Boating with Sunset Delight: 2026 February: Lazydays and the Sandbar

Sea Gull Painting
on restroom wall at Marlin Bay Marina

18 February 2026

Valentine's Day fell on a Saturday this year. Given that, and the fact that neither Clark nor I like crowded noisy restaurants, we put off going out on Valentines day to celebrate more than 45 years of being together to go out today instead.

Clark threw out a variety of options for places to go, and then I suggested Lazy Days South. The restaurant is located at the Safe Harbor Marina and a reasonably short bike ride southwest of our marina. To get there, we biked to the closest traffic light and crossed Route 1 to be on the right side of the road.

We got to the street for the Burdines and Castaways restaurants, and I asked Clark why he was turning there as Lazy Days was further down the road. It seems that, although I selected "Lazy Days", somehow Clark got it in his head we were going to "Castaways". (The two words rhyme at least!) I convinced him we needed to keep going.

I do not try to remember the street names in Marathon as they are all numbers here. I remember landmarks. Turn at the gas station for Burdines. Turn at the condos for Lazy Days. I said, "I don't know the street, but I can see the condos from here!" We had another couple of blocks to go.

As we got to within 1/2 block of our desired street, a big sign and construction greeted us ... "Bike lane closed!" My natural reaction to that was to slow my bike and start to get off to walk it. Walking was not really a good choice as there was only highway on our side of the road, and Route 1 is treacherous.

The obvious choice would be to run across the four lanes of Route 1, walk a few steps, and run across Route 1 again to get back on the right side of the road. While all this analysis was quickly going through my head, I noticed that Clark had taken off on his bike at full speed going the wrong way on the highway towards our desired street. Dang!

Surprisingly, that was the right choice to make; however, I lost valuable time analyzing the situation, and now I was many seconds behind him. When he took off, there were no cars in either lane of the northbound side of Route 1. The section I needed to travel was still clear, but traffic was coming on fast.

Now it was a race between me reaching my street and the oncoming traffic reaching the street before I got there! I got going fast and made it just in time to turn off the highway before a car caught up to me. To be fair, though, I speculate that the driver slowed down as he saw a maniac riding on the highway coming towards him. Phew! As I turned off the highway, I coasted past Clark and led the way to the restaurant!

Lazy Days South
(picture from internet)

We always choose to eat outside at the restaurant. The insides smells musty. The outside is very pleasant with a nice view.

View from Lazy Days seating
Isla Bella Resort (I believe)

Bar at Lazy Days
on the patio

The menu had a nice selection of fish dishes. I decided to go for the "Hog Fish Parmesan" sandwich. It was amazingly delicious.

After lunch, Clark and I both had the same idea to continue our bike ride in the southwesterly direction. The reasoning was multi-fold. Avoid the construction we had to deal with coming here, check out the sights from the 7-mile bridge, and check in at Faro Blanco on the way back to Marlin Bay to see if we can find people we know from previously staying there.

Our bike ride took us past Isla Bella Resort and the Sunset Grille restaurant to the underpass that allowed us to cross over Route 1 by going under the highway. A few days ago, I browbeat Clark into replacing the back tire on my bike because it kept going flat. On the pathway between Sunset Grille and the ramp for the underpass, I appreciated the new tire. We went over plenty of rough coral / rocks. It is not at all clear to me that the old tire would have held up.

The views from the 7-mile bridge never disappoint! I am so glad we came out here as the day was perfect - sunny with a cool breeze!

Picture taken from under bridge

Beautiful blue / green water

Neither of us was interested in biking all the way to Pigeon Key, but I did want to bike down the path a ways. We biked down to the 0.1 mile marker and then turned around. The ride on the bridge to Pigeon Key is about 2 miles.

We got as far as the sign.

Heading back in an easterly direction, we could see the sailboats anchored off Boot Key Harbor.

As we entered the parking lot for the 7-mile bridge park, Clark asked if I wanted to stay on the highway or drop down to the water. I chose the water view!

Looking down on the bike trail below.

Clark biking the trail

I have biked out here many times and always find it peaceful and pleasant. With all the biking we have been doing this season, my legs are a lot stronger than when we arrived in December. Our leisurely, 5-mile bike ride was just a pleasant jaunt today.

After enjoying the views, we continued on our way planning to stop at Faro Blanco. Shortly after passing the Porky's restaurant, I came up behind two people walking on the path. I recognized them from just having spoken with them at the recent Garden Party. As I passed by the marina where they were staying I was thinking about them, and then, there they were in front of me.

Clark had continued on as I stopped to talk with them. Eventually he figured out I was not coming and came back to see who I had found. We met Jeff and Kay at the MTOA rendezvous this summer. We recognized each other at the Garden party. It was fun to come across them yet again. They too were headed to Faro Blanco albeit by foot. We chatted for a while and then got underway. As we wandered around Faro Blanco looking for folks we knew, we saw Jeff and Kay again and talked a bit more before going our separate ways.

