Heading North?

By mid-April we were back at our marina in Stuart with our boat’s bottom freshly painted and beginning to plan our migration north for the upcoming hurricane season. The terms of our boat insurance required us to be north of Florida by June 1^st, so we figured we would spend the month of May slowly working our way up Florida‘s east coast, stopping off at places we had not visited before, with a possible side trip up the St. John’s River along the way.

We decided to spend the last week of April at the Loggerhead Marina in Vero Beach, some 40 miles away up the Atlantic Intra-coastal Waterway. This would give us the opportunity to drive back to Stewart to retrieve our car, which would be left at Ken’s brother’s house in nearby Sebastian during our long voyage north. But as our intended departure date from Stewart approached, the weather turned rather gloomy.

When the weather cleared and we prepared to head out, we paused to take one last look up the dock which had been our home for the last five months, and there was Wahoo’s Riverfront Grill, freshly painted and apparently almost ready to re-open.

Down the St. Lucie River we cruised, paying close attention to all channel markers as we approached the “Crossroads” where we would carefully turn north up the ICW, hopefully avoiding the infamous shoals at that junction. Cruising conditions couldn’t have been better, with plenty of sunshine, calm winds, and just the slightest bit of chop on the water’s surface. All of the bridges along our route were at least high enough for us to pass under without having to request an opening.

Boat traffic was light on this 25^th day of May, but we did slow down to allow this beauty to pass us, mostly so we could have a good look at her classic lines.

Shortly after mid-day, we passed by the municipal marina at Vero Beach, which prompted us to keep a sharp lookout for the entrance to the Loggerhead Marina, our destination, just a short distance further. Located in a very protected harbor within the gated golf course community of Grand Harbor, one must be alert so as not to miss the marked entrance channel, which opens up into a beautiful and spacious harbor not visible from the ICW.

Following instructions provided by the harbormaster, we headed for our assigned slip at the foot of “A” Dock, eased our way in, and secured the lines.

We were already familiar with this marina, having spent the month of December 2010 here before beginning our Great Loop cruise. However, this time around we were much better situated very close to the facilities, including a beautiful heated swimming pool.

Unlike the busy commercial areas surrounding the Loggerhead Marina in Stuart, where we had spent the winter, here we were in the heart of a quiet, beautifully landscaped residential community, just perfect for long bicycle rides.

It didn’t take long for us to realize that we wanted to spend more time here than we had planned, so we quickly decided to extend our stay well into May. But the more we thought about it, the more we realized that the only reason we were heading north out of Florida this spring was because our insurance required it. After investigating what it would cost to change to a policy that would allow us to stay here year round (including during hurricane season), we discovered that the additional cost was actually less than we would have to pay for diesel fuel to take the Docker north for the summer and then back to Florida next winter! So, with thousands of watery miles under our keel during the last year, we decided to stay put right here until we feel like moving on for another adventure.

With that settled, we joined a local gym, Planet Fitness, so that we could exercise in air-conditioned splendor during the hot and humid months of a Florida summer.

Having retrieved our car from Stuart, in mid-June we took a road trip to Columbia, SC to check on our condo and were relieved to find nothing amiss. In fact, we felt right at home and took great comfort in the fact that, when we are “done cruising,” we will still have this comfy womb to return to.

Before driving back to Florida, we made a side trip to Otto, NC for a surprise visit with “Mr. Gene” (Sharon’s 95-year-old dad) on Father’s Day. What a treat it was to spend some quality time with him.

And then it was back to Florida and the live-aboard life we are currently enjoying, our moveable home snuggly tied up at Loggerhead Club & Marina - Vero Beach.