We're finally feeling human again after two days of R/R in Lake Worth/West Palm Beach. After checking in with customs (by phone) and getting up the sunshade (in prep for the brutal 90deg FL temps), we slept most of Sunday (and with the fans going, it wasn’t all that bad).
Sunday: Our neighbor in the anchorage came over as we were launching our dinghy to welcome us back from the Bahamas as he’d seen us arrive Sunday morning flying both our Bahama flag and our yellow quarantine flag (displayed until we clear customs). He had arrived from Bimini the night before, and he greeted us with: “That weather forecast was total bullshit”! Yeah! Someone else who was expecting entirely different wind and sea conditions! He also had intended to arrive at Port Canaveral and had to detour south b/c of the strong north winds … which he said were 20-25 knots! OMG … I’m glad I didn’t know that at the time! He also admitted that he wished he would have turned back before leaving the Bahama banks after getting a taste of the conditions on the ocean – an option that I’m sure Dan and I will continue to debate for awhile! Had we waited until Monday to cross, the winds were mild, from the south, and the seas were less than 2ft. But, like I said before, there’s a definite shoulda/woulda/coulda factor to cruising, and the second guessing can wear you down ... and what's the point after you’ve safety arrived in port?!!!!
The nice part about being back in Lake Worth is that we spent 3 weeks here in Jan/Feb, so we really know our way around the waterfront. After our face-to-face meeting with the customs officer, our next stop was the local liquor store where Dan got a 12-pack of Becks beer … bottled beer is something he has been yearning for since the last one was finished almost 4 months ago! (FYI .. he’s still got 6 cans of Modelo in the refrig, but I have a feeling those aren’t going anywhere fast!). That was about all the walking we could stand in the nasty FL heat and humidity, leaving us only two places with any breeze -- either on the boat or in the Rivieraa Beach marina Tiki Bar -- so we settled into the Tiki Bar (surprise surprise) ... good food and $2.00 bottled beer!).
Monday: We got our first taste of Florida afternoon thunderstorms. In a matter of 30 minutes, we picked up to a nice cool wind, which gave rise to dark storm clouds on the horizon. We had just enough time to get down the sunshade, raise the dinghy and motor, get up the cockpit enclosures, and let out an additional 25 feet of anchor chain before all hell broke loose with a tremendous downpour, thunder and lightening. Wow .. at least the boat got a good wash.
A full, horizon-to-horizon rainbow followed the storm.
Tuesday: We left Lake Worth this morning at 7 am. Depending on what the wind does this afternoon, we’ll either go 50 miles to Ft Pierce or 110 miles to Pt Canaveral (an overnight sail with an almost full moon). If we can get north of the stormy weather in southern FL, then we can avoid the ICW route into Jacksonville … the ICW provides a a protected inland route, but it's soooooooo damn hot.
Goodbye West Palm Beach ... until next time!
5 miles offshore and we still get Internet!
Lovely day to be underway.
We are going 8.2 knots with 7 knots of NW wind ... gotta love the Gulf Stream!
At around noon, we got one of the favorite sounds of cruising ... FISH ON as the line from the reel went spinning out! Gone are the dull drums of sailing along, replaced by the flurry of action that accompanies the prospect of bringing a fish on board. Gaff hook ... pliers ... gloves ... Mikel's bourbon ... toss all the cockpit cushions and maps down below, camera, and get out the fishing book so we'll know if what we caught, we can eat!
I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that our hearts would really like to be heading towards the Chesapeake … good friends are there for the summer that we sincerely miss … and we’ll miss them even longer by settling into a marina at Green Cove Springs FL instead of returning to Brunswick GA. But after spending almost 1.5 years on the boat, we are ready for a 4 month break, flush toilets, unlimited water, and hugs from family and friends.
Dan reels while I prep the boat for the ongoing bloody fish (ish!)
Thanks to the internet, we figured we caught an Atlantic Mackerel.
9 fillets in the freezer!
When we were about one-hour outside of Ft Pierce, I turned into the weather forecast, in time to hear the Emergency Weather Alert for Mariners ... another big storm was expected for this afternoon, centered over Ft. Pierce. Since we are not sure how far offshore these storms travel, we decided to duck into the Ft Pierce Municipal Marina (yes, I am the baby on board!). We needed fuel and water anyway, and after 10 hours in the hot sun, a long cool shower sounded enticing as well.
Entering Ft Pierce Inlet. Clouds starting to gather.
Fortunately, a 65ft bridge greeted us ...
A Very Lovely Marina.
After getting fuel and a shower, the dark clouds and thunder started to form in earnest. By 5:30, the storm was upon us. This time, we watched the storm on radar and figured that we'd have to be at least 20 miles offshore to miss to thunder and lightening and predicted 40-60 mph winds. Yes, I'm the baby on board and not ashamed to say that nothing beats the feeling of being safely tied to a dock when a big storm barreling down on you!
So we ended up making 50 miles north today. Tomorrow, we hope to make an overnight passage to St.Augustine, which will put us 30 miles from Jacksonville. Oh, full moon .. I so hope for a clear sky!
Once we hit Jacksonville, we have about about 70 miles to Green Cove Springs where we plan to select a marina to haul the boat for storage for the next 4 months. It's a weird feeling to not be heading towards our "home port" of Brunswick Landing Marina, but we think we can save some money and find a marina where we can do our boat projects next fall (e.g. bottom paint).
Some decisions are certainly harder than others …
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