Marathon

 Welcome to The Florida Keys

First, a brief geographic orientation. The Florida Keys are a line of 882 coral and limestone islands extending off the southern tip of the Florida mainland.   Of these, only 30 are inhabited but 42 are connected by the bridges of the famed Overseas Highway.   While it is common to speak of them as running south of Florida, they in fact extend more east to west ( Key West,  Duh!) .  (The western-most point in the Dry Tortugas islands are actually due south of  Crystal River on the FL Gulf coast where we spent Christmas.)   Still, the sothernmost point point key (in Key West) lies only 93 miles from Cuba

The city of Marathon (pop 9,750) occupies a group of keys about halfway between Miami and Key West  It is popular winter haven for boaters,  with many options for dockage, anchorage, repairs and provisions.  Plus a wide variety of dining and activity choices.  All without the crowding and high costs of Key West.  (And if you must go, Key West is only a 90 minute, $4 bus ride away!)

Home for our stay was Faro Blanco Resort on the Gulf side of the Keys.  It fit our needs to a "T", with a great staff, excellent docks, and access to pools, restaurants, laundry, West Marine and all the other little things that warm a Loopers heart.  Moreover, it includes the most dedicated Docktail-ers we have ever encountered.  They gather like clockwork at 5:00 every day for cocktails and conversation (and heavy hors deourves on Thursdays!) , welcoming Loopers and non-Loopers, full-timers and transients,  power and sail boaters, charter captains and their customers   And at least once a month, there is a special event like Mardi Gras night or Spam-a-Plooza or Staff Appreciation Night.  These folks know how to Par-TAY!

But enough chamber of commerce fluff, OK?

Our plan all along was to spend the month of January in Marathon.  And despite that fact that our other "adventures" delayed our arrival until Jan. 8th, we intended to fulfill that, with a full schedule of visitors from home lined up.  (Funny, no one wanted to come see us in New Jersey or Mississippi.  But land in Florida in January and the pattern fills up in a serious hurry. Hmmm......)  Plus we had to deal with whatever is going on with that darn starboard transmission.  (Heavy Sigh)

The day following our arrival, there was a knock on the hull dockside that proved to be a technician from the area authorized Volvo Penta service center.   Sent our way by the Faro Blanco staff, he reviewed our situation and agreed to order replacement oil hoses for the starboard transmission and to schedule some other needed engine maintenance.  The downside is that his company is based on Key West so travel time would affect scheduling.  (More on that later.)   But we were excited to finally be the Keys and we needed to prepare for our company (and to cling to the belief that our problem was just an leaking oil line.)  So we agreed to engage them for the repairs.  

Admiral Maggie inspects her crew!

Meanwhile, the first of our guests arrived!   Sharon and Darrell arrived on the 10th, settling into the forward stateroom and setting fur-Admiral Maggie all agog with new people to charm and new hands to pet her.   The four of us began an exploration of area attractions, including the Dolphin Reseach Center (which houses, among other things, the grandchildren of "Flipper"), the old Seven Mile Bridge walking path, tropical shopping, and sunset dining.   Seasoned travellers, Sharon and Darrell adapted quickly to marina life.  

The Aptly Named Sunset Grill

One of Flipper's progeny

Strange looking vermin in the Keys

A couple of show offs!

Among Marathon's most interesting roles is that of home to Radio Marti, the US Government's spanish language broadcasts directed at the people of Cuba.  The station occupies 38 acres of prime waterfront real estate on Boot Key, which separates Marathn's principal harbor from the Atlantic.  Boot Key is otherwise undeveloped and only accessible by boat since the last bridge was removed in 2005. The broadcast go out over four huge antennas from a 100KW AM transmitter (the most powerful in the USA) designed to overcome any jamming efforts by the Cuban government.  Boaters who anchor close to Boot Key report that the radio signals wreck havoc with boat electronics and anyone who attempts to digitally plan navigation from there could well end up in St Helena instead of St Augustine.   Some even report receiving snippets of Spanish over their hearing aids and dental work.  All yours for only $27 million of your tax dollars annually.  What a bargin, eh?

