Big Pine to Marathon FL

(This is long.  Sorry.   More of a stream of consciousness because I'm so tired.)

One can look at a picture like this and think 'what a beautiful day, what beautiful water' etc.   It was.  Until we turned around the point.    There we were met by 5-6ft waves at uneven frequency and from multiple directions.   

We stepped up the motors a bit to try to push more into them and then the port engine cut out again, down to 1200rpms.... And then 500rpms.    Time to make some decisions.  

The next port we could get into was Bahia Honda.  We entered through the pass after an hour or two of misery and we're greeted again by flat smooth water and sunshine. 

We limped past the mandatory 100 crab pots and dropped anchor.  I let the engines cool a bit then dug in, replacing the fuel filter again.    

This time, however, the fuel filter wasn't full of fuel.    I don't know why.  Fuel starvation will kill a diesels power for sure.    I replaced the filter, pulled the bleed screw and ran the manual pump (after I found it) until fuel overflowed.     It would start again and run after a couple tries.   A good sign. 

Since I was covered with diesel already I pulled the cover off our starboard racor (the primary fuel filter) and replaced it then refilled the diesel in the container.   I pulled some diesel out of the bottom of the filter and intended to use it to fill up the fuel filter on the other engine....   I shut off the valve (or so I thought since it wasn't dripping) and we started up both engines.   They ran ok at low rpm so I pulled anchor and headed toward Marathon where we thought we would buy more filters..  

The Gulf side of this area is shallow.  Like 8ft deep or less.     But it's also dead flat because the wind is coming from the south making for a comfortable cruise.   

Things improved until both engines started acting up.   We couldn't get 1500 rpms.   At 1300 rpms they would occasionally drop back to 900 or 500...  And then back up.  But never more than 1500 unless we were in neutral.  

At first I thought perhaps we caught a crab pot on each of the running gear... No vibration but low rpms.  But when it stated varying speed I knew it was likely fuel..   

We were able to run on one engine and get close and I was able to restart the port engine enough to idle into the dock, get fuel and then move to a slip.   

When we docked I looked down in the bilge.  RED fuel all over.   The valve I thought was closed was plugged with dirt which eventually blew out and then fuel could run freely.  About 15 gallons of it contaminated in the bilge.  

So I spent the afternoon wet vacuuming diesel out of the bilge, siphoning it out of the wet vac and into used oil containers I had and cleaning things up.   

I'll attack the fuel filter and bleeding all of the lines up to the injectors this week when I feel rested.  

This all leads to decisions.  Weather is preventing us from using the ocean.  Wind is horrible this year.  We won't cross the Gulf stream in 6-8ft waves and we can't go if we can't cross in the next 10 days ...  So we pivot.   We asked and the cost to stay here at the Marathon Safe Harbor Marina is the same for 10 days or 30 days.    So we stay. 

This will give us time to explore on our own, get to know the neighbors (a bunch of which are from Grand Haven!) and get things functional.   We will also figure out how to get to Ft Lauderdale to fly home in early March .. and then back to Marathon.   Marathon is home, for now...  

Frankly I wasn't sure I had it in me to navigate through the shallows of the Bahamas.  Insurance was going to hit me hard to go that far out.   We would have some expensive slip days in Ft Lauderdale while we flew back to Michigan (and expensive slips in Bahamas).  

All of that put together and we stay where we are.   It's expensive here.... But it is also gorgeous and has the services we need and protection we want.  I'm tired.   We will watch the Superbowl and then sleep.  Tomorrow is another day and we will start to figure out what is next...  

In the meantime we were greeted at our slip by a giant sea beast.   We've been looking for Manatee ever since we have been in Florida and have seen none.   Today we were greeted by a little one.  (Yes, this is a little one) 

We will have ample opportunity to fix things, explore in our dinghy and see the sites...  And hopefully we will enjoy some time in a single place with services and neighbors.   Our last month long stay was in a marina with no long term boats or services.   This is the opposite of that.   Pool, restaurant, fuel, pump outs, water, electric, reliable wifi.   This is how it's supposed to be ...  Or at least how we want it.  

Something we did a couple of days ago.  We went to the jumping bridge down on Sugarloaf Key.   We didn't jump.  But it was fun to visit.   I'd like to do it someday...

Isnt the water gorgeous?   It's possible to jump from the bridge, float to the ocean with the current and then float all of the way back to the bridge with the current - if you jump just before the tide change....   Otherwise you might have a trek.  

We also visited the No Name Pub on No Name Key.   It's on No Name Road... 

Another restaurant with good pizza and dollar bills stapled everywhere....

And we had one last Euchre tourney with Dan and Robin from Horizon Bound.  They head to Key West for a month now and we begin the trek north (after a month pause in Marathon). 

Alas the loop brings friends and then you have to separate.  We will get together again though as their kids live in West Michigan so they will be there to visit!