Ten Days in Boot Key Harbor

 This has taken me a while to get another blog posted.  The lack of internet and only having DC 12 volt current onboard makes it hard to blog.  We can post from our phones, but typing out a blog on a 4 inch screen = not so fun.  Today we are in a marina and I'm getting some time off the boat enjoying air conditioning, tv and wifi...things we've lived virtually without for the past 52 days.  Yes, we have been onboard for 52 days.  Amazing huh... we should celebrate!

After leaving the Driftwood Boatyard where we began our journey and a lot of the much needed repairs on The Hoot, we moved on to our next stop - the Marathon City Marina - where we lived on a mooring ball "F-3" for ten days.  This move allowed us to: 

A) be free of the noseeums and skeeters 

B) be closer to DJ, the "Boat MacGyver" who has been helping us sort things out 

and C) begin to enjoy a little taste of the life onboard a sailboat.

Entering into Boot Key Harbor through the old bridge.

The bridge coming into Boot Key Harbor.

Every morning we would turn our VHF radio to 68 to listen to the "cruiser's net".  It was a morning meet and greet, daily activities announced and a daily opportunity for the inhabitants to offer their services and buy/sale/trade.  They also did daily trivia which we found entertaining.

The Hoot at Mooring F-3

Legend of the mooring fields.  We were on F-3...third row from the top on the right.

 This marina is in a massive harbor called Boot Key Harbor.  We quickly adjusted to life here, learning to use Ripple as our means of transportation to/from the dinghy dock and to nearby restaurants on the harbor.  We also became very adept at climbing in and out, tying up, loading and unloading Ripple.  Cap'n Jack gave me driving lessons so I can start her up and scoot around where ever we need to go!

Tiki Hut and markers from some of the vessels that have come through Boot Key Harbor.

Sailboats of every size on moorings as far as you can see. 

The city marina had nice facilities for "cruisers"... which made living conditions much easier than they were in the boatyard.  There was a large room for relaxing, watching tv, reading or if you were lucky, securing a spot at one of the tables with electricity and free wifi.  

Internet time!

The lending library in the marina lounge.

One of the outdoor patios.

Air show over the harbor.  Coast guard and Air Force participated in drills the first few days of our stay.

Doing little chores, not so bad when the view was so good!

Cap'n Jack with The Hoot in the background.

Enjoying a dinghy ride on Ripple to Dockside for Happy Hour.

 We came to look forward to sunsets every night.  The sky never failed to put on a show of incredible colors.  We would stand on the deck of the boat to watch the last kiss of the sun which would set off nightly rituals from nearby boats - the sounds of conch shells being blown, ship's bells being rung and even one sailor playing the bagpipes in full Scottish regalia.  Then we would see the darkening sky light up with hundreds of twinkling anchor lights atop the masts and felt blessed as we added our own "harbor star" to the display.

Sunsets were beautiful in Boot Key Harbor

Enjoying our evenings in the cockpit.  

Happy Hour...kick back, relax!

We were pretty amazed when 10 days went by like the blink of an eye.  We made some new friends - I got to meet a few ladies from my Facebook group "Women Who Sail" which was a treat.  It's nice to meet other women who enjoy this lifestyle and they and their spouses gave us encouragement and ideas on how to fix some of the ongoing maintenance issues on The Hoot.  

John and DJ shanking on the head sail that had some minor repairs.

We decided after 10 days it was time to leave.  We stopped on the way out at Burdine's for diesel and water which was a tricky maneuver under windy conditions but John handled it just fine.  On the other hand, I let a dock line slip through my hand and OUCH - rope burn sucks.

Burdine's Waterfront

We made our way out to just outside the mouth of the channel to anchor for the first time! We had a front row seat for another stellar sunset overlooking the Seven Mile Bridge while we contemplated the next legs of our trip onboard The Hoot.  

Beautiful sunset overlooking the Seven Mile Bridge.