About this time, the new transmission oil lines arrived from Volvo.  (Hooray!) They did not fit. (Boo!)  The dealer reordered a different set.  (Heavy Sigh)

Our second visitors were Todd and Liz, with whom we continued our exploration of the Keys.  We journeyed 14 miles down the Overseas Highway to Big Pine Key in order to see key deer, a diminutive species of white tail exclusive to the Keys.   Having adapted their size to the limited land, food, and water available in the Keys, these mini-deer max out at about 40-50 lbs and 30 inches in height.  We also added the Marathon Turtle Hospital to our destinations.  This facility provides rescue and rehabilitation care for injured and stranded sea turtles rescued from the Keys and Gulf of Mexico.   We also attended a Looper picnic at Bahia Honda State Park, hosted by Looper friends Chris and Cheryl on Natutic Venture.  And in the process, discovered the Lower Keys Shuttle.  $4 each way ($2 for Seniors) will take you from Marathon to Key West, with buses every 60 minutes or so and many stops along the way.   Another grand bargin of the Great Loop and another good reason not to take your boat to Key West.

Bahia Honda State Park

The second set of transmission oil cooler hoses arrived from Volvo.  (Hooray) They did not fit either. (Boo!)   The dealer decided to have some hoses made up by a local hydraulic shop. (Heavy Sigh)

The law enforcement presence in the Keys in January/Feburary was remarkable.  It seems there were renewed wave of Cuban and Haitian refugees arriving all along the Keys, in massively over- crowded, derilict vessels.  Local law enforcement seemed to be on perpetual alert.  There were US Coast Guard, Homeland Security, and Border Patrol boats, aircraft, and officers everywhere.   The State of Florida added in a couple of dozen extra FHP officers and three National Guard Blackhawk helicopters.  (Gee, could it be that Gov DeSantis is running for something?)   At least once a day, they intercepted a leaky 30' boat carrying 70  or so people somewhere in the Keys.  Dry Tortugas National Park  received so many refugees the park had to be closed until they could be evacuated and processed.   Huddled masses, and all that.  Sheesh.

Our third set of visitors from Spokane arrived during the week of Jan 23.   In between cocktails, pool time and shopping, Jan , KC, Teresa, and Greg joined us for a day in Key West,  where we lunched at Sloppy Joe's, toured the Hemmingway House and visited celebrity(?) hangout, Captain Tony's Saloon.   In other outings we  we went shelling on Sombreo Beach and and yet another sunset dinner

Just another killer sunset
!

Can you see  Mike Leach's bar stool?

Mermaids

NOT your school cafeteria Sloppy Joe

Rum all around!

As our guests were leaving, the next set of oil cooler hoses arrived. (Heavy Sigh)  

And

Did 

Not 

Fit. 

(Grr...)  

Our reserved time at Faro Blanco was running out and the marina was reportedly booked solid.  So, we had to make Irish Lass mobile again, so we instructed them to re-install the original hoses and top the transmissions up with oil so we could test.  As expected the port trans worked flawlessly.  On the starboard side, everything worked fine in reverse, but there was no forward propulsion.  Interetsingly, none of the re-installed hoses leaked.  But we learned from the mechanic who had removed them way back when we arrived the the connection to the starboard oil cooler were no more than finger tight when he disconedted them,   Apparently, at 300 psi, this provided a pathway for oil to leak in quantities sufficient to deprive the transmission of both hydraulic pressure and lubrication, leading to the destruction of the forward clutch pack.   So, we didn't really need new hoses after all.  But now we do need.........

A 

NEW 

TRANSMISSION!    

OH 

SHIT!

Let's see.......... 3,000 miles from home,  20 year old Swedish engine with an Italian transmission.  Buried in the dark, back corner of an engine room designed by a Wisconsin sadist.  Tropical mechanics.  No marina moorage.  Should be a piece of cake, right?

Well, we just shall see about that, now won't we ...........

Next time!

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Wad and Kathleen Griffith (and fur-Admiral Maggie)

We needed a new