Ocean on one side, Gulf on the other

For the past few days we’ve been in a mooring field off Boot Key in Marathon Shores. The island has the Atlantic Ocean on one side and Florida Bay, which is basically the Gulf of Mexico, on the other side. Today we walked the distance from one side to the other, about a half mile, on our way to get some lunch at Keys Fisheries. All our amenities are at Marathon City Marina, but the boat is at least a half mile from the actual marina so it’s a pretty far dinghy ride to get there.

We plan to stay here for the week, and perhaps take some day trips out to some nearby coral reefs for some snorkeling and scuba diving.

The more we talk to others the more word we hear about how crazy it would be to go to the Bahamas any time soon. On our way down to the keys, we heard on the VHS radio coast guard station that three boats capsized on their way to the Bahamas. That could have been us if we decided to go east across the Gulf Stream in these kinds of winds, which have continued to be around 20 knots. We got thrown around pretty bad on the boat just going south via Hawk Channel.

Be that as it may, I keep hearing people say “the boat can take more than you can”. That’s understandable, considering I got green in the face from just four-foot waves while the boat seemed to just be in its element. It was made for stuff like that. As the expression goes, ‘Harbors are safe place for ships, but ships weren’t made for harbors.’ So the other side of me will always say, heck if Avalon could have made it to the Bahamas so could have I; even if I would have been spending half the voyage with my head hanging over the side of the boat.

Those who do plan to go to the Bahamas, even the most experienced captains here, are waiting about a month for the conditions to be right. Unfortunately we don’t have that kind of time. I need to be back for business reasons, and the boat needs to be north of Florida by June for insurance reasons since that’s when hurricane season starts. By the time we wait for the weather to be right, there just won’t be enough time to make a trip to the Bahamas worthwhile.

So, here we are in the Florida Keys, taking in the benefits of our Plan B. The culture here is very laid back and everything is on “island time”. Captain Ken said the other day that we had a lot of work to do on the boat, and by the time we finished we had worked for about an hour. Down here you can be sure that a man’s word is nothing more than that, and I mean that in a good way. The most stressful day down here would be equivalent to an office party in my life up north. So, I thank God for this chance to enjoy a two-month sabbatical. I hope my friends, family and colleagues back home don't get too jealous. 

Florida Bay just outside Keys Fisheries. Captain Ken photos

Sunset over Marathon

Rough seas and safe harbors

The wind has been relentless over the past few days, about 20 knots on average. It has made for some really choppy seas, about four-foot waves, and tiresome traveling on the ocean. After experiencing the last two days on the open sea, not going to the Bahamas makes more sense. The waves going out there would have been at least five feet, and they'd be clashing with the Gulf Stream. Not to mention, they're calling for isolated thunderstorms for the next week. And on top of that, there's a chance we'd get stuck in the Bahamas waiting for fair weather to return.

On our way from Key Largo to Marathon today, everything from the chairs to the entertainment system were tossed around the boat. If we weren’t struggling to steer the boat with the waves, we were busy strapping things down better. Naturally, I once again got seasick. It was only a four or five hour trip from Key Largo to Marathon, but it was probably the toughest day of travel yet. We decided we’ll be taking the inside route on the way back.

Right now we’re tied to a mooring in Boot Key Harbor. A few courteous boaters on a dinghy back to their boat helped us pick up the mooring by taking the first line and tying it on for us.  Once we were settled in we took a long nap since we hadn’t gotten much sleep the past three nights due to the excessive wind in Dinner Key mooring field and our Key Largo anchorage.

So as enjoyable as the voyage is, it still comes with its challenges. Another challenge is keeping in mind all the new terminology that comes with living on a boat. Here’s a list of nautical terms I had to learn while at sea.

Left – Portside
Right – Starboard
Front of boat – Bow
Back of boat – Stern
Side of boat - Beam
Steering wheel – Helm
Map – Chart
Rope – Line
Shallow water – Skinny water
Island – Key or cay
Sinking – Taking on water
Filling up water tanks – Taking on water
Overturned - Capsized
Yacht – Pleasure vessel
MPH – Knots (or close to it)
Miles – Statute miles
Miles as measured on the sea – Nautical miles ( about 1.2 miles)
Kitchen – Galley
Oven/stove – Range
Window – Hatch
Bedroom – Cabin
Anchor – Windlass
Toilet – Head
Groceries – Provisions

The plan is to stay in Boot Harbor for a few days. It will be a much-needed rest considering the past few days.