Day 132-133 – 2/13-14/24

Starting location: Anchorage in Barley Basin, off Gulf side of Islamorada, FL.

Weather: 76 am, humid, rainy, overcast, southwest wind with gusts to low 20s, then wind switched to north which reduced temperatures and humidity, mid 60s pm, partly sunny – Tuesday 2/13. Upper 60sam, upper 70s pm, sunny, calm winds – Wednesday 2/14.

Ending location: Mangrove Marina, Tavernier, FL. About MM 1150 AICW.

Statute miles: Approximately 10

General summary: First light was about 6:45am, so it was a good thing we anchored close to the shop where we had the oil change scheduled. Got there right at 7am and were first in line for service. Went grocery shopping (walked about 1.5 miles each way) and the work was complete when we returned.

A send-off treat was a manatee that had positioned itself in front of our boat to sip rainwater coming off the dock’s end.

Motored on, following the ICW to Mangrove Marina on Tavernier, just South of Key Largo. Got gas and then maneuvered into another challenging slip with the smallest finger pier so far, and made with unforgiving concrete.

This stop was somewhat functional – to power up everything in preparation and await our reservation at another state park for a few days. Really enjoyed the pool on Tuesday. Starting to wear lighter clothes more of the time now as it is a bit warmer consistently. 😁

What is in the process of breaking: Refrigerator. We have been noticing for the last several weeks that our refrigerator has been having trouble keeping things cold, so have been turning up the cooling setting, now near maximum. Tom pulled it out and cleaned the coils which made no difference. Then, he noticed that our house battery had been draining more quickly than usual. He load tested the batteries, and they were fine. Most likely power drain from the appliance. So, we tried to get a new refrigerator. The last one available at West Marine in Marathon was damaged when we picked it up, and the company won’t have new ones until 3/8. So, we will continue to use our current fridge while plugged in at a marina. Tom bought a cooler and we will use that with purchased ice (turning the fridge off during that time) when anchored for more than a day. Will get a new fridge when we can.

What was fixed: Rub rail. Tom got some stainless steel bolts to secure the metal piece (having to worm his way into the stern to hold the nut while I tightened the bolts from the outside) and pushed the rubber piece back in.

Boater information: Mangrove Marina is in a well-sheltered “hurricane hole” so we weren’t bothered by winds at all. Pretty full, so we were lucky to get a spot. There is also a large anchoring area to the North. Concrete fixed piers (even finger pier, which was nerve-wracking for mooring). Power, water, gas, pump-out, laundry, pool. Restaurants, hardware store, groceries in walking distance.