On the Move Again

The urge to be on our way again finally won out over the comfort of staying on longer in Stuart.  It wasn't easy to give up this lovely setting adjacent to the Harborage condominium community.

We will especially miss happy hour at Wahoo's right at the foot of our dock, with two-for-one drinks accompanied by free snacks available each evening.

A wonderful unexpected opportunity presented itself while we were there, as we discovered that two of my (Sharon's) cousins live in nearby Jupiter, and a third who lives in Charlotte, NC, was on the way to visit them.  So they all converged on our marina for an impromptu cousins reunion on our boat.  We hadn't seen each other for well over forty years!  It was so much fun reminiscing and catching up on what everyone has been doing, and we all vowed to keep in touch from now on.  Here we are, from left to right:  Sharon, Pam, Peggy, and Sandy.

Ken and I also made one more trip to Jensen Beach, but found three good reasons not to go in the water.
First, there was a rip tide current warning which made it dangerous for swimmers.

Second, the beach was littered with nasty looking Portuguese man 'o war jellyfish.

And third, the water was too cold! However, it was just perfect for a walk along the water's edge.

With a week remaining on our paid contract for dockage with the Loggerhead network of marinas, we took off on Tuesday, February 22nd, headed south to take advantage of reciprocity with three other marinas in the chain, the first at Palm Beach Gardens.  This was an easy 4-hour cruise with lots of interesting stuff to see along the way, including mangrove swamp wildlife refuges,

many beautiful mansions lining the ICW and offshoot canals,

plus the lighthouse at Jupiter Inlet. Here we turned west, up the Loxahatchee River, then sharply south again into Lake Worth Creek.

Our marina (Loggerhead - Palm Beach Gardens) was located immediately south of the Donald Ross Bridge, just a bike ride away from Juno Beach. We pulled in to the fuel dock and topped off our tanks, then just backed up a bit along that face dock for an overnighter. This was convenient to the marina office and restrooms.

The next morning we headed out again.  The wind was calm as we left the marina, but picked up a bit as we entered Lake Worth. Since it was coming from the north and we were heading south, we didn't feel it, so it was quite warm as we cruised.  Again, there was plenty to see along the way, more mansions,

some highrise apartment buildings,

plus Peanut Island and the Port of Palm Beach, with a container ship unloading, etc.

Although boat traffic was light, we did encounter one speed demon throwing a huge wake that challenged our stability (but nothing broke), plus a group of clueless kayakers blocking the channel.  I guess that's what horns are for.

When we arrived at our marina (Loggerhead - Sout Lantana), the water was choppy and the wind had picked up quite a bit, but we made it in safely, even though the dock hands were late arriving.  It's great to have two engines and two thrusters!

This marina has some very nice facilities, including a heated swimming pool and hot tub, which we enjoyed.

However, there were not very many boats there.

Again, we stayed one night and then moved on to our next destination, Hollywood. We briefly considered postponing our departure due to predicted windy weather that day.  Then we received an email from fellow Charleston Cruising Club members, Sharon and Charley Barnett, who are embarking on a 1200 mile non-stop passage from Charleston to Tortola, BVI, in their sailboat, Blue Horizon. That made us feel like real weenies, so we just threw off the lines and left.

That day we had a greater distance to cover, which took us seven hours, but it was a great cruise.  We had to carefully watch for signs indicating slow speed/minimum wake or idle speed/no wake.  Plus, we had several bridges to contend with that required opening, some on demand and others on a published schedule.

As we passed through areas such as Boca Raton, Pompano Beach, and Fort Lauderdale, there was so much to see, including waterside restaurants,

many more canals lined with gorgeous homes,

Lots more apartment buildings and resorts,

It was almost overwhelming, but also lots of fun. The predicted wind turned out to be no problem, even as we had to bide our time and stay in place waiting for bridges to open.

Still in Stuart, FL

We're having such a good time here in Stuart, FL, that it's going to be tough to pry us loose.  As we mentioned in our last posting, the Loggerhead Club & Marina - Stuart is a great place for cruisers like ourselves. When we're not involved with various activities, such as going to the beach or swimming in the heated swimming pool here at the marina, we enjoy just kicking back on our aft deck, enjoying our watery environment.  It sure beats shovelling snow!

During the Stuart Boat Show in mid-January, we purchased a special 3-day pass for cruisers for just $35 each, which included coffee and bagels each morning, lunches, and happy hours, along with various seminars of interest to cruisers, plus unlimited access to the boat show itself.  The best thing for us was that it was all located at three marinas right across the street from us.  In fact, some of the displays were actually set up right on Dixie Highway, which passes in front of our marina.

Boats of all kinds, both new and "pre-owned," were on view on the docks of the three adjoining marinas.

There was something for every power boater's taste, whether it was trawlers or speedboats, like the one below powered by four 350 hp engines.  We could just imagine the amount of fuel that baby must consume!

And if you you couldn't make it to the show on foot or by car, well how about using Sky Limo Air Charters?

One thing we noticed that was different from other boat shows we have attended in the past was that the vast majority of boats on display here were used boats for sale, such as this one with the sign, "Pre-Owned & Repo Bargains."

As one can see from the photos, the weather was just perfect for the show, for which we felt very lucky indeed, especially when we considered what was happening in latitudes north of us. In fact, although some days have been somewhat cooler than one might expect in Florida, most of the time it has been warm enough to enjoy a walk on the beach.

Jensen Beach is the closest one to us. We found a nice beach park there with free parking and a pavillion with free public restrooms and a lunch counter.

Another reason we like being in the Stuart area is that it is very easy to find skilled marine mechanics and technicians to address the various problems one can encounter with a boat. While we've been here, we have certainly experienced at least our fair share of mechanical, electrical, and electronic problems, but have been able to get everything fixed to our satisfaction.

After the fuel leak problem was solved and fixed (see our last blog posting), we had trouble getting our KVH satellite TV system to work. As it turned out, our M1 unit was experiencing some signal interference, which kept the satellite dish under the dome from locking onto the proper satellite.

Our KVH dealer finally figured out the problem and solved it by attaching a ferrite bead to the cable to eliminate the interference.  Problem solved.  The best part was that, since the unit is still under warranty, it didn't cost us anything to get it fixed!

Next, our aft head (toilet) stopped working.  This turned out to be a simple electrical connection problem which was easy to solve (if you have the right guy to do it, which we did).  Then, our fresh water pump started leaking, requiring the purchase and installation of a new one.

Once again, this was quickly and easily taken care of because we had access to a mechanic who knew what he was doing, and who came right away.

So, why would we want to leave?  Because, although we are EXTREMELY comfortable here, points south still beckon. To that end, we have been checking out some marinas south of here which are also part of the Loggerhead chain of sister marinas, all the way down to Aventura, just north of Miami.  The neat thing is that they have reciprosity agreements with all other Loggerhead Marinas.  So, since we have paid for the month of February here in Stuart, we can go to any of the other ones for no additional fee. What a deal!

We don't know where our next blog posting will come from, but 'til then, we'll try to have as much fun as we can.