2022: Ocean Reef Rendezvous

15 March 2022 - St. Patrick's Day

Depart: Marlin Bay Marina 9:10

Arrive: Pumpkin Key Anchorage 5:45

Distance: 62 nm

Conditions: Perfect; NE wind at 15 kts

We had a long day on the water today reminiscent of when we are traveling to or from home. Clark chose our destination as Pumpkin Key near the north end of Key Largo. We had a boating rendezvous to attend. Clark has been excited about attending since the get together was first announced. 

Traveling on the inside, i.e. not the ocean side, we had to watch for shallow water and fish traps along the way. To pass the time we turned on the radio and listened to news stories on NPR radio. As we finally neared our destination, Clark noted that he saw more than the usual number of boats in the anchorage. I asked for the binoculars to confirm what I thought I saw ahead. When I gave the binocs back to Clark, he said, "What did you see?" My reply: "It looks like a KE Rendezvous to me!"

Five KEs were already in the anchorage, we made six with our arrival. Once the anchor was down, we were contacted by the leader of our group and given instructions for the morning. A fellow KE owner, Rick who lives at Ocean Reef, would arrive at 10:30 in his dinghy to guide us to the Ocean Reef Marina to arrive at the 11:00 check-in time. 

We made sure to take some pictures of the others in the anchorage!

KEs at anchor

We dropped anchor behind "Winter's Dream"

Others in the anchorage included "Sparky", "Blue Moon", "Seafarer" and "All Groovy".

Sunset at Pumpkin Key

16 March 2022

Depart: Pumpkin Key 10:30

Arrive: Ocean Reef Club Marina 11:00

We all started pulling in our anchors just after 10:00 to be ready at 10:30 when our guide boat arrived. Each boat was assigned a place in line based on our slip assignments at the marina. Those on H dock first, followed by F, E and D dock assignments. Being in slip E-15, we were given position 4. Promptly at 10:30 the parade of KE boats started on its way. As if choreographed, "Homeport" arrived to join our caravan right on time. "Homeport" had stayed at Boca Chita anchorage instead of Pumpkin Key. Now we were 7!

Boats coming along behind us in the "parade"

"Blue Moon"

"Sparky"

Silhouettes of boats in front of us with
dinghy in the lead.

Upon arrival, the first three boats in queue entered the marina while the rest of us bobbed around in the very smooth Atlantic Ocean waters waiting our turn to find our slips. We listened on the VHF radio to the talk back and forth among the three pioneers to make their way in. We heard talk of a big fishing boat heading for the fuel dock causing a bit of a delay in our folks maneuvering to their slips. Eventually, we heard on the VHF radio that "Sunset Delight" could come on in!

Ocean Reef is a private club with extensive security in place. One of the KE folks I met told me that every recent US president had stayed at Ocean Reef because it is so safe. Staying here was an interesting experience.

Map of Ocean Reef Club

View of Slips at Marina

As we came down the fairway, we passed big, i.e. mammoth, vessels  docked along the waterway. Pictures below, taken from the internet, show the entry into the marina. Note the narrow entryway. 

We got a glimpse of the pool area as we came in.

Picture taken from our boat passing pool area

Many of the boats at this marina have paid crew on board. "Sunset Delight" does not. We were assisted in our docking by other members of our KE gathering. The 80-or-so foot boat docked next to our slip had a tender tied across its stern that protruded into our slip by about 3 feet. KE folks greeting us at the dock managed to push the boat over so that it was mostly out of our slip. Clark still had to be exceedingly careful when coming in to avoid that boat's anchor leaving a gouge down the side our our boat. Rather stressful docking exercise!

By the time we got docked, tied up, and checked in, it was time for lunch. Knowing any food here would be quite expensive and wishing to save time for other activities, we ate sandwiches on board. With nothing on the schedule until 4:00 docktails, we decided to get on our bicycles to explore the area. We quickly discovered that Ocean Reef is a village with anything and everything one might possibly need or want. 

Clark had a letter to mail, so we set out to see if we could find a post office. We did. As we biked around, we saw a dentist's office and some healthcare facilities as well as gift shops.  We also found a food market. Since I was down to my last slice, I went in to buy a loaf of bread. To pay for anything at Ocean Reef, one must use a plastic, credit-card-sized card that is issued by the club. No cash or other credit cards are taken anywhere on site. I used my card to buy my bread!

 As we toured around, we passed the golf course. Regardless of whether a person golfs or not, golf carts are the local means of transportation. I have never seen so many golf carts in one place in all my life. I laughed when I noticed that the trail near the gold course had speed bumps to keep the golf carters from speeding on the trail. Although the "bike" trails are marked for carts and pedestrians, golf carts drove on the streets.

Clark took some pictures of the golf course area.

Fortunately, not a real alligator!

Our hour-long bike ride showed us only a very small piece of the property here. 

We returned to the boat in plenty of time to prepare for docktails. The time was set for 4:00, but the place we were to meet seemed up in the air. The sun was baking, and we wanted a place in the shade. At first a few of us gathered on the cockpit of "Sparky". Given the number of attendees, however, that solution was not ideal. 

Then, our KE hostess, Betsie, found a place along the walkway shaded by a huge boat. Folks set up a folding table and chairs and enjoyed the protection from the sun. Docktails ended just before 6:00 when we were to go to Rick's house for a pot-luck dinner. 

Rick and Lesley's home is custom-designed and lovely. Glass doors slide open to make the kitchen and living room be "outdoors". The large deck has a wet bar, hot tub, and pool (lit with green lights for St. Patrick's Day). Ocean Reef Club has a catering service. Lesley ordered extra tables for our event, so we had plenty of seating for dinner. This proved to be the perfect venue for our gathering.

