From the moment we tied up our lines here in Marathon, we've been quite busy making new friends, snorkeling, swimming, and exploring. It's hard to believe we've already been here for a month!

Every place that we've stopped along our journey has been a little different. And although all of them have been worth our time, some are certainly more cruiser friendly than others. I'm very happy to report that after painstaking amounts of research, the boards and blogs were right on this one, Boot Key Harbor City Marina is the place you want to be as a cruising sailor in the Keys. There's a large live-aboard and cruising community here in Boot Key, and the overwhelming majority of people we've met here are extremely friendly and helpful beyond belief. Those who aren't seem to be chemically imbalanced, and they keep us pretty well entertained with the crazy stuff they do on a regular basis.

It's been nice, too, to rack up some time in the water without having to bring the sailboat everywhere. Our spot here allows us access to a few good restaurants, Sombrero Beach, and a few of the closer reefs just by jumping in the dingy. It's a really cool feeling to spontaneously hop in the inflatable and ride out to the reef for a little midday snorkeling. We're very lucky to be living in Paradise, and we constantly remind ourselves how fortunate we are.

This leg of the trip is the first time Riley's been back in the water to snorkel since we were in Cozumel last year. He's hilarious to watch, since he can barely control his excitement once he sticks his face in the water. He even manages to keep a running commentary going through his snorkel, which you must admit is pretty impressive. "Oh, look at that fish!" "Is that a shark?" "That's a big one!" "AHHH, was THAT a shark?"

In addition to the fishes, our time here as also brought with it another kind of wildlife we haven't seen in a while - other kids! (Yea for parental sanity!) Riley is having a great time; I don't know if I've ever seen him play this hard. One thing is for sure, this is how summer is supposed to be for a kid. He's running himself ragged with all of the bike riding, lizard catching, and tree climbing he's been doing. He actually passes up his allotted end of the day Nintendo time to PLAY! He comes in at the end of each day stinky and exhausted. It's one of the most beautiful things I've seen yet on the trip. He's living so differently now; it's really quite something to watch him grow and change.

Not to be left out of the action, Scott and I have been playing hard, too. Key-sters like to party, and every day here seems to be cause for a celebration of some sort. Anytime someone sits down and cracks open a beer, an ultrasonic pirating all-call goes out, and in no time flat, twenty people are gathered around, coolers in tow. There's certainly no shortage of spontaneous social events around here.

HOWEVER...

If cruisers are not careful, they will quickly find there is a dark side to this harbor. You see, one can quickly and unwittingly fall victim to the Boot Key Vortex. Not to be trifled with, the Vortex will suck you into drinking and all-you-can-eat-night grubbing your way through your entire cruising kitty. Many a well-intentioned sailor has found themselves staying in this harbor far beyond their planned season, never quite making it to their ultimate destination, all due to this epidemic.

Should you find yourself in Boot Key Harbor, be cautious and look for the following symptoms: a sudden urge to downgrade your beer preference, so as to afford more beer more often; an encyclopedic knowledge of all local buffet and/or drink specials; onset of a distended abdomen; and a new found proclivity for Jell-O shots. As these symptoms masquerade as a great time, they are often overlooked, and Scott and I have come close to the edge of the Vortex ourselves. However, lucky for me, Scott saved the day with his radical plan - SAILING. You see, there's always a reason to stay here. There's always one more party, and the allure is hard to fight. But, we certainly don't want to have spent six months in the Keys and have only seen the tiki hut, so off to explore we go!