only boat anchored there, and we watched the pelicans diving for fish all around us.

Yesterday we continued down to Boot Key Harbor at Marathon. There are something like 200 moorings in the harbor, and many cruisers spend much of the winter here. We are tied up at City Marina awaiting our Monday morning appointment with the fridge mechanic. (In the interim, our holding tank vent seems to be plugged, the hand-held VHF radio is failing, and there is laundry.)

Last night we took a short walk across the Key to a fish market and restaurant where the Admiral and junior swabby had dinner about 10 years ago. The restaurant had underwater lights on, and several large tarpon came in looking to be fed.

On the way back we passed pig races in celebration of National Pig Days. The pigs were fake, though the betting seemed real. In any case, we gave it a miss. This morning we returned to The Stuffed Pig, scene of the celebration, for breakfast with a large helping of bacon. Perhaps for this evening's events we will be in a porcine frame of mind...