Wednesday, April 27, 2011

End of Our 2010-2011 Cruise

We’ve entered a new phase in our cruise as we wind down and get ready to come home.  We’ve been enjoying Florida, living on a mooring ball in Stuart.

After our Daring Rescue at Sea, we spent the night at West End in Grand Bahama and left the next morning for our Gulf Stream crossing to Lake Worth (Riviera Beach) Florida with the help of George and Deb.  The crossing was uneventful and we arrived in the late afternoon.  We cleared customs but had to meet with officials the next morning so we anchored in Lake Worth and enjoyed a peaceful evening.  First thing in the morning we took the dinghy in and walked to the office – spent a little time smiling at the officers and then we were officially welcomed back to the USSA!  Yay!

Took off right away for Stuart and, after almost losing George off the bow with some rugged waves in the entrance we had an almost boring trip to Stuart.  Almost.  Coming in through the Saint Lucie Inlet was a breeze – except that it has shoaled and so, some of the markers have been moved, making the navigation difficult.  We smugly glided past the offset markers when… thunk… we hit the bottom.  NO PROBLEM!  We will simply navigate off – but which way?  Some thought south, others north and in the end after several fits and starts we finally bounced back into the navigable channel and on into Stuart.  George and Deb left us there (in Stuart, that is, not in the middle of the channel) and headed off for an adventure of their own in Florida.
Running low.  At least we have cava
Civilization at last!

We love Stuart.  The old town is quaint and features old restaurants, shops, parks and theatres and it is an easy walk from the marina.  We stayed on a mooring ball for a week enjoying the commerce and emptying our wallets.  We met up there with Sid, on Quest.  He was very generous with the loan of his truck and cooking meals for us.
Added a temperature probe for Yan Diesel

After days of enjoying access to Total Wines and West Marine and doing small boat chores we finally untied from mooring ball #7 and headed up the St. Lucie River, up 14 feet from sea-level through the St. Lucie Locks and on to Indiantown.

Four bridges and a lock to transit.


We need 52 feet - clearance was 56 - lots of room!

We had a good night’s rest Sunday night and then on Monday, took down the sails, the canvas, the solar panels, changed the engine oil, the generator oil, wiped down all the woodwork with vinegar and water and did loads of laundry.  While Pam did all this Glen talked to the yard service manager about potential work on the boat, visited with the locals and watched TV.  On Tuesday, we unloaded stuff to come home into our rental car, took the cushions into Stuart to be recovered and then headed north to Orlando for our flight home.

Hauled out and put to bed.

Resting until November.


And so, dear reader, thus ends our blog for the 2010-2011 cruising season.  Looking forward to thrilling you next year with continued "Roger Family Sailing Adventures."
Very excited about seeing all our family and friends.

8 comments:

  1. WOW! you are landlubbers once again....see ya in a month

    cheers

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  2. FANTASTIC year it was sailing along and learning from your adventures. You are showing us the way and the life we all dream of. Next year, we will be there as well. The cruising life is a dream life....but so is time at home. We are lucky to have both. Thank you for all the work involved in blogging, it is a real treat to share....
    Hayden

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  3. Can't wait to see you!!! But the boat does look pretty sad sitting there with no sails or canvas. You'll be glad to get back down once the fall comes around for sure :)

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  4. Can't wait to see you guys. What time do you think you'll get into Abby?

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  5. I get such a huge kick out of reading your blogs; I'm gonna miss them. I'm glad you're on your way home, though, and look forward to seeing you real soon. Bring the sun with you!

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  6. Loved reading your final post :) Glad you're back safe & sound. St. Lucie Inlet? Wow! We wouldn't have tried it but it was interesting to see that you bumped too even with a shallower draft!

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  7. Welcome back - and along with all the other comments, I'll be looking forward to next year's installments.

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  8. Mary Clare and AxelApril 28, 2011 at 8:46 PM

    Welcome home! Just checked your blog to see that you arrived safe and sound. :) Wonder how our boats are doing with all these tornados and rain and hail?! We plan on giving GCSprings Marina a call too see how our boat fared. We're further north than you, but large hail and high winds were expected there yesterday and today. We now have our daughter and her fiancee, and their 6 sled dogs and one pet dog living with us since the second day we were home. Their rented cabin burned down to the ground in the middle of the day and they lost everything except cars and bikes. Needless to say, our house is BUSY these days! Enjoy spring, M.C. and Axel

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