Islamorada - the Keys - the Road to Marathon

Islamorada is a small town on Upper Matacumbre Key, a part of the Florida Keys.  Originally, I thought "Islamorada" meant purple island.  I was wrong.  I checked it out on my Google Translator, and it actually means Island Home.  It was so named shortly after the railroad came through.  Since it is almost at the halfway point between Key West and the mainland, it was home to many railroad workers and equipment. 

At first glance, it does not appear to be the island paradise most folks imagine when they consider the Florida Keys.  We were on the Gulf side, so there were no white sandy beaches, and, as I said previously, the palm trees appear to be plants. (By the same token, I guess it's not impossible that a coconut could have washed itself up on the land and taken root.)  However, what this town has is a terrific, laid back environment.  It's not like Hawaii or Mexico where everything is "well, maybe tomorrow, after fishing or surfing."  The people here make it special.  Everyone from the folks who work at Lorelei's to the guy in the gas station convenience store was friendly and helpful.

Let me say a couple words about the cruising lifestyle as some of you may not have experienced this before.  Folks are helpful.  Whether you need help lifting your dinghy out of the water, or if you simply need directions to the post office, other cruisers always have your back.  In that regard, places like Islamorada are cruiser havens.  When you can find a place where you can anchor for as long as you want for free; where the water is clean and clear; where you have services; where you have a place to go every evening to see yet another brilliant sunset, there are going to be long range cruisers who hang out for a while.  These are the folks you have to get in touch with if you want to know where to find things and how to get the stuff you need.  You can always find them at the end of the day, usually enjoying something cold on the beach.

We met a fellow named Bob who trailered his Catalina 22 down from a little town in central Louisiana.  He is only 61 but fully retired.  Unfortunately, his wife is not well and couldn't travel with him.  She doesn't like cruising either but appreciates his passion for it and encourages him to go alone.  As I said, however, cruisers are never alone.  We met Bob while coming to Lorelei's in our dinghy.  We had already run the dink into the mud once or twice until we followed this guy through "the channel".  He looked like he knew where he was going.  What was interesting however, was his dinghy.  It appeared to be made from canvas and wood.  He had a little 3.5 hp outboard on it and was sitting quite on the floor.  When we pulled up to the dock beside him, we struck up a conversation about the dink.  It turns out, he built it himself from some plans he got from someone somewhere.  It folds up and is stored in the v-berth.  The whole package, sans motor, weighs in at just under 40 lbs.  He moves around in it quite well and it does fine getting him to the docks.  Living aboard a Catalina 22 requires him to come to the dock for just about all the necessities of life.  Nevertheless, he is invenerable and does it every day with a smile and a brilliant attitude.  Insofar as he trailered his boat to Florida, he had a truck.  So, he was kind enough to show me where he kept the spare key and said we could use it anytime we wanted.  This is what I mean about cruisers wanting to help other cruisers.  While I did not have occasion to take him up on his offer, I did ride with him to the nautical flea market.

This was a lot of fun.  It is a generally huge event and happens every so often and attracts vendors from all over, not to mention folks purusing for that perfect boat item, part, clothing item, fishing supply or whatever else might have any business on or near salt water.  There was live music, a lot of great food, and, on a perfect day, there were thousands of people all enjoying themselves.

There is a prevailing sense in a place like Islamorada that it is ok to have thousands of people in one place like that.  I have really enjoyed the sense of freedom and the sense that you do not have to constantly watch your back.  Unlike at similar events in Southern California, there were no metal detectors at the door; nobody was there to search your back pack, and make you leave your smokes in the car.  There weren't heavily armed police in riot gear standing menacingly in any corners.  It would be nice to think that if you treat adults like adults, they will act like adults.  Whereas I am not convinced that Southern California is capable of this, down here in the islands, it is generally the case.  I guess what I am trying to say is that Southern California is a bastion for drunken idiocy anytime a beer is available at a festival whereas I have not seen that kind of thing down here.  I could speculate on any number of socio-anthropoligic theories as to why this is, but I won't.  Suffice it to say, we had a terrific time at the flea market.

Bob hauled his boat and went home the other day.  He left right before a frontal system brought wind and rain to the anchorage.  The rain was only sporadic, but it got and stayed quite windy for the last couple days we were there.

