Yesterday morning we took a cab to the airport, rented a car and drove 43 miles to the Key West International Airport. We gave our passports and boat documentation to a very nice US Customs agent and, in less than five minutes, we were cleared in. The agent was confused about why we drove from Marathon, he said we could clear in at the Marathon Airport. We shared our saga and he said maybe it was because the Marathon Customs office is closed Monday and Tuesday. The law states you have to call Customs as soon as you anchor or dock in the US. Then, within 24 hours, you have to appear in person at a Customs office that will handle small boat clearances. I am guessing that if we had arrived on Tuesday, instead of Monday, we could have cleared in at Marathon on Wednesday. Not entirely sure of that, though.
Since we had a rental car we ran some other errands, including shopping at a large West Marine and a Publix. We we like two kids in a candy store!
In the evening we had sundowners with my brother's friend and wife. They cruised in the Bahamas for 12 years and it was fun swapping stories.
This morning we had to move from Marathon Marina, a really nice place, to a different location. George found an available slip owned by a diesel repair shop. They will rent the slip if they aren't using it for repairs. It is the slightly less than we were paying at Marathon Marina but with practically no amenities (we do have electricity). We feel lucky to have anything at all, though. It is crazy busy in Marathon. We put our name on a waiting list for a mooring ball. If we clear the waiting list we would have to go under power lines which may be 65'. Some people say they are higher. We will decide if we are going to try and squeeze under them at low tide if and when we clear the list.
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