The hunt for people we recognized at Faro Blanco yielded few results. We did not recognize most of the boats in the marina. The ones we did recognize did not appear to have folks onboard. I was surprised to come across someone I knew from Marlin Bay docked there. He said he was there only temporarily and coming back to Marlin Bay the next day. He was there because he had work done at the Marathon Boat Yard.

We passed a boat there with a nice flag "250 Years of Freedom" in celebration of 2026. The wind would not allow me to get a full picture of the flag.

We biked out to the far ends of the docks. Big yachts on one end and what used to be a wedding venue on the other. Before Hurricane Irma, the piece of land that jutted out (shown below) was big enough to hold a gazebo and chairs for wedding party and guests - not any more.

Not as big as it was when we first arrived in 2016

While we were at Faro Blanco, we called the boater who was "The Mayor" when we stayed here years ago, Mel, to see if he was in town. He had been for a very brief stay a few days earlier, but now he was back home in Alabama.

We got back to Marlin Bay around 3:30, so all told we were out and about for four hours. It made for a wonderful Valentine's Day celebration - just the two of us enjoying life and each other's company.

Later in the day, Clark and I found ourselves on different docks as the sun dropped below the horizon. I went to the western-most dock to visit folks over there, and he stopped at the eastern dock, sunset-viewing spot to chat with the crew that gathers there. Clark is rather easy to spot even across the marina with his green hat. My blue hat tends to make me easy to spot as well. Eventually, he came over to where I sat talking with the folks on "Sunset Seeker" and "Still Waters".

The girls from "Still Waters" and their dogs, Bruce and Norman, were having fun on the "beach" located there.

As we walked back towards our boat, we passed the pool bar area where three women were busy with and instructor doing a "paint your dog" project. We did not know them but they let us enjoy their unveiling of their artwork with them. Pictures of the dog were submitted to the instructor ahead of time, so she could set up the "canvas" which was actually a piece of glass. Then the women painted on the back side of the glass. A background was painted separately, and when all was dry the portrait was assembled as shown in the picture below. All three appeared quite pleased with their results.

These days, there always seems to be something going on to keep us busy and entertained.

19 February 2026

We have a Messenger group for boaters at Marlin Bay, which is great for sharing plans for activities. For today, we got the word that several folks planned to take their dinghies to "the sandbar". We went one time last season and enjoyed it. We decided to go again. The plan was to meet out there in the afternoon during low tide as the sandbar disappears at high tide.

Given that, I had time to play Mahjongg in the morning before I had to get things together for our dinghy ride in the afternoon. I read two pamphlets / books yesterday on Mahjongg strategy and was anxious to play. Today we had 6 people for Mahjongg - two tables of three. I left after two rounds, so unfortunately, my table was left with only two players. Two can play. Four is best.

We got our dinghy re-tubed this fall. Waiting for it to be returned to us delayed our departure in October. Our dingy ride today was the first time I had ever ridden in the upgraded dinghy! Clark, of course, drove it from the boat ramp back to our house but not since, so even his time in the refurbished dinghy has been minimal.

We had a difficult time getting to the sandbar. Folks in the know take a path through Key Colony Beach to avoid the ocean. We did not know about this route and headed out into the ocean. I knew the sandbar was near Curry Hammock State Park. We should have dropped a waypoint last time we were here, but we did not do that.

Since he was not sure where folks were going, he decided to follow another set of folks. Even though I told him multiple times they did not know where they were going, he thought they did and followed them into increasingly shallower waters. Until finally, he said he could not follow them any longer, and reading the chart, detoured in an alternate direction. which turned out to be just as bad and maybe worse!

We got to a point where he lifted the outboard, gave me a paddle, and told me to start pushing. Since I had told him (several times) we needed to be out in the ocean and not in here dealing with low water, I was unhappy. He was unhappy. Not an ideal situation.

Eventually we made it to deeper water and even found a channel to get us back out into the ocean (where we should have been to begin with) and where we could carry on via motor. When we found "the sandbar", our troubles were not over yet. Clark needed to stay in deep-enough water while he assembled the anchor, and the tide kept pushing us towards the sandbar. He had it partially assembled, realized he left out a part of the anchor, and had to undo his work to continue building it.

Our friend, Roger, waded out to see how we were doing. Clark handed him the assembled anchor and asked him to set it for us. Phew! Needless to say, when we finally had our anchor down, we were both happy to get out of the dinghy and wade to shore where we found plenty of friendly faces!

Pictures from our outing ...

We passed a boat ready to launch a parachute. By the time I had my phone in hand to take a picture, the parachute was up in the sky. Interesting that the parachute is directly in a beam of light!

The sandbar shown below is the "wrong" sandbar and the one where we ended up with too little water beneath us to have the engine down. Folks playing here were wading in a few inches of water. The sandbar we go to is completely out of the water at and near low tide.

We should be on the opposite side of this sandbar!

