March 25, 2014 Stuart, FL

I was up at 6:30am getting everything ready to depart.  Engine room check, nav systems up, coffee for Mary and then getting Mary up.  All told that all took only 30 minutes, the bulk of which was spent .. well you can probably guess...

Anchorage in Palm Beach, Flager Bridge in background 

We lifted the anchor in the rather dismal dawn light since it was still lightly drizzling.  But at least it wasn't raining steadily like it was last night when we were anchoring.  We waited around a few minutes admiring all the huge yachts evidently here for the Palm Beach boat show which ended a few days ago. We were the only boat going through the bridge when it finally opened.  All those cars just waiting for us to pass through and thinking unpleasant thoughts I would guess.  




This first bridge, Flager Memorial Bridge, was the only one we would need to have opened for us.  All the rest were 22 feet and over.  So it was easy cruising the rest of the 36 miles.

One of several marinas in Palm Beach stuffed with big yachts

The ICW going north out of Palm Beach passes right by a number of large marinas and they were all filled to capacity from what we could see.  And these weren't small little yachts either.

Peanut Island.  Blue Heron bridge in background

We went by Peanut Island and skirted Singer Island‎ before heading under the Blue Heron Boulevard Bridge and gawked at more gargantuan homes lining both shores.

The ICW here, runs through numerous wealthy neighborhoods interspersed with mangrove shorelines.   Interesting things to look at and we sure didn't miss much lopping along at a tortoise pace of 6 mph mainly because the current was against us.



As we came around the bend at Jupiter inlet the bridge there was being opened on a request from a small catamaran.  We didn't need the opening but since the bridge was going up anyway and there was a large tug on the east end waiting to go through, prudence dictated we hang back.  But the current was racing through from the outgoing tide so it was dicey trying to keep station and not crush the catamaran or run aground on the nearby shore.  Once the bridge opened the catamaran had difficulty punching though the current with his little outboard and that just complicated matters since the big west bound tug was chugging towards the narrow bridge opening.  We made it through but in order to avoid the tug I had to get within 10 feet or less of the cat.  Not a comfortable distance especially considering the wake this tug was throwing.  It all turned out ok, but sure woke me up from the sedate cruising we had been enjoying.  Heck, who needs coffee.

Jupiter inlet

Here's a picture of the inlet.  We came into the inlet from the left in the background between the two bridges, around the bend and through the second bridge before making a hard turn to the right in the image to continue on the ICW towards Stuart.








We ran though Jupiter‎ and gawked an even more impressive (ostentatious is perhaps a better description) estates, many with large yachts parked on their private pier.

Peck Lake anchorage 

We entered Hobe Sound sound soon after and came upon the spot of our first foray beyond sight of the marina back when we first purchased the boat in 2012.  Peck Lake.  It's where we anchored and where we discovered how to lower the dinghy and run the windlass and ... well there were a lot of little tricks we stumbled on back then.

But alas, it's now a temporary station for depositing material from the St. Lucie inlet dredging operation.  The operation should be completed within a few months so on our way back down in the fall we'll most likely anchor here.

Passing the barge

A little ways down from Peck Lake we had to wait for a barge and tug to maneuver.  He was having a hell of a time fighting the wind while trying to get the barge straighten out and in the channel so he could move it up the dredging operations.  The wind was really playing havoc with the empty barge and it took him a good 15 minutes before he was moving in the channel again.  Once he was underway I elected to pass him since it gave me an opportunity to push the engines up near full throttle and blow them out a little after all the days of cruising at slow speeds.

Crossroads. inlet to the right, St. Lucie river to the left and ICW straight ahead

We reached the crossroads (a local term for describing the junction of the St. Lucie inlet, ICW and the St. Lucie river) just as a heavy downpour began washing the boat again.  Rain is usually a welcome event since it washes off the salt accumulations.  But in this case it hindered our ability to follow the ever changing buoys marking the channel.  But having gone through here numerous times in the past we did ok.

