Walking, The Farmers Market and a Concert!

THe day started with a brisk walk to the beachside Farmers Market followed by a brisk walk back to the boat. After a short break, we went to a few stores to procure the materials I’ll need to clean the steering mechanism. After dinner, we walked back to Hummiston Park for a free concert. We listened to one set and then walked back to the marina where we watched game three of the World Series. It’s very convenient to have the laundry facilities adjacent to the lounge. While watching the game, Anna Marie tended to the machines. When the laundry was finished, we left. THe game was in the sixth inning with the Cardinals ahead of the Red Sox by a score of 2 to 1.

Take a Walk!

The morning started as usual with breakfast in the cockpit. After planning what supplies we need to perform the next boat project, cleaning the steering mechanism, we took a walk beachside. The weather was 82 degrees and it was windy (N @ 20+ knots) and the surf was pounding!

Anna Marie went shopping after we returned to the boat. I stayed home and played the Uke for an hour or so.

We hoped to go to the movies to see All is Lost today, but it isn’t playing in the local theaters. It was supposed to be released nationwide for this weekend. We don’t know what happened.  

Fellsmere!

The temp in the boat went down to 73 degrees last night. It was so comfortable by comparison, that we slept for an extra hour this morning. That caused us to delay my planned bike ride. Instead, we did a shorter ride after lunch.

We have never visited Fellsmere before. While searching for entertainment options in Vero Beach, I came upon a restaurant that features a Bluegrass Band on Thursday nights. In the high season, the Marsh Landing Restaurant gets crowded up to two hours before the band is scheduled to play.

Well the restaurant was crowded when we arrived at 1820 hours. The patrons in the main room were clearly there for the bluegrass. Their plates contained only scraps of food and all chairs were facing the performers. This evenings edition of the Marsh Landing Bluegrass Band consisted of three guitar players, a mandolins/fiddle player, one on upright bass, and a dobro. Three of the musicians were singers too. Two tables of onlookers were prepared with printed out signs encouraging the crowd and the musicians. People from the audience were invited to go on stage to sing a song or two. 

The music was good and the crowd was a hoot! We had a great time.

Marsh Landing Bluegrass

Cold Front!

Yippee, we're getting a break in the weather. Today's high was only 81 degrees. The low is predicted to be 68 degrees. We'll believe it when we experience it!

We rode the bus to the new Hub near the airport, switched to the number 2 bus bound for the library. We had hoped to print out our request for absentee ballots. Alas, we were foiled by a new policy that requires a library card for computer use. The card costs $10.00! We decided to go with plan B.

After a walk downtown and lunch at The Patio, a local landmark, we boarded the bus to return to the marina.

In the evening, we caught a bit of the rehearsal of "Low Key," a new trio (bass and two guitars). When they finished, we watched a few innings of the first game of the world series (St. Louis v. Boston).

Hotter Still!

That’s right! It’s hotter than yesterday! The temp exceeded 90 degrees today. The humidity is high too. We didn’t see what the “real feel” temp is but we know its hot!

We did have a breeze though and there were a few more clouds. When the winds was blowing and the clouds blocked the sun, it was cool by comparison. 

We spent a couple of hours in the air conditioned lounge. We also found air conditioning in the restaurant where we had lunch and the Publix where we picked up some groceries. The bus had air conditioning too. Unfortunately, the boat doesn’t!

A Walk and a Movie!

It's another hot one; near 90 degrees and mostly sunny. We took a 3 1/2 mile walk to the beach, town and Riverside Park. It is the longest walk I've done in a couple of months. The good news is that my right heel held up fine. It might be the first relatively pain free 3+ mile walk I've done in well over a year.

After our walk, we went to see "The Fifth Estate," a film about Julian Asange and WikiLeaks. While there were no stellar performances, the story was intriguing. Julian suggests that the two books that were the primary source material do not accurately portray the truth. Lots of moral questions remain unresolved.

Hot! Hot! Hot!

 Have I mentioned that it's been hot? Everybody says we brought the cooler weather, but we don't think so. If the locals think its cooler, what must it have been like in the weeks prior to our arrival?

The high temps are in the high 80's to 90. With the humidity, the "real feel" is in the high 90s. Today, for example, it was 97!

It's a good thing it goes down to about 84 at night! It does, but I am being facetious. It's really not good, just barely tolerable. The forecast shows a cold front arriving on Thursday. The highs will be 80 or a little above and lows around 68. That will be more to our liking!

Vero Beach!

Vero Beach is one of our favorites places along the waterway. It's very popular with cruisers too. The marina only has a few vacant slips but the mooring field is virtually empty. That'll change within the month when the cruisers arrive. The mooring balls will be full with three boats per ball.

Anna Marie took off for the vegetable market while I stayed behind trying to nurse this sore throat. She returned a couple hours later loaded with fresh veggies and fruit. 

After the victuals were put away, we rode the bus to the boardwalk, discovered that one of our favorite restaurants was no longer there, had lunch in the new establishment that took its place and walked back to the marina. I had been doing exercises to ease the pain of plantar fasciatus and it must be working as this is the first walk in over a year that I had no pain in my heel.

Back at the marina, we talked to Jackie (Sea Otter II) for a while in the captains lounge after which we returned to SUNSHINE. 

