Over the last week, we found ourselves settling into the Florida Keys way of life. After a whirlwind December of constant movement both on and off the boat, then arriving back on the boat post-holidays and making a mad dash for Marathon, it was nice to have a week of no movement (with many more to come). 

When we first pulled into Boot Key Harbor in Marathon, we were hoping to grab a mooring ball from the city marina, which are available on a first-come, first-served basis. You must, however, call the marina office to be assigned a ball, rather than grabbing one that looks to be empty. Unfortunately for us, all  200-plus balls were already taken, which meant we had to anchor and put our name on a waiting list. On the bright side, the city marina allows you to pay for dinghy dockage, which also gives you access to the showers, laundry facilities and a weekly pumpout!

After only three nights, we received the call that a ball had opened up, and we made our way to the mooring field. You might be wondering what the benefit of the mooring ball is if we were already anchored and getting the same amenities. For us, it puts us closer to the dinghy dock, which is essential for taking Ripley to land multiple times a day. Additionally, the moorings are cemented into the seabed, making the holding something we don’t have to worry about as much as if we were on anchor. On top of that, when we were anchored for those three nights, we had to stern tie into the mangroves, which made the airflow a little stagnant and brought on more bugs. On the mooring ball, we continuously sway with the tide and the wind, making it extremely comfortable. Since we plan to be in Marathon for at least a month, it made the most sense to spend our time on the mooring ball!

Evan has been looking forward to putting his Florida fishing license to use, so we made sure to stock up on all the necessary gear at Marathon Bait & Tackle just across the street from the marina. They were a great help in informing us of what works and what doesn’t, considering this is a heavily fished area. It seems most of the fishermen in the area don’t waste their time on the water unless they have live bait and some sort of chum. This proved to be true because on our first outing, we had no chum, and we used Evan’s shrimp lures, which brought us… zero fish. Sure enough, once we had the chum bag and live shrimp, our second go around, we were catching fish after fish! Now we’re eager to get out there again and try some new spots. 

We also enjoyed two delicious meals out over the last week that I can’t go without sharing. First up was dinner one evening with other Loopers at El Siboney, a Cuban restaurant with two additional locations in Key West and Stock Island. Not only was the food absolutely delicious, but there was enough for leftovers the next day, which is always a bonus. Second was breakfast at The Stuffed Pig, where Evan had one of the best Bloody Marys he’s had in a while.

We’re looking forward to reuniting with our buddy boat, Slacker, this week, hanging out with other Loopers in the area, trying new restaurants and, of course, catching more fish. Cheers to continuing the adventure!