Here are some updates to our travels since our last email and blog entry. We have been in Marathon for almost a month now and are "suffering" from social overload. We (read Walt) is suffering from social overload. Some of our days and a lot of the evenings are occupied by happy hours shared with friends, concerts, lunches with our HAM and cruising organizations. To recap, our work is completed and we are launched on a Tuesday after 10 days in the marina at Rybovich in Riveria Beach Fl. There is a bit of separation anxiety as we leave the marina, but all goes very well. The rest of the trip to Marathon goes without incident and we begin to enjoy the experience again. We arrive in Biscayne Bay with the wind blowing 15+ and a bit of chop on the water. It is a rocky night. We leave early in the morning to begin the trip down Hawk Channel the last 100+ miles to Marathon. The first 2 to 3 hours are miserable with the seas throwing the boat around like being in a washing machine. Finally we are past Stiltsville and where several sport fishing yachts pass us with huge wakes. The jib is rolled out and the boat calms down a little. It's too rough to make a real lunch, so we have peanut butter crackers. We make it 58 miles to Rodriguez Key our anchorage for the night. The next day we have a quieter sail the final 50 miles to Marathon. This is the first sailing we have done since leaving the Chesapeake Bay in late November. We arrive at the marina about 4pm. Our friends Tom and Elinor Adensam meet us at the dock to help tie the boat up and present Mary with flowers. It is very nice to see a familiar face. All we want to do is clean up and have dinner in the marina restaurant. Finally we can relax a bit.
The next day our friends take us to the rental car agency and we pick up the car we have had reserved for almost a year. We are mobile again. We have quite a list of projects to be completed while in Marathon, but for now we concentrate on visits with friends, Wednesday lunch with the members of Waterway Radio and Cruising Club, Friday lunch with friends in Seven Seas Cruising Club and lots of happy hours with Northern Neck friends who are in Marathon for the winter. Oh yes, lots of cruising friends here by boat to too see.
About that list of projects. . . file taxes, get the wind generator working, following up on refrigeration issues, wash boat, connect solar panels, install AIS and connect to our GPS display, plot a course to the Bahamas, enjoy Marathon, go to the Orlando HAM fest and go on a ½ day fishing trip on the Marathon Lady head boat. Mary is playing Mahjong at the Yacht Club and Walt is going to the Men's Breakfast at Seven Mile Grill. We spent 3 days in Orlando and had a good time. We didn't but any radios this year, we only bought small bits and bobs. It was nice to be off the boat again for a few days. While in Orlando we went to a Sam's Club to stock up on a breakfast juices which we were running low on. When we walked in we had to pass a newly installed Hearing Center. Since Walt knew his hearing is impaired and is reminded more frequently, he was interested. Walt listened to the sales pitch, looked over the aids available and their costs. Before he could say "maybe someday" he was in the booth taking a free comprehensive hearing test. Good news, they can program an aid to correct my losses. With that, I choose a behind-the-ear style, have it programed and take another test to confirm the aids for both ears are programed correctly. BINGO! Within an hour I can hear things I have been missing for a few years. Within minutes I am telling Mary to talk softer as I can hear her now. The TV is turned down, conversation is easier, and I hear every sound of paper tearing, leaves rustling and shoes shuffling. It is a new world for Walt.
We attended the annual CBTSC Valentine's Day dinner with 4 other couples this year. This is our 5th year to attend. I guess our winter trip to the Keys has become a regular part of our lifestyle. We wouldn't know what to do with ourselves in cold weather any more. With some of our cruising friends continuing to the west coast of Fl., or beginning the trip back north, we can focus on that project list. We promise to keep you more current with our whereabouts and activities.