Fryedaze Cruising Adventures: Time to move on, good bye to Marathon

Its been a month and a half since we arrived here at Burdines in Marathon Fl. We seem to get antsy after sitting for a while in one place. But, it was a little different this time. During this stationary period we had several guests on board and it helped us with our urge to cruise on. Marathon has been an interesting place and experience. We watched the snow birds exit during the month of March. Some heading north and some sailors heading out to the islands after and extended weather delay. The place is definitely laid back. The harbor is filled with live aboard sailors who have their own unique life style. The harbor seems to have its own little community and culture. It would have been cool to try that experience out. Maybe next time. We rented a car and began to explore. We discovered many cool waterside communities as well as a lot of old Florida places on the side roads. The car afforded us the opportunity to check out a few more restaurants. The criteria for evening eateries always had sunsets as a primary goal for the places we sought out. Most places have live music along with the great settings and food.
There will be smiles on Fryedaze when those engines fire up in the morning and we head to the Seven Mile Bridge to start our adventure north on the Gulf side towards Miami. Cheers.

Hearst and Deena enjoying cruising Fryedaze style. We cruised out to beautiful Sombrero Reef. On the way out the dolphins didn't disappoint. We were so glad they got to experience the Dolphins swimming near the boat. The trip ended with a tour of Boot Key Harbor and Sister Creek. Maybe Hearst can find a boat that will carry horses.

Turtle rehab pools. We had a nice tour of the Turtle Hospital here in Marathon. We now know a lot more about turtles and have an appreciation for how man impacts their environment.

This turtle had Bubble Butt syndrome. When a turtle struck on the back of its shell damage occurs that causes air to trap inside and it destroys the turtle neutral buoyancy. After that they can never be released. The Velcro on the shell of this turtle are used for weights to balance out the turtle, much like divers weights. The epoxy weights on but as the grow they fall off.