848 November 13, 2022 Castaways!

We spent the day doing our usual stuff.  Exercise and walking and biking in the campground.

This evening, we drove to Marathon to meet Sam and Vicki at their hotel, Tranquility Bay.  We walked to the tiki bar and had a drink and listened to a guy playing acoustic guitar while watching the sunset.

We drove a short distance to Castaways.  This restaurant, founded in 1951, is off the main drag on a canal.  This is a rustic and worn-down looking place in an older part of town.  It sits not far from the dock where fishing boats come in.  We were seated by the water. 

Our server was fun and knowledgeable.  The menu was very extensive and he helped us to make decisions.  This restaurant is renowned for its fish offerings.  They employ a dive team that specializes in spearfishing.  Lionfish is an invasive species that exists here in the coral reef.  Rewards are offered for their capture.  These fish have 18 venomous spines that can cause pain and injury but not death.  This restaurant carefully prepares these spiny fish.  The meat is sweet and delicious.  Vicki tried the lionfish sushi.

I had golden tilefish.  This fish is also caught at a depth of 1800 feet on the ocean bottom.  It was the best fish I have ever had.  It was prepared with wine and lemon and butter and garlic and tomatoes and capers.

Tim and Sam both chose the swordfish which was cooked to perfection.

We all finished our meal with key lime pie.

We will return to this place!

After dinner we went back to Tranquility Bay.  We found some lounge chairs on the beach and basked in the pleasant evening breeze.  We talked and watched the stars come out.  There is something soothing about watching palm trees sway in the night sky.  Sam noticed that they make a noise not the different than listening to a running stream.  It was a beautiful evening. 

We said goodbye to our friends.  Tomorrow, they move on to Key West.  We had such a lovely visit.