Key West to Marathon

Conditions: Mostly sunny.  Winds from the east 5-10 mph. Easy two foot easterly swells 

Distance traveled: 40 nautical miles

Time underway: 4 hours 6 minutes

Average Speed: 10 knots

Max Speed: 14 knots

Fuel used: 52 gallons

It was a melancholy morning as we left our beloved Stock Island Marina and all of the new friends we made in our more than two months there.  They are now a part of our OLOH family.

We’ll have plenty to say in an upcoming post about this special place that caught us by surprise by exceeding the already high expectations we had when we arrived.  We already look forward to returning to our new home.

The day before our departure was spent ticking off all of the boxes on our pre-departure checklist including fueling up the dinghy prior to hoisting it aboard.  As we untied the tender from the dock for the last time and made our way around OLOH we were greeted by a manatee mother and child floating just beneath the surface as if they were there to wish us well.  They are amazing creatures and it was a beautiful moment.

While it was a little tough snapping back into the “cruising mode” we had been away from for two months, the weather was perfect for our first day back at it and we are excited about what’s to come.  After delivering a thank-you supply of pastries from Croissants de France de Stock Island to the marina staff, we fired up OLOH and made our way out into the Hawk Channel just off-shore for our easy run up to Faro Blanco Marina in Marathon.  Other than having to keep a vigilant watch for crab pots it was a straightforward cruise up to the Moser Channel where you turn to the north to pass under the Seven Mile Bridge that keeps the lower Keys connected to the rest of the world.

The water glowed, boat traffic was light, the tunes were smooth and Jasper quickly settled back into his cruising mode of relaxing on a pile of pillows while underway.

After passing under the bridge we continued a bit to the north before joining the ICW eastbound and turning to the southeast to make our easy approach to Faro Blanco.  It’s a very nice marina with fixed docks in excellent condition and a friendly staff.

We’ll continue up the Keys with one more stop before returning to mainland civilization and our final preps for The Bahamas.  See you out there!

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