We had a good supply of food including pulled-pork sliders, baked potatoes topped with cheese and bacon bits, stir fry veggies, potato salad and coleslaw. Desserts included brownies, cheese cake, and carrot cake. 

We ate, drank, and talked until the party started to break up around 9:30.

17 March 2022

The schedule for this morning called for a KE boat crawl from 10:00 to 12:00. Everyone opened up their boats for other owners to come have a look. Although we all have basically the same hull design, what people do with the interiors can differ significantly. After seeing the various boats, many of us walked away with ideas on how to make changes / improvements to our own vessels. 

"Winter's Dream" showed us how to install latches to prop open our head doors. The heads never have enough ventilation.  

"All Groovy" showed us their large-screen TV in the master stateroom which also serves as their mirror. They also have a grilling station on their flybridge. Jamie showed me her electric burner that she bought at Costco that adds cooking space to her galley. 

"Sparky" told us we can have custom-made treads made for our steep and dangerous stairs throughout the boat at Dean's Flooring in Georgia.  They also showed us their screen door that slides across to keep bugs out of their salon. Sadly, many modifications would need to be made to "Sunset Delight" to allow us the pleasure of installing this screen configuration on our boat.

"Seagull" had a lot of ideas to offer. 

Curtains instead of blinds.

"Bat cave" privacy shield around sleeping area in pilot house.

Fun swing and convenient folding table and chairs in cockpit. The dock box in our cockpit precludes these amenities.

Drop-down / pop-up side table in salon instead of swivel table connected to chairs such as we have on "Sunset Delight".

Folds up out of the way.

Although we did walk away with a lot of good ideas, two hours to see 9 boats proved to be insufficient time to get more than a quick peak and overview of each boat. I can only imagine what goodies we might have discovered had we had more time to explore.

After the boat crawl we had free time for lunch, etc. until 2:00 when a free-form maintenance discussion was held. Cookies, soda and water were provided. We sat in a large circle so folks could ask questions and share answers about the KEs. No formal presentation was made. 

We discussed a number of diverse topics 

 * Could the screen door be adapted to older models? Ans: not without a lot of carpentry work.

 * What shades / screens are recommended?  Ans: too many choices and it's personal preference

 * What is an EPIRB and why do I need one?

 * Where should a life raft be mounted?

 * How do I get rid of grease / oil stains in cockpit? Ans: K2R Teak Cleaner

 * Oil change issues - popping breaker at pump. Ans: heat oil well

 * Personal / Man-over-board AIS built into life jackets - used to easily find someone who fell off boat

The maintenance talk broke up around 4:00. With time before 6:00 dinner, Clark and I decided to take a walk around to see the pool area. 

We had to cross a bridge to get there.

They had a few interesting statues scattered around the place. 

The club has two pools. One that says adults only after 3:00.

They also offer a splash pad for the kids.

Seating by the water to watch the boats go by.

We were told to arrive promptly at 6:00 to see the chef that had been hired to cater dinner prepare the paella dish being served for dinner. In addition to the paella, thankfully made with chicken so Clark could eat it since he cannot eat pork, we had salad. Individual Tiramisu parfaits were provided for dessert. Dinner tonight was once again held at Rick and Lesley's fabulous home in Ocean Reef.

Brad with St. Patty's Day hat;
Dog Dublin appropriately named!

Ev lounging with dog "Tig"
like Tiger without the "er"

Caterer adding his seasoned shrimp to the paella

Once again we stayed until after dark. This was our last chance to talk as everyone would scatter in different directions in the morning. Check out time was 11:00, but many like Clark and I planned to be on our way by 9:00 for a long trek to our next destination. For us that meant returning to Marlin Bay for a few more days before we leave to head back towards New Jersey. 

18 March 2022

Depart: Ocean Reef Club Marina 9:20

Arrive: Marlin Bay Marina 6:00

Distance: 60 nm

Conditions: Calm on the Atlantic Ocean

We have never traveled on the Atlantic Ocean all the way from Key Largo to Marathon. Given the mild conditions, it made sense to choose that route to go back to Marlin Bay.  "Seagull" departed at the same time as us, and we followed them part way. With over 100 miles to travel, Anthony piloted the boat at well over our cruising speed and quickly disappeared from view. 

At 9:40 we heard a security call on the VHF radio from the female captain of a 122 foot vessel that was approaching the entrance to the Ocean Reef  marina. Clark had been forewarned at checkout that he needed to leave before or after 9:30 a.m. as the arriving boat would need the entire fairway to come in. 

We had calm waters with the only concern preventing stress-free travel being the presence of traps all along the route. As we traveled, we did hear an announcement from the Coast Guard to be on the lookout for a downed plane. Based on the GPS coordinates, however, Clark said that plane would be about 80 miles away.

With the VHF excitement over, we listened to the radio to pass the hours to Marathon. As we approached our destination, Clark thought about getting fuel, but we arrived in Marathon too late as Marathon Safe-Harbor Marina closed at 5:00. We did not make it in time. As per usual, we dropped the antennas and mast to scoot under the 7-mile bridge instead of taking Moser Channel.

When we arrived back at Marlin Bay, our very friendly dockhand, Aaron, greeted us and helped with our lines. He told us 8 boats came in while we were away. We shocked a few people by reappearing. I heard a few comments that we left without saying goodbye but then unexpectedly we reappeared! It is nice that people missed us while we were gone.