The Parrent Family: Southern most point

We have officially traveled to our furthermost point of our trip. We decided to continue north on our Great Circle Loop Route and attend our first Miami Boat Show this week. We are currently in Key Largo at an anchorage with Blue Yonder (Pete and Anna). We all left our mooring this morning at Shell Key and made it to our current anchorage before the winds and rain prevailed. This afternoon was a fun dinghy ride and walk into town and this evening was spent aboard baking a yummy recipe from Anna that everyone loved. Strong winds and storms are expected over the next several days so we'll stay put for awhile.

As for the past week.....Craig scrubbed the exterior of the boat and while a hose set dripping off the side of the boat, a big manatee came up for a drink!

He truly enjoyed the fresh water spray and stayed for awhile.

He's been spotted by several boats, and only made a cameo appearance, but nonetheless we were so excited he stopped to see us!

Sombrero Beach was a hotspot for our stay in Marathon. Pictured here on top of the sand that was dropped here by a dump truck earlier in the day.

I felt like a kid again as we raced from one dune to the other throwing balls and playing games.

Morgans favorite thing to do at the beach was catching hermit crabs!

Jaxon enjoyed building sand castles and crushing them in the end.

Ryann found seven clear jellyfish that were safe to play with.

Very unique fish all around the beach area.

A carpet shark swam in shallow waters right next to the dinghy while we explored an island.

Ryann is the star of the show as always!!

Jaxon with his usual big smile!

Another starfish...we're so fortunate to see so many of them.

Even though our boat is 50 feet long we seem to always migrate to one place together. Daddy's little helpers inside of the box on top of the aft deck where we store our canvas.

Banana Bay Resort was a refreshing stop during our dinghy ride on the bay side of Marathon. "Biddi and the Beast" (fellow liveaboard friends) invited us for a swim. The kids enjoyed a break from the hot sun while we were able to socialize poolside.

Faro Blanco was hit by Hurricane Wilma around 4 years ago and has yet to be brought back to life. It was sad to see this unique marina in disarray.

Yet another derelict boat unattended.

Morgitos Tiki was a restaurant established by the girls. They worked very hard to create an entire atmosphere of delicious foods, friendly service, entertainment and customer service. We all had a bunch of fun with it!

My Uncle Bob (Dad's brother) and Aunt Debbie came for a visit while staying in Key West for a week. It was great to see family and catch up with them.

On our last night in Marathon fellow loopers gathered for a potluck.

Pictured here are: Providence, Bama Belle, Blue Yonder, Crawdad, Present Moment, Negotiator, Harbor Reach and Adventurer.

Blue Yonder and Negotiator tried a second time to endure the weather and Gulf Stream to reach the mooring balls on Sombrero Reef (third largest reef in the world). It was rather choppy and unpleasant for mooring, but made for a fun boat ride.

Our adventure through the ICW (inter-coastal waterway) lead us through 4-5 feet of water most of the time. It was narrow and winding, but beautiful to see.