Our boating friends that come here whenever the weather and tide allows, come prepared with food, drinks, chairs, music, ... One of the women there (I did not know her) came with the ingredients to make (to me) an elaborate tray of hors d'oeuvres that she passed around to people.

The most fun I had at the sandbar was watching the dog (shown below) "Ocean" play frisbee. She had a special soft frisbee so as to not hurt here teeth when she catches it. I tried to throw it one time, and Ocean was disappointed by the short distance I managed to get it out there for her. The soft plastic was quite heavy.

"Ocean" retrieving her dog-friendly frisbee

She is a mixed breed of Australian Shepard and Labradoodle. Her owners told us she can run at phenomenally fast speed and can jump several feet in the air from a standing position. While playing, she must have consumed quite large amounts of sand, which she also had all over her face and in her eyes. Nothing seemed to bother her - she just wanted to play some more tirelessly.

Talking to folks, we learned the route that folks prefer to take to get to the sandbar. They even lined us up with someone we could follow to be sure we found our way. However, Clark wanted nothing to do with taking the slow route "home". Given the 10 miles we had to travel, he said it would take an hour "the fast way" in the ocean and twice as long going the slow route. Most folks were not interested in going in the ocean due to choppy waves. That wouldn't stop Clark even in a dinghy.

I managed to grab some pictures of the area as we approached Vaca cut.

As we made the corner, I pointed to the "Idle Speed No Wake" marker to be sure he noticed it.

The current coming through here was so fast that we could not go "idle speed". In fact at one point under the route 1 bridge, he throttled down to idle speed, and sure enough, we were going backwards! Fortunately, that section is a minimum wake area not an idle speed no wake area.

Homes here have a definite tropical vibe, and I grabbed a few pictures as we motored by.

"Chasin' Tales" on a boat lift

The green ball of glass on this building
stands out as interesting architecture.

Kayaker going with the current
(hope they were headed "home")

We were going slow enough that I could get a good picture of my captain.

and even a selfie!

As we passed through Vaca cut, I noticed the sign for "Aquarium Encounters" where we visited for the first and only time last season.

The sun was getting low in the sky as we approached Marlin Bay.

Marlin Bay ahead!

Marlin Bay iconic tower

The birds were occupying the rocks at the entrance as usual.

We tied the dinghy to Sunset Delight around 5:30 and got a picture about an hour later when the sun set.

Sadly I did not look at the sunset again after taking the picture above. A fellow boater posted a later picture taken as she returned from the sandbar.

Some additional photos were posted on our shared Messenger site. Clark and I appear in a couple of them.

Me (blue hat / floral swimsuit) talking with Carllene with dog "Ocean" nearby waiting for a frisbee throw.

Clark shown below (green hat) observing the other dog there at the sandbar with his / her toy.

Her toy went into the water and it was a family affair to retrieve it!

Both dogs were wet and bedraggled looking but loving every minute!

20 February 2026 (Happy Birthday to two of our granddaughters!)

Since we had the dinghy down, Clark wanted to go to Faro Blanco to get gas. Rec-90 is not available in New Jersey, so he likes to get it here. I planned to go to the library at 11:00 for the embroidery class being offered. We had time to get the gas and get back before I had to leave.

Almost every piling had a bird stationed on it as we pulled out of the Marlin Bay basin.

Marlin Bay's Lookout Tower

It is a short ride to Faro Blanco which has two entrances to pick from for getting fuel. Depending on the rapid current, one way is better than the other or else a dinghy is pushed under the fuel dock - not nice.

Today we tied off on the eastern side. I remained on the dinghy and Clark climbed out to get the gas.

Looking up at the lighthouse from
inside the dinghy

Rec-90 Gas

Boats at Faro Blanco

Coming back into Marlin Bay Marina ...

Two rows of Cormorants

No room on a piling? Find a rock!

I helped Clark stow the dinghy and then ran off to the library for embroidery where we watched a video demonstrating some stitches and then set to work doing our own piece. I brought a bag to embroider. I just added my "signature" to the bag.

On my way back to the boat, I stopped by the pool where I chatted with folks looking at an iguana climbing a palm tree.

We had a hot, sunny day today. Two more iguanas were out sunning themselves on the rocks near the "Iguana Crossing".

Yellow sign: "Iguana Crossing"

These two iguanas blend in with rocks fairly well

Mike, a fellow boater and an avid and successful fisherman, brought over some fresh Wahoo and gave it to Clark while I was out. He had a line out on his way to the sandbar and snagged the ~50 pound fish. I sautéed it, and we had fresh fish f or dinner tonight!

21 February 2026

First thing this morning (after breakfast), we got on our bikes and went out for a food run. We stopped at the Farmer's Market first and found lots of great vegetables including baby Bok choy, mini zucchini, baby lettuce and spinach, and lovely tomatoes! From there we went on to Publix to get the rest of the items on my list.

After lunch we stayed on the boat catching up on things like Blog entries. Time passed quickly until we heard the conch being blown to acknowledge sunset.

I took pictures from the boat which showed a very pink / salmon-colored sky.