Dear Follower!

Nice to connect again.

We've been at Stuart for a week now and our adrenaline levels have returned to normal. We were blitzed after our 24 hour over-nighter from Great Stirrup Cay to the St. Lucie Inlet, not knowing how it was going to work with the train bridge and whether there was room in the anchorage. Highly stressed and overtired. Not great.

Found a parking spot close to town

Happily, it all worked out and we are able to settle into normal boat problem solving and getting ready to put her on the hard. 

There is a shuttle bus that runs Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings to nearby stores and services and Sam the bus driver (before retirement he was the general manager) is fun to be with and doesn't mind going out of his way to make sure you get what you need!

Sam's Shuttle Bus!

Six pack of beer fits in the basket

Company while you wait for the laundry

Dinghys and the mooring field

We've been to Walmart, Boat Owners Warehouse, Mack Sails (that one was out of the way!) and Publix. When we're not with Sam we've used the loaner bicycles to zip up for more tonic or shrimp or whatever. And we've wandered into old town Stuart on the River Walk to enjoy ourselves at the many restaurants and stores. It's pretty great!

Cracked Conch at Lola's

Gimme oysters and beer, for dinner every day of the year...

One of the many little issues was a broken "bob-stay" that fastens under the deck to pull down where the stays'l stay pulls up. That little bit of boat bling cost $350... and it gets mounted in the chain locker where noone will ever see it. I might buy another one and hang it on the wall at home!

Beautiful new stays'l bobstay

We stay pretty active getting Blue Pearl ready for storage and it gets very hot in the afternoon to we try to be strategic about "when we do what." Also, trying to find ways to remember what goes where when we get back!

Great facilities...

Stay Classy!

This tree lights up every night after dusk as we are enjoying our rum and chocolate.

On Monday we will leave Sunset Bay Marina and head up the St. Lucie River. About 5 miles out we go through a lock that raises us by 10 or 12 feet. Then another 15 miles to Indiantown Marina where we will overnight and then haul on Tuesday. Overnight in Stuart's Quality Inn and then again in Fort Lauderdale's Holiday Inn Express. Thursday morning we fly direct to Seattle and then bus home to Vancouver.

Very excited to see family and friends!