Routine (Day 076)

Boot Key Harbor, Marathon, FL MM1195 Mooring Ball # N-9
LAY DAY

Weather: Mostly sunny; high in the high 70s, low in the low 70s; 10 – 12 knots of wind

Comment: It’s our first full day in Boot Key Harbor and we’ve already established a routine of sorts. BY 0730 we are up. While Anna Marie prepares the morning beverages and breakfast, I work on the logs. The Sirius radio has been tuned to a Christmas music station since we left Vero Beach. We enjoy the music while eating breakfast and discussing the day’s activities. We also activate the refrigeration cooling water pump since the solar panels have no problem keeping up with the refrigeration demands. We turn the pump off at sunset.

It is time for the Cruisers’ Net at 0900. We get the weather report, are introduced to boats new to the harbor and bid farewell to those leaving for other destinations, discuss problems that others may be having and hear what people have to buy, trade or sell. There is also a trivia question or two and sometimes a joke.

Chris, who operates the SmorgasBoat, is no longer running the water taxi service. Apparently he had some trouble with support from the marina and some of the boaters. He also suggested that people were not honest when they put money into the till. Boaters are dependant on their dinghies as the only way to get off their boats. The SmorgasBoat continues to deliver welcome packets other items and still runs harbor tours.

After the net, we cleaned the boat, took a dinghy ride and returned to the boat for lunch, after which we went ashore to make an appointment with Eric (Inflatable Boats) to repair the motor lifting mechanisms. He’s also going to take care of the vent cover on the Nissan dinghy motor as a warranty issue.

Later in the afternoon, we did some more cleaning, read and took a nap before welcoming the crew of Canvasback Too, Tarwathie and Maribelle to happy hour. As usual, there were so many good things to eat, we skipped dinner!

After everyone left and clean up detail was completed, we played a game of gin rummy, made some phone calls and hit the sack just after boaters midnight.