We followed the charted channel as another downpour drenched us.  We went right by our very first anchorage when we took the boat out for the first time.  It was a sunny day then and we sat up on the bow and had a few beers in preparation for taking the boat back into the tight slip for the first time alone.  Ahh, memories.

As we got close to Loggerhead I called them on the radio and Steve, the dock master who marshaled all the marina staff to help us in the first time we took the boat out a year ago, answered and directed us to slip L9 on the floating docks.  These docks are quite a distance from the marina office, pool and bar.  When we were here a year ago we were in slip G80 which was right next to all these conveniences.  Oh well.  After all the weight we've added on this trip it'll do us good to walk as much as we can.  I came in the same entrance we left a year ago and turned left instead of right this time and had to back the boat into the slip  But this time, in contrast to a year ago, it was just another docking event.  No big deal.  I guess we've learned a few things in all those miles and months.

We're the small boat, 3rd in from the right

We got tied up and Steve the dock master kinda remembered us as did a few others we met on the docks.  We went and signed the paperwork came back to the boat noting that we seemed to have the smallest boat on the L pier.  This is a quite a change for us since we were usually the largest boat in the marinas where we stayed.  Doesn't really matter though.  We love the boat we have!



We showered and then headed over to our favorite eating place, Uncle Giuseppe  located in a strip mall close to the marina.  Really good food.  And wonderful Chianti, Campobello Chianti which can be purchased at only a few places, one being BabyCham Liquors in Hobe Sound.

So we are now veteran Loopers and entitled to fly the gold AGLCA burgee.  But I have to purchase it first.  Yet another boat thing to buy.

In our new slip (L9) at Loggerhead

We contacted Nyla to do some little projects on the boat while we are away.  And I also talked with David of Imperial to replace the dinghy's power tilt pump which seems to have failed.  So we may have a several issues resolved before we return.  Well, I still haven't changed the main engine oil or several fuel filters yet.  But maybe if packing goes well I'll have time to do it this evening since its raining anyway and I can't take my normal nightly stroll downtown.

We also ended up having to pass up doing business with what was our favorite car rental place, Enterprise.   Down here in south Florida they charge quite a bit extra for taking a car out of the state of Florida.  Yet in Destin for example, there is no such out of state fee assessed.  Pretty bizarre.  So I basically told them good bye and found a decent deal at Hertz.

What are we doing next you might wonder.  Well,  we are leaving for Wisconsin in a few days and will return here to Loggerhead in early April.  Then we will be in St. Augustine in late April and then start heading north through Georgia to visit a few friends up that way.  We'll hang around the outer banks for awhile and head as far north as the Chesapeake where I want to park ourselves for some time at Waterside Marina in Norfolk to watch all the naval activity.   And visit the fabulous Harris Teeter grocery store which sports two stories of grocery type stuff and an elevator capable of handling 4 shoppers and their respective grocery carts.

 We'll probably anchor for a while at Hospital Point near the marina and then start to head back south.  A stop in Jacksonville for a few weeks for some boat work is in the plan before trekking down the Florida coast to end up in Marathon again for much of February and all of March.  Then we're planning on heading over to the Bahama's for a few months before returning to Florida and heading back up the coast towards New York and Long Island.

But then again, plans can always change...

Yes, only 8.  The 9th is below waiting for more used oil..

Oh, and I did change the oil in the two main Cummins engines this evening.  Every time I do this it just re-enforces how old I'm getting since it requires some Olympic contortions to get into tight places and I seem to be unable to easily bend like that now.   Anyway, 9 old gallons out and 9 new gallons in.  Of course I have to haul all 9 gallon used oil jugs to the oil re-cycling place a few miles from here but we'll do that when we return in April. I still have to change the transmission oil so will do that before taking all the used oil to the re-cycling center.


And I wasn't even surprised this evening when I learned its snowing/raining in Wisconsin. Oooo ... we cant wait!