Boot Key Harbor Marina (aka City Marina) in Marathon, Florida is a popular spot. During the month we were there,the mooring field was completely full at times. There were some areas were you could anchor for free, and there was some dock space, but as the mooring was only $260 a month, we opted for that. This required a reliable dinghy, and we immediately had problems with that, as our outboard, a 1990 Johnson 9.9 hp two-stroke, would frequently stall out. Knowing we were going to need a completely reliable motor, especially when we got to the Bahamas, we decided to buy a new one.

We love Honda engines, and would probably have sprung for a Honda outboard (hundreds more than most other makes), but they weren’t available locally, so we settled for a Nissan. Supposedly Nissan and Tohatsu are basically the same engine,and the Tohatsu’s were a hundred or so cheaper, but the Nissan was more highly recommended. We got an 8 hp, instead of the 9.9, believing it to have plenty of power to push our 11’ AB dinghy, and it has proven to be sufficient, even in choppy waters. We had the guy who we bought the Nissan from at Inflatable Boats, Inc. to check out our old Johnson, so that we would have a spare. Reggie was not smart enough to ask what it would cost, believing it would only be $50-$100. When it was returned to us, it cost over $300, possibly more than the motor was worth. While it is nice to know the carburetor has been rebuilt, I try desperately to avoid wondering if it had just been an old batch of fuel in the fuel tank that was the problem in the first place ;-)

The staff at the City Marina were all very nice, and very helpful. The facilities themselves, however, were quite run-down. There were only two showers available, so there were usually long lines waiting to use them. There was only one bathroom - again usually a line. The dinghy dock was almost always so full t was difficult to find a place to squeeze in your dinghy. Water was only a nickel a gallon, but you had to move your boat to the dock to get it, of course. Pump-outs of your holding tanks were free, but were only done once a week, which was a stretch even with two heads (bathrooms). Mail was receivable through the marina, as well as packages, so we were able to order engine parts, supplies, and our medicines and have them shipped there. This worked well and was a godsend.

There were several other marinas at Marathon, but we didn’t bother to price them, as it was our understanding that the municipal marina was the cheapest. Fuel was not available there, but there were two fuel docks at the entrance to the harbor, both within a penny of each other on their prices. The City Marina also had wifi available at their office/community room, but we opted to purchase a month’s service from a local provider called Maricomm. What a mistake! Their bandwidth was so small that it almost always took several minutes for a page to download! I don’t know if that was because a lot of folks were using Skype (an incredible bandwidth hog) or if Maricomm simply subscribed too many people, but it was incredibly frustrating. If we ever return to Marathon, I will access wifi at the marina community room, even though it means a dinghy ride every time you want to get online.

The City Marina had a brand-new building with about ten showers/bathrooms, but it had not opened yet, in spite of having been completed sometime last year. We were told the issue was sewer line connection/access. You’d think the city would have their permits and all their ducks in a row before building the darn thing, but evidently that wasn’t the case. We were assured it would be open within a month or two. That remains to be seen, but hopefully it will be done before we go back next winter, if we do. There was talk that they were going to expand their dinghy dock as well, which would be nice.

There were several stores within (LONG) walking distance. A Publix and a Winn-Dixie supermarket, a KMart (with somewhat bare shelves), a West Marine and a Boater’s World (both quite expensive) and a Home Depot (the closest of all the stores.) We earned the hard way to shop at Home Depot first, as they had diesel jerry cans for almost ten bucks less than the two I bought at West Marine. If you had a bike, everything was a bit more accessible, but still a bit of a workout for an old codger like me. Especially on the warmer days.

In winter, getting a “weather window” - a period of time when the weather had been good long enough to calm the Gulf Stream down and that would remain good long enough for a safe crossing of the Stream - is frequently difficult to come by. Fortunately for us, we got one just as our months rent on the mooring was up. One of the neat things about the marina was the camaraderie amongst the boaters, and this was evidenced by a board upon which people listed their boat, it’s cruising speed, and it’s destination. Groups of boats would get together to discuss when and where they were going, and make plans to travel together. We ended up leaving in a group of about eight boats, and crossed the Gulf Stream over to the Bahamas in a convoy. It was a good feeling, for all of us, to know help was near if needed.

Finally, we made new friends while we were there. One of the nicest couples we met, and whom we hope to remain in contact with in the future, were Dave and Joanne Bakale, from Michigan. They own a beautiful Maxim 38 catamaran named Tropical Breeze, and we had a lot of fun socializing with them. As I’ve mentioned before, due to PTSD and my reclusive nature, I don’t socialize much, but Dave and Joanne were so nice and so easy to be with that Shirley and I just think the world of them. We met other nice folks as well: Bill and Bette Neumyer from Massachusetts, Butch, Gretchen and Reese Evans, and Rich Coffman from Delaware, along with his crew, David Nutt from the UK.

Rich and David traveled with us to Bimini on Rich’s Baba 30 monohull, and stayed there for two weeks with us while we waited for favorable weather to continue our journey. We explored the small islands of North and South Bimini, visited the Shark Research Center, and went out for beer and food together while we were there. We met another great couple, Jim and Marlene Jackson from Montana on their Hunter 46 (IIRC), and the three of us left Bimini together, Shirley and I enroute to the Abacos, and the others to Nassau.

We hit really nasty wind-driven chop shortly after we started, and just north of the tip of North Bimini, our dinghy davits collapsed, due to the up and down slamming we encountered from the closely set waves and confused seas. There was nothing the other boats could do to help us, so they continued on, while we turned back in order to save our dinghy and brand-new ($1900) outboard motor before we lost them. We motored to the shore into slightly calmer water, where we struggled with removing the 90 pound motor from the dinghy and bringing it aboard the boat, then securing the dinghy so that we could tow it behind. What a nightmare! We returned to the Bimini Sands Marina on South Bimini, and stayed for another night before starting out again. Next time we’ll describe the nasty passage to Great Harbour Cay, and our brief night anchored out on the Bahamas Bank, as well as our stay (unimpressive) on Great Harbour Cay.