The Florida Keys are home to the United States' only living coral barrier reef, making it a popular snorkling and scuba diving destination. Marathon (on Vaca Key) and its neighbor Big Pine Key have easy acres to the reefs and excellent dive shops. While we are temporary Keys residents I decided to train and become … Continue reading One Giant Stride →

Marathon, Florida has a large community of seasonal and full-time boat residents. Many of them live aboard boats attached to Boot Key Harbor’s hundreds of reasonably priced ($225/month) mooring balls. Boot Key Harbor Boot Key’s residents commute by dinghy to a shoreside dock / restroom / shower facility where many boaters keep bicycles as their … Continue reading Marathon Cruisers Net →

We hope to anchor more often as we head north along the Great Loop. One project I have worked on over time is getting our anchor(s) and other "ground tackle" up to par. Check out R&R's new "Boat Projects” page on anchoring gear: Anchoring Gear

Erika, John, Katy and I arrived by boat at Marlin Bay Marina's watch tower on the Gulf of Mexico, and Rhonda drove the car here from Key West. We were happy to be back! We thoroughly enjoyed Marlin Bay when we were here in February 2020, so returning here feels a bit like coming home. … Continue reading Morning at the Oasis →

We had planned to leave Key West on February 1 and cruise about 45 miles east in the Atlantic Ocean’s Hawk Channel to Marathon. Those plans changed (more later). Our son, John; his wife, Katy; and our daughter, Erika, joined for a few days in Key West and to be onboard for this leg of … Continue reading Moving on to Marathon! →

https://videopress.com/v/Ch5SSs3r?preloadContent=metadata We are nearing the end of a warm and relaxing three weeks at Stock Island Marina Village in Key West, working, biking, walking, doing boat maintenance, taking dinghy rides, and building friendships with dock neighbors. We keep Dinghy #3 tied to R&R’s swim platform so we can easily dinghy out to restaurants, uninhabited keys, … Continue reading It’s Been a Quiet Week in Key West →

Today was a lovely, warm and calm day in Key West. Morning coffee view from R&R’s cockpit One pleasure of being in one place for a month is learning about the town, seeing what’s to see, checking out the local haunts. A dinghy is an excellent way to do that. It’s like a combination of … Continue reading Circumnavigating Key West →

R&R is a jealous mistress that needs a lot of attention. Fortunately, I enjoy washing and detailing the exterior, and Rhonda keeps the interior shipshape. We recently added a “Boat Projects” menu item to the website, with pages describing some of our larger or more important projects. You can get there directly with this link. … Continue reading Boat Projects →

We are enjoying Key West and looking forward to friends and family who will join us here soon! The weather has been mostly sunny and in the 70s, which oddly seems cool here but would feel like a heat wave in Michigan or Indiana! ... Meeting new pickle ball competitor/friends, many of them older and … Continue reading Key West Sampler →

We are enjoying and getting to know our new temporary home in Key West. Daybreak on the back porch of R&R We took a dinghy ride with Scott and Cathy to get familiar with the island. A Manatee came up for air only a few feet from our dinghy Pelican watching from a dock post … Continue reading Key West Freedom →

Stock Island Marina (our home for the month) has a large and well-equipped marina for sail and power boats, a good hotel, two beautiful pools, and a number of outdoor restaurants. It is only a short shuttle ride to downtown Key West. Our first day on the dock, we met a Calvin University graduate, two … Continue reading Stock Island Marina Village →

Yesterday we made a 110 mile crossing from Everglades City on the Florida peninsula to Key West at the end of the Florida Keys. Entering Chokoloskee Bay from the Barron River Everglades City is at the head of an eight mile channel leading from Indian Key at the Gulf of Mexico, through a winding waterway, … Continue reading Southwest to Key West →

From the Everglades, we want to share images of peace, peace, peace. The airboat fleet quiet. Calm waters. Fishing fleet safely in harbor. A heron in the mangroves. A line in the water. And sunset over the river. That’s all.

As we prepared R&R for departure from Marco Island yesterday, we heard a repeated “slap” sound and saw a dolphin slowly swimming through the marina, slapping its tail on the water surface again and again. It was a beautiful sight and brought smiles to our faces! Richard, the insightful dockmaster, former charterboat captain, and bold … Continue reading Dolphin Day →

Two weeks ago Rhonda and I invited boat guests Shirley and Matt, plus Marco Island friends Marilyn and Jean, for a late afternoon cruise out the Marco River and into the Gulf of Mexico to enjoy the sunset. It was a warm sunny day and the sunset was spectacular! No green flash, but beautiful! The … Continue reading One of These Blades is Not Like the Other! →