After encountering this crew in Cayo Costa, and hearing of their ramblings down the west coast of Florida, we finally met Barry and Jodi - the venerable crew of the T/V Loveshack, Tampa, FL.  I sometimes think that sometimes the stars line up just right for the chance meeting of folks you might consider kindred spirits.  Like us, they were successful in their own business venture and decided enough was enough, hopped on a boat and are out on their own exploration voyage of discovery.  Based on what we learned, they did a terrific job raising their daughter who is now well out on her own and doing just fine.  They have a beautiful boat that is very well maintained and very well equipped.  While they are both native Floridians, they have done quite a bit of travelling and are now enjoying their home waters aboard their own boat.  They have had several boats, but this is their piece de resistance. 

We saw their moored boat and I immediately recognized the name.  So we dingied over and said hello, told them how to get to Loreleis without running into the mud, and ultimately, met them for cocktails.  We were there until nearly 10 at night, just having a great time telling stories, etc.  I'm so glad Brenda and Jodi hit it off.  Jodi is absolutely adorable and a total sweetheart.  Jodi, by the way, is aka "Jodigirl" a bass player in a classic rock band in Tampa.  She taught herself to play (with a little help from her daughter) after having learned to play violin.  She is obviously very talented.  And, Barry cooked the best steaks we have had in over 5 months.  Thank you so much for a great dinner aboard Love Shack.  And Barry, by the way, the next tim eyou are in the mood to build a small country, let me know.  It would be a pleasure to work with you.

Love Shack headed north the other day.  We headed south.  It was great how we could tell them about what they would be encountering and they could tell us about what we had in store.  This is a huge part of this thing we call cruising.  Obviously, Barry can read a chart and drive a boat.  There is nothing he needed from me.  But, whenever, you go to a place you have never been before aboard your home, it is nice to have at least an image of what to expect.  They told us all about Marathon and Key West and a couple great spots in between.They also filled us in on the south part of the west coast of Florida.  We are looking forward to it.

Did I mention that there is a true diamond in the rough down in Islamorada?  Well, if you are a diver, or have any interest in it, they you have to experience the History of Diving Museum in Islamorada.  This museum was put together by a husband and wife team who, for more than 40 years, collected commercial diving helmets and paraphernalia from all over the world. 

Do you think this contraption worked?

At one time, this was the Cadillac of underwater diving bells.

Their collection includes everthing from helmets to suits to knives, to ballast systems and bells, to cameras and lights, and all sorts of bits used in the collection of sunken treasure.  It's an extraordinary collection all housed in a nice sized wharehouse type building the outside of which is a mural art piece.  Two local artists painted the outside of the building in local undersea wildlife.  The building is surrounded by flags from all over the world, as they have helmets from every country in the world that ever fabricated a diving helmet.  The way they set up the display made it clear that the evolution of diving had its roots deep in an insatiable desire to see what was under water and to be able to work in that environment. 

Some of many attempts.

Historic underwater photography equipment.

This is Captain Nemo's Original Helmet.

By work, I mean everything from finding dropped items, to assembling the world's largest exploration platforms, to collecting sponges and treasure.  They created a diving timeline that started even before Aristotle's Elephant, the original snorkeler. 

I must say that we both enjoyed this expedition very much.  Even though I have been diving for many years, in both the commercial and recreational environment, I was impressed.  I may not have learned of something I didn't already know, but I was able to put a face to the name, so to speak, and see demonstrations of the theories and principles of diving physics and physiology that I studied in books, come to life as evidenced by the pieces of hardware used by the pioneers of the industry. 

We had a wonderful time in Islamorada.  It's certainly one of the coolest places we have visited to date.  You really have to try hard not to like the breezy 80 degree days and crystal clear (al beit greenish colored from the sea grass) water.  Wonderful mangrove covered banks and islets, and spectacular sunsets make Islamorada a place I will always remember and maybe someday return to.  However, the weather was about to turn to complete shit for a couple days, so we had an open windo to make the jump to Marathon, a city on Vaca Key.  We are anchored presently in Boot Key Harbor.  I'll tell you more about it later.

Have a great day.