Day 154, Marathon, Islamorada

Looper attendees at Harbour Cay Club, image shot from atop Noah Genda








Cindy Shue and Linda Tuls








Diann, Linda, Dave, Alex, Cindy & Tom









Linda, Dave, Alex & Diann







Worldwide Sportsman at Islamorada








55' Flemming at the Miami Boat Show







View of in water show at Marriott Resort, Miami








I see it has been quite a while since our last update. The time is just passing by so quickly here in Marathon. Everyday seems to be filled with site seeing, a social, chasing errands or just relaxing and enjoying the beautiful environment. Diann flew home for a scheduled visit yesterday (Friday) and we both had deep concerns about the flight cancellations/delays due to the unpredictable winter storms the country is suffering. However all connections went well and she made it home as scheduled.
Last week Sallyann and Andrew (Freedom) assembled a social gathering here at Harbour Cay Club with invitations to all current “Great Loopers” located here in Marathon and included some surrounding Keys. There was a tremendous response with 60 plus Looper attendees celebrating a wonderful afternoon of camaraderie. It was a great time to rekindle existing acquaintances as well as an opportunity to build new ones. The owners of Harbour Cay Club extended a gracious welcoming to all of the guests and a good time was had by all. Thank you Andrew and Sallyann and to all of the loopers for sharing the afternoon together.

Diann & I picked up a rental car Friday morning and spent the day driving about twenty miles up to Islamorada. We looked around the area and selected the Islamorada Fish Company that is adjacent to Worldwide Sportsman (Bass Pro Shop) for an outdoor lunch where we almost stayed warm. We both decided to shop at Worldwide Sportsman while we had the chance. We drove around observing the area and stopped for beverages at Holiday Isle Resort and watched the seagulls beg for food overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. Nice view. On the way back to Marathon we drove down Sombrero Blvd and walked Sombrero Beach. It had potential of a beautiful sunset, but it was getting chili and we didn’t have jackets with us. We returned to the boat since we were setting the alarm clocks for 4:00 A.M. to get Diann to Miami Airport for an early Saturday departure.

After dropping Diann off at MIA airport, I had scheduled to attend the Miami Boat Show. The Marine Industry has suffered severely for the last few years and it was quite evident observing the in water display of boats at the Marriott. The Conventions Center display of vendors is always my favorite segment of the show and I was not disappointed this year. Of course the Collins Ave Brokers show is always well displayed and attended. However that is a fantasy world of mega-yachts that I cannot relate to.

I returned to the boat in Marathon and got out of the car just when the sky let loose with copious amounts of rain. About 1:00 A.M. I woke up to the boat rocking and rolling from wind gusts of 50 MPH. Needless to say several of us were up for a couple of hours repositioning lines and fenders and hoping all would hold through this blow. It was impossible to sleep on the boat. Finally about 4:00 A.M. it settled enough to get a few additional hours of sleep. Rough night, and tonight (Sat) it is gusting to 30 MPH winds, not nearly like last night, but still bouncing around a lot. The northern winds out of the Gulf of Mexico are relentless.