We’d met sv Mardi Gras and her crew, Barry and Linda (and cat Pearl) nearly a year ago in Spanish Wells, Eleuthera Bahamas. When we heard they were underway again, heading only to FL this time, we made “cruising plans” to meet up. In other words, tentative plans that could change at any moment.

With a nephew on Summerland Key, guests to drop off and us at Cudjoe, Mardi Gras had ample reason to anchor for a couple of nights in Niles Channel anchorage near the highway.

The Mardi Gras, anchored in Niles Channel next to Summerland Key

For them it was an easy dinghy ride around the corner to The Wharf Grill on a canal. So, so many canals in Florida.

We figured this to be a landscape barge

You know cruisers always get together and tell their stories. Barry is a pro at this and I could sit and listen all night. When they first contacted us and said they were nearby at Bahia Honda, we thought about the shallow channel entrance and that we usually saw power boats and catamarans in the basin. Oh well, perhaps their boat (which was in charter in an earlier life) needed less than 5 ft.

The channel is now deeper thanks to the path dug by the Mardi Gras keel, because even at high tide the channel doesn’t carry the needed 6 ft!  Yes they called ahead, yes the marina said they’d have enough water, yes this made for a good story!

Happy Mardi Gras cruisers!

After a quick tour of our land yacht we dropped our friends off ( yes you can squeeze four into the Mini) back at The Wharf, bid them fair winds and calm seas ( oh wait, maybe we forgot to do that!) and promised to find our way to their home; we’ll know it by the 50amp plug outside!

That mandatory Key West sunset at Mallory Square that eluded us before; we got one!

Sunset and the requisite sailing schooner at Mallory Square

Evening entertainment at Mallory Sq- always brings a smile

The pig act was cute and if she messed up- bacon!

A Square Grouper mobile in the comfy waiting area

The farewell dinner was had at the Square Grouper on Cudjoe Key. Do you know what a square grouper is? Look it up. This was our second visit and we loved it as much as the first. Hard to read with the light glare, but it says ” My Favorite Joint.”

Lori’s first course- warm goat cheese with honey-fig balsamic, mixed seeds flatbread crackers on SeaGrape leaves. Square plate of course

Practice, practice. I worked hours teaching myself. Three visits to the bead shop in Key West.

We had plenty of down time and while Russ read a small library I worked on making jewelry. This started with sea glass and has expanded to include sea beans, shells and other purchased beads. I get lost in it and find it very relaxing.

Finally the day came to venture out of Venture Out for good. All went well, even the fueling up part. When we met Chris and Tracy for a farewell lunch at Sparky’s the day before, we scoped out an RV friendly gas station. Requirements are: sells diesel, relatively flat entrance (FL often has big dips), pumps situated so we pull in parallel to the street (less turning) and wide spaced pumps is nice. We found a Mobil station that looked perfect- I mean we are 51 ft total length with Bonny in tow. Of course we pull in and it’s gridlock, but all goes well and we are back under way in 15 mins.

Never did get to the Diving Museum. Maybe next time

We subscribe to SiriusXM but they altered the plans and we’d have to pay a premium for stations like Margaritaville, E Street, CNN so we didn’t. Country stations are our new go-to and I got such a kick when Prime Country played Randy Travis singing King of the Road sounding so much like Roger Miller. Our version goes”…. Queen of the Road!” cuz Annie is our queen bee. Don’t tell Bonny.

I loved this song growing up- whodathunk it would be so appropriate 45 yrs later

I prefer not to travel on weekends but we had to leave Jan 31, a Saturday.  Most of the traffic heads into the Keys on a weekend morning , giving us an easy, but sad drive out.

On Rte 1 Overseas Highway heading north (sob) to Florida City and Southern Comfort RV

The former train and highway bridge at Bahia Honda State Park

Although we departed the Keys on Jan 31, I still have a few more (can you stand it?) posts to share with y’all. During our first couple of boat cruising years we spent time on four or five occasions hanging out in Boot Key Harbor at the Marathon City Marina. Long time followers with good memories may recall some of the fun times and visitors we enjoyed.

We only drove up to Marathon twice but managed to fill our days well, especially our stops at Sparky’s Landing. Our friends Chris and Tracy of (now for sale officially) sv Sanuk had a bulkhead spot at the City Marina that they expertly squeezed themselves into when it became available.  We get a good chuckle about them being at the marina because during their first visit in Feb 2011 they gave it a big thumbs down. Maybe due in part to running aground in the tight anchorage area, but still we knew the place had what they would need in the coming years. 🙂

Here’s a mostly pictorial post of our Marathon jaunts via land.

Looking down from the old bridge at Bahia Honda

The park offers camping, great beaches, a nature center and a small marina basin with snack bar. You enter the basin immediately past the rock jetty you see sticking out. The narrow channel entrance is about 5.5 ft deep but once inside the basin is deeper. Remember this fact.

We walked by this Green Heron twice. Was he scared stiff or loved to pose?

The relatively new Aquarium Encounters in Marathon was interesting but since we’d seen much of the inhabitants close-up and personal the visit was “OK”.

We did get a kick out of the red light corner; heat, what else?
Sparky’s Landing was just a few miles north of the Aquarium and boy we were glad we opted to eat here rather than the cute snack stand on site. Extensive and yummy appetizer menu; just my thing. The artichoke/crab dip clogged my arteries just gazing at it, but I survived to tell you how delicious it was. Drinks- awesome too. We sat ringside overlooking the small and quite obviously shallow bay. A narrow, marked channel  brought boats to the dock next to Sparky’s (mostly charter) but how one would go in further, we weren’t sure.

Sparky’s proclaimed they had the best Happy Hour in Marathon- great wait staff for sure!

A perfect table at Sparky’s with a view of bird and boat activity

We watched this boat go aground as he opted not to use the channel- at high tide yet.

Saw the scene unfold, knew the outcome, still aground when we left. Several boats passed by but finally the sailboat let the power try to work him free. Going to be a long night if you are stuck at high tide.

As we left Sparky’s, hardly able to tear ourselves away from a scene we hadn’t witnessed in many months, a server pointed out this gal drinking manatee nectar; fresh water. Our best close-up to a manatee ever. Ok, one benefit to land cruising. 🙂

The day before leaving the Keys Chris and Tracy joined us for lunch at Sparky’s and this time the food, drinks and service was just as great, but lacked on-water excitement. Funny thing was we were taking about power cats (Tracy desires) and then a blue-hulled Lagoon power cat (4oft) comes along from the inner basin, right over the same spot where the sailboat ran aground a month before, and even at low tide, just glides on by. Cats rule ‘cuz running aground is cruel.