[/caption]Our final days in Marathon pass rapidly. With access to shoreside amenities from our slip, we succumb to the laid back approach to life in the Keys.
[caption id="attachment_2737" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Bike Fridays at Sombrero Beach Park"]
[/caption]One of the many advantages of establishing roots in a marina is that the bicycles are always assembled and secure, ready to ride in a moment's notice. Every day, recreational rides are blended with shopping and dining. Our carbon footprint has decreased and our level of fitness has increased since arriving in Marathon.
Cutter Loose is clean and shiny, having benefitted from frequent washdowns, polishing and vacuuming during our stay here at the Harbour Cay Club in Marathon...yet another benefit of spending eleven days at a slip. Laundry here at the marina is accomplished in small loads every other day. The laundry facilities are literally 12 steps from our slip and are accessible day and night at a reasonable cost of 75 cents per load. This technique offers a distinct advantage over accumulating a week's supply of dirty clothes and devoting the better part of an afternoon, dinghying ashore and carting the laundry basket to a busy laundramat. Yes, we are definitely becoming soft and spoiled.
[caption id="attachment_2738" align="alignright" width="150" caption="Saturday afternoon cookout at Harbour Cay Club"]
[/caption]Saturday afternoon brings slipholders together at an outdoor barbeque. Each participant brings a dish and food for grilling. On Sunday, we attend services at the Marathon Community United Methodist Church where the minister delivers her message in the format of a television talk show. Following the service, we bicycle to Crane Point where we tour the history museum and hike through the hardwood hammock.
[caption id="attachment_2739" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="View of Florida Bay from Crane Point Nature Center"]
[/caption]Winds shift to the north during the weekend, delaying our departure by one day as we wait for a favorable wind angle towards our next destination. We utilize this found time to return to Key West via public transit on Monday, Martin Luther King Day. Old Town is filled to capacity with tourists as three cruise ships are docked in the harbor. Key West Race Week, a major sailing regatta, is also taking place this week.
[caption id="attachment_2741" align="alignright" width="150" caption="Cruise ship calls at Key West"]
[/caption][caption id="attachment_2743" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="A taste of Buffett"]
[/caption][caption id="attachment_2744" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Sharing sweets with Marilyn"]
[/caption][caption id="attachment_2742" align="alignright" width="150" caption="Hemingway House, complete with cats"]
[/caption][caption id="attachment_2745" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Matisse, Key West Style"]
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During our stay, we have made many new friends at the Harbour Cay Club in Marathon. Everyone has been kind and accommodating. As much as we have enjoyed our time here at HCC, Cutter Loose will sail north in the morning.
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