May 12th
I get going, another good sailing day, weather sucks. I'm heading for the Fanney Keys anchorage off of Marathon, not far from Seven Mile Bridge. I'm way ahead of schedule for Key West. So no great rush. By the time I get to to Fanny Keys its rough, the wind is hard out of the east, and Fanny Keys. This would be a good place if the wind was from the South-east like it was supposed to be. Now it just looks exposed and narrow.. I decide I'm not going in, do a chart search and decide the other end of Marathon is a much better idea. There's at least a peninsula. So I motor into the wind from one end of Marathon to the other (its not that far) and pass up several options but keep going to the end. I'm the only one there (odd?). Anchor holds, I dive on it to check it. Its in sand but set and I've let a lot of chain of out.
So what is there to do? I'm 200 yards off of Marathon, I have a dinghy, I have a charged battery and a trolling motor, Lets try it out! I take it in to a channel lined with boats. These boats are for the people who live on the sides of the channel. Some homes are trailers, some are mansions, but everyone has a boat. I get to the end of the channel and theres a vacant lot but wall like sides. I head back and talk to some of the locals (sailboat owners getting ready to head to the Bahamas). They tell me that the vacant lot is my best choice, its all private access everywhere else. OK Morgan man-up! So I turn round putting along with my trolling motor, no idea how long it will last, and find the least daunting place to scale the walls. There's bright red crabs in the cracks in the walls here. I had to double check they weren't snakes. So long story short I get ashore, got a 1.8 from the Russian judge on my dismount, and I go eat. Fried and breaded conch (I was at the the Conch Cafe after all), with spinach and mushrooms. The conch was cooked very much like schnitzel and the meal was quite excellent. And to cap it all, sitting there in the cafe I see a liquor store. Wahooooo! Score! Loaded up with a handle of rum. Happy!
Found the dinghy where I left it and headed for home. That folks was all I saw of Marathon. Can't help but think its seen better times. Maybe I should have seen more of it.
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