Sea Cows. That name conveys the size and rough shape of these large underwater creatures, related to elephants by lineage, that inhabit the waters of south Florida. There is one off our bow now as "Sylestial Star" rests comfortably against the dock bulkhead at the Marathon Marina and Boatyard. It seemed to be feeding or drinking water from the dock and has now moved slowly around the bow of our boat and into the narrow channel where we are tied up. A standing joke among cruising sailors is that the "Slow Speed & Watch out for Manatee signs" are found much more often near the homes of wealthy Floridians so as to minimize wakes from passing boats that might disrupt the homeowner's tranquility.

We arrived in Marathon on Vaca Key after a long run of 8 1/2 hours from Tarpon
Basin, behind Key Largo. We were very happy to change course from The
nearshore shallow waters of the Florida Bay, exit Through Channel Five, one of the few passages to the Ocean available to a high masted sailboat like ours, and begin our 25 mile Atlantic Ocean run through Hawk Channel down to Marathon in the middle Florida Keys.

On the Ocean the sails go up. And on the Ocean we avoid the thin water and shoally cuts of the inside passage. On the inside passage, there were 5 cuts, each requiring "sounding speed" or "grope speed" i.e. feeling your way very slowly through the cut based on readings from your depth sounder. We ran aground on the first, Cowpens Cut, and had to plow our way through sandy bottom to get through. Of course, this made us even more cautious, if that was possible, in the remaining cuts.

After a motor sail in a moderate breeze we arrived to a very nice reception in the marina. The tie up was tricky as we needed to slowly move down a narrow
channel and then make a 3 point turn and slide into our spot facing in the
direction from which we came with boats on the bulkhead both behind and in
front of and across from us. Apparently docking in this channel is a rather lively occurrence as boat owners were standing by with boat hooks to protect their assets. And some boats have deployed fenders both along the dock and on their outsides to fend off wayward dockers.

They need not worry as "Sylestial Star" has a tight turning radius. We sharply turned and angled the bow into the waiting dock on which a welcoming committee of helpful boaters awaited us. Among them was our good friend Gary with whom we buddy boated down much of the Atlantic coast several months ago. He and Kathy had departed one day ahead of us on "Gatsby" from our marina in Rock Hall, Maryland in October. After separating in early December in Stuart, Florida, they continued on to Marathon where they have remained since
December 17th.

We were happy to hear that other friends are here also including John and Nancy from Rock Hall as well as Franz and Nikki on Skybird III and Bill and Betty on "Sea Mist."

Life of Pi. Shortly after our arrival in Marathon Marina, we were advised that
tonight's movie was "Life of Pi", which was to be shown by the dock, on a large, although not movie theatre size screen. It was fun watching a movie under the stars, although there were a few groans from those in attendance as we watched the shipwreck scenes.

After washing the boat and doing laundry, we spent yesterday with Gary and Kathy. After six days and nights on the water we needed to stretch our legs so we walked the roughly three miles to West Marine, Walgreens and Publix to
take care of some much needed provisioning and replacement parts for the boat. After which we joined Gary and Kathy on "Gatsby" for a pizza dinner and catching up on developments since we last saw them.

I should also mention that, when anchoring in the Keys, it is important that one find a spot devoid of sea grass and preferably not sand over coral. In the clear and beautiful turquoise and blue waters of the Florida Keys it is relatively easy to see whether your anchor is setting or not. We did drag in Tarpon Basin and were only able to get a good bite when we moved further away from the protective shore and closer to the channel. Of course, once our Mansion bites, it bites good. We didn't budge, even with 30 knot winds on our third night there.

The cruising community being what it is, we were fortunate to meet Steve and
Gloria while we were in Tarpon Basin. Steve has been cruising for 30 years and introduced himself after a short dinghy ride from "Living Well" which was anchored near us. He fished for trout in the Basin and then the four of us ate his catch and talked over dinner on their boat.

It still amazes me how quickly bonds develop among cruisers.