It’s the eve of Christmas Eve and having managed to secure a berth over the Christmas period at a nice little Marina called Burdines we have been enjoying the little town of Marathon in the heart of the Florida Keys.

Mark & Leanne (formerly of Ortega Marina in JAX) just happened to be at the same marina and dropped by when they saw Beaujolais arrive. They very kindly lent us their truck to get some spares and top up with a few items.

We also met Brenda, a British waitress at Castaways, who made a beeline for us when she saw the Ensign flying as we came in. She has very kindly introduced us to her friend in Guatemala who owns a marina there, so we should have somewhere to leave Beaujolais when we head back to Oz in May.

Roger has been busy cleaning and replacing the fuel filters and repairing the sanitation macerator pump… again. It was replaced almost a year ago to the day in the Bahamas.

Marathon is another unique place. It is very laid back (though strangely enough seems to be very regimented when it comes to the law…..$80 fine [enforced] for speeding in the harbour, $54 fine for riding in the dinghy at night with no lights etc. ) Apparently they have so little crime here that the police crack down on motorists, a fact which doesn’t surprise me as we counted no less than 8 state trooper cars outside the police station. But apart from that inconsistency, the town is very friendly and has most of what you would normally need.

There isn’t much to see though. We did visit the Crane Estate, 65 acres of natural park land. and an interesting history. It was a lovely afternoon walk in the cool of the ‘hammocks’. If it’s a good breakfast you are looking for then look no further than the Stuffed Pig; a little diner that serves up very good, wholesome fare and at a modest price.

I have been really bad the past few days with a bad cold and laryngitis. I felt so bad when I got up I didn’t even realize I was wearing one of my shoes and one of Roger’s.

Now, while there isn’t much to see in Marathon, one thing there is, is a lot of is bars and restaurants. But not just bars, most have live entertainment most every night. While we are having breakfast at the Stuffed Pig the other day, the waitress there had given us the ‘heads up’ (I love that _expression_) about a Jam session at the Dockside Bar & Grill on Sunday nights. So we decided to check it out. Now before I go any further, go and pour yourself a drink and sit back and I’ll tell you why it ‘Rocks at the Dock’…………

On Sunday between 12 noon and 6pm is Happy hour….but after 6pm the band come on and it goes wild. We settled down with a pitcher of Ice tea for me (told you it was wild) and a pitcher of beer for Roger and waited for the appearance of the Florida Straits Band. We figured as they started out in 1985 and were still going they couldn’t be too bad. A five piece band comprising the usual lead and bass guitars, drum and percussion, they didn’t come across on first impression as anything out of the ordinary.

Rocket Man (percussionist) was the front man, The Fish (because he is so cool) on the drums, Tommy Tunes, bass guitar and Donny Irvine lead warmed us up with a little Jimmy Buffet. I’ll admit I thought to myself ‘oh how original, in the Florida Keys and they’re playing Jimmy Buffet’ (I’m not a big fan).

What they lost on the vocals they more than made up for in their musical skills. So the evening progressed nicely with the promise by the Rocket Man (I think he has that name because he is so laid back it would take a rocket etc etc, you catch my drift????) of friends coming along to jam later.

Now what we didn’t realise is that these guys must have a lot of street cred amongst their peers. Each year, muso’s (musicians) from all over come down to jam with them, they are so well regarded. So it was that we were about to experience some of the best live music we have every heard…….and all for free!!!!!!

But before I go on let me give the dockside grill a little plug Rocket man style…….Let’s give it up for Lee in the kitchen servin’ up all that good food. Then there’s John behind the bar, he’s been here serving up drinks here for the past 19 years. And don’t forget the girls, they’re on the floor and will get you whatever you want. So get yourself some beer and wings and don’t forget we’ve got a dance floor here and the dancin’s free, no cover charge.

In fairness to the Rocket Man, his plugs (which were as frequent as on a commercial radio station) were very good and in no way misleading. The food is good, inexpensive and when you see how small the kitchen is you forgive them the wait. The waitresses are excellent. Friendly and very efficient. Drinks aren’t overpriced, a pitcher of Key West draft Ale was $7.50. Cocktails were $5.50.

So the next Set started and the first of the jammers arrived. We were treated to some amazing vocals from the Hootchy Kootchy Man himself Mr Dave Preston. He was accompanied on Bongo’s by Paul, who was also the dockhand at Burdines where we were staying. The Rocketman took a break to mingle with the crowd.

Man he could really sing. His rendition of Mustang Sally was one of the best I , and Roger, have ever heard, in fact I do believe it was better than the Commitment’s version. It was too much for a soul to bear so yes, you guessed it, I was up on the dance floor struttin’ my stuff, but I wasn’t alone, Roger was up with me too (no I didn’t have to bribe him).

Paul was then replaced by Robert ‘Bongo’ Jefferson on the bongos and joined by ‘Hurricane Dave’ on Broiler and spoons.  Every one of the new additions was talented in their own right.

When The Hootchy Kootchy man finished his set to rapturous applause, The Rocket Man stepped up to introduce the next Jammer. His name was Chase Finlay, down on holiday from Ohio with his family. He was a 14 year old lead guitarist and was making his debut here tonight. He had already impressed me before he started to play. Anyone who is up for making a debut with musicians of this calibre had balls. He opened with the Animal’s Classic, House of the Rising Sun. I have to say, he was awesome. If we hadn’t seen a future rock star up there then I would eat my hat. Add that he was talented to the fact that he had lots of support from a proud mom and pop I really do believe he could be the next Brian Mays. The band showed their professionalism and love of music by not only supporting him brilliantly, but then stretching and challenging him to try out new things and he came up trumps again.

By this time the dock was really rocking. But it didn’t stop there. We were introduced to Reme a diminutive blonde who played the bongos with amazing gusto. Her son, Victor, did a couple of numbers accompanying his vocals with an acoustic electric guitar. He also made, and played a mean bongo, his mom taught him everything he knew, well almost everything I suppose.

Joe Sorrensen, joined the band and played harmonica, which added another dimension to the sound. Danny accompanied his wife Debbie (who was also one of the waitresses) on his acoustic electric guitar for her rendition of Santa Baby, before going on to accompany his own very good vocals of a Beatles Classic.

Then Rocket Man introduced New York Tim, the tallest guitar player in the Keys. Tim played lead and sang; he too was incredible. Although I didn’t recognise him as anyone famous, anyone who played like that had to be somebody, if you know what I mean,

So the night went on. What was especially nice, was the fact that because these musicians were friends who hadn’t seen each other for a year, it was very informal, friendly and everybody was chatting and laughing and dancing (even Roger) with everybody else, which created a wonderful ambiance most venues would kill for.

Sadly it ended all too early because of that regimented attitude and something called ‘an Ordinance’ that says you can’t make any noise after 10pm……..come on!!! But the four hours we had will, I am sure, remain one, if not the, main highlight of our cruising. Thanks guys and keep on rockin’. It was a very special evening.

So folks, if you’re ever down Marathon Way, make sure it’s a Sunday and drop in for the Jam session, it’s well worth it.

MERRY CHRISTMAS to you all. We are thinking of you.