A big hello and apology for the lack of posts to all those following our journey. We are still here at Sunset Bay Anchorage in Stuart, FL. These mooring balls have Super Industrial Velcro on them. Once you get here, its very hard to leave.
We’ve been enjoying the weather for the most part. Temperatures are definitely warmer than those back home. We’ve had lots of totally overcast and some partly sunny days. Lots of fronts moving through, first a cold and then a warm one, actually the same cold front moving back north. Bottom line, lots of people are complaining about the lack of sunny days for solar power to keep their batteries fully charged. Us folks with generators are resorting to the backup method of charging.
The stragglers, Larry B, and the Roses, got here on Thanksgiving day, but they are staying in slips at the Loggerhead Marina across the river. We asked them to join us at Sunset Bay's Thanksgiving feast, but they attended a similar yacht club function at Loggerhead.
Speaking of the Sunset Bay Thanksgiving, it was a wonderful. The marina furnished the turkey, ham, dressing and potatoes. The boaters furnished side dishes, deserts and BYOB. About 100 boaters attended. We ate outside in the courtyard and were seated with old friends. The tables were nicely decorated with tablecloths and lovely centerpieces made by the marina employees. The food was terrific and we had a great time.
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We’ve visited some of our old haunts like Publix, Harbor Freight, Home Depot, West Marine, Stein Mart, Wal-Mart, Ace Hardware, just to name a few. Thank goodness the marina has a courtesy bus that makes runs on Tuesday and Friday.
We’ve also met some of our old friends from previous stays here at the anchorage. Donna has gone to lunch and shopping with several of the ladies. The guys meet for morning coffee and occasionally a brew or two in the courtyard. We even went to the Stuart Christmas Parade one evening.
I have been working on a few improvements and repairs on the boat. I now have an improved method of transferring water from our 7 gal jug into the boat’s water tank. The Wifi Access Point that I never finished before leaving Portsmouth is up and working. Our Alfa adapter is now housed in a homemade enclosure mounted on the stern rail. It communicates with the ALFA access point located in the main salon. That means no more dragging out the equipment, setting it up, and no more cables draped everywhere in the salon. It also means Donna can be on her Kindle, I can be on the computer and we both have internet access at the same time. Life is Good!
Donna is busy wrapping presents for the nieces and nephews. When she’s done it will mean a trip to the post office (groan!). Oh, but wait, the bakery is right on the way…maybe we will try their lunch menu.
On Saturday, we rode our bikes 3.5 miles against the wind to the local flea market. Unfortunately the place was dead. We didn’t find much of what we went looking for. On a positive note, the ride back was with the wind and a lot easier. After the ride back we walked over to the Pelican Café and Beach. Their “café” is seating on a deck with wonderful views of the river, Loggerhead Marina and the Roosevelt Bridge. Their “beach” is an oversized sandbox with table seating in the sand and the same views with the addition of Flagler Park. We obviously chose the “beach” seating. We enjoyed a pitcher of beer and an order of nachos while watching a wedding party take group pictures on the RiverWalk at the park.
This morning we dinghied ashore early, did the laundry, took showers and were back at the boat by 10AM. Well, enough rambling, it's time to go find something else NOT to do!
D&D
Location: Stuart, FL
Skies: Mostly Cloudy
Temp: 70F
Solar: Charging 13.5V @ 5.2A
