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| Dawn anchored in Boot Key Bay |
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| Just a little more light |
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| And a little more..... |
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Can you really have too many sunrise pictures?
I think Not! |
After yesterdays journey and an early bedtime last night we awoke before sunrise to hang out on the aft deck drinking coffee and enjoying the beautiful morning. The winds were light but steady which we believe helped to keep any insects away :-) It was another gorgeous sunrise which always starts our morning with some perspective and gratitude. We called Faro Blanco Marina at 8am to check and see if we could come in earlier than expected. They told us that we needed to wait till after 11am or noon. No biggie....more time to sit and float and relax!
A little after noon we motored over the 1.5 miles or so to Faro Blanco and got into our slip. It was now pretty windy and the entrance into the marina and the first attempted docking was a bit ugly. A few deep breaths.....relax.....back up and try again. It was at this point that the dock hands decided to move us over to the 'East Basin' of the marina where the slips were significantly more protected from the wind and current. When we finally settled into our slip it turned out to be a perfect one facing the open waters of the gulf directly in front of us.
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| Lighthouse at the entrance to Faro Blanco. We learned from an old photo that this is actually an old historic lighthouse that was rehabbed into what it looks like today |
We got right into some boat chores; spray down of the boat to rinse off all the salt, cleaning of the interior of the windows, gathering laundry etc. We then ventured over to put in a couple loads of laundry and while it was in process we enjoyed a dip in the beautiful cool pool. At the pool a few people recommended the 'Steak and Lobster House' for dinner stating that it was pricey but VERY good. We made a 5pm reservation there.
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| Nice refreshing dip in the pool |
After a swim and a quick rinse in the shower we departed on our bicycles to explore the key a bit. We rode to the base of '7 Mile Bridge' which is a bridge that takes you south down to the next key (Little Duck Key). We were going to take a ride out onto the bridge just for the view (and exercise) but unfortunately the bike lane was closed due to construction. We realized we had not had lunch and were both starving at this point. We reconsidered and decided to cancel our reservation at the Steak and Lobster House and instead enjoy some local Cuban cuisine. We rode back up to La Nina and enjoyed a very hearty and filling dinner of chicken, beans and rice and fried plantains.
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| La Nina Cuban roadside cafe. Erik had been here before for Cuban style coffee last year when he was here in Marathon with a Habitat Thrivent group |
We continued on our bike ride and rode about 8 more miles round trip to Sombrero Beach which was a very quaint and nice beach on the Atlantic side of the key. On the way there and way back we made a couple stops at a gift shop and an art gallery where we saw some very cool local works....no room on the boat for a painting though! Unfortunately, it was a bit too late in the day for us to get into the turtle rescue/hospital facility which offers tours. Oh well.....maybe on the way back north.
Back at the marina in time for sunset, but, it was a pretty cloudy evening that did not offer up anything too magnificent. We did however get the opportunity to sit on the docks for 'docktails' with a group of boaters, a few of which were also loopers. After we sat and talked for a moment we looked at each other and said "where do we know this guy form?". It turns out one couple, Mel and Anne aboard 'Morning Star', were a couple that we met up with and enjoyed dock time with last spring in Fairhope Alabama. Once again, boating and particularly in the Great Loop community makes for a small world.
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| Another view of the Faro Blanco lighthouse |
The evening was rounded out in the usual manner with showers, coffee and something sweet....we had to settle for Nutty Bars instead of ice cream tonight. It was a great first day in the keys and we have determined that Marathon has much to offer if we decide to come back.....or stay longer.....maybe scuba diving lessons???? :-)
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| We do enjoy anchoring out, but, it is also very relaxing to be in the protected waters of a nice marina! |
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