While Anna Marie tended to the laundry, I fired up the dinghy motor. It hasn't been started since we were here last Spring sometime. It took six pulls to start it. Most were just getting fuel into the carb. After that, one pull every time.

Depart Stuart Yacht Harbor!

It's 0600 and we're up! We're looking forward to shoving off, but it's dark outside. After a mini bagel and coffee, we began our departure procedures which included starting the engines, unhooking the electrical cord and removing the spider web of dock lines that have held SUNSHINE to the dock for the past six months. 

After a quick check of all the navigation lights, we found that the only ones not working are the steaming and deck lights. Both are in the same fixture, about midway up the mast.

At 0700, we were underway. It was already 85 degrees, the sun was shingling brightly and there was only a wisp of air. We past three scullers out for their morning exercise as we traveled down the St. Lucie River. Just past the Sunset Bay Marina, the Roosevelt Bascule Bridge tender opened without delay. We didn't even have to throttle back.

In just under nine hours of motoring and motor-sailing over calm waters, we were tied up in slip A-14 of the Vero Beach City Marina.

After one week, The yacht broker finally returned my call. Not being able to hear him with the motors running, Anna Marie told him I'd call back after we got settled in at Vero Beach. When I called at 1705, no one answered. The office must be closed for the day. I'll try again tomorrow.

I've had a sore throat for several days. It was really bad today. The throat lozenges aren't helping. If I don't get relief soon, I'll need to seek other remedies.

Final Tasks!

Just three things left to do: 

• Wash the deck
• Pump out
• Finish cable replacement project.

If it's not too hot, I'll see if I can get the nav lights to work. It was HOT! I didn't get to the nav lights.

We're Committed!

We assembled the bicycles this morning. This afternoon we picked up the canvas and reinstalled it on SUNSHINE. In the evening, we rented a car so we could drop the truck and bikes off at the Vero Beach City Marina. We returned to SUNSHINE with the rental car which we will return tomorrow.

We have a full list of tasks to perform tomorrow and, assuming Daigle's Marine completes the cable replacement project as scheduled, we will head for Vero Beach on Friday.

Cables!

We arranged for a Yamaha tech to stop by today to measure the shift, throttle and choke cables that need to be replaced. The rigging company is stopping by to do a final inspection.

This Is Cruising!?!

Just about everything is stowed aboard. The interior of the boat is clean. The canvas is in the repair shop for restitching. 

Continuing the Stow & Prep Activities!

Yes sir! We continue to put things away and reinstall items that were removed last spring. Apparently this is no small feat! It's taking us days to accomplish. 

Today's major project involved cleaning the dinghy. It was filthy and the floor boards needed painting. By the end of the day the dinghy was back in shape. We'll put it back together and hang it from the davits tomorrow. 

Saw Capt. Phillips this evening. The movie was fantastic and Tom Hanks was great in the lead role.

Saturday, October 12, 2013 More of the Same!

We continue to make progress in stowing our gear and getting SUNSHINE.ready for sailing. We might actually finish tomorrow.

The new masthead anchor light and tricolor work fine although the rigging company crossed the wires at the masthead. I just reversed them at the panel to correct the situation. The only problem is that the wires are labeled. In the future, someone might take it apart and discover that the anchor light wire is attached to the tricolor breaker and vice versa.

We then discovered that the steaming, navigation, and deck lights aren't working. The problem might be with the plug or perhaps corrosion at the connections. I'll sort that out after we leave this place.

I spoke with an old sailing buddy yesterday. He invited us to dinner this evening. In the last two years, he and his wife sold their boat and bought a condo in Stuart. In the last three and a half months they sold their NJ house, sold their condo in Stuart, and bought a 2200 square foot house in a golf community in Palm City! Wow! That quite a bit of major activity. Neither looks any worse for the wear and tear. In fact, they look great. The stress of real estate transactions must agree with them!

Friday, October 11, 2013 Emptying the Truck, Loading the Boat!

Friday, October 11, 2013 Emptying the Truck, Loading the Boat!

After a light breakfast, we unloaded the bed of the pick up truck. It took an hour! Boy do we have a lot of stuff. We hope to cull a lot of things.

I telephoned broker Bill Watson to let him know we're back aboard and to notify him that we are terminating the sales agreement. I also sent him an e-mail to that effect as well.

Stowing all the gear is time consuming. Besides fitting the stuff into unusually shaped compartments, we need to have a record of were the things are stored. Logic doesn't always dictate where things go. Size and shape matter too. Unrelated items may be stored together because they fit together, not because they belong together.

Thursday, October 10, 2013. Arrived!

Arrived at 1530 hours (about 300 miles). Started unpacking the truck right away. Gregg, the marina owner, chastised us for not letting him know we were coming. Seemed upset! Suggested it would have been the courteous thing to do. Too bad, Buddy!

We'll finish unpacking the truck tomorrow.

Wednesday, October 9, 2013 Still on the Way!

It rained all night and it was raining while we packed up. We met the other campers while we were packing up. They asked for advice on getting to Delaware. We suggested the Bay Bridge Tunnel route and gave them contact information. They gave us delicious home grown bananas!

Drove until 1700 hours (about 400+ miles). Camped at Crooked River State Park on GA. A very nice park. It would be nice to visit for a few days. Had a great seafood dinner at Ship2Shore in St Mary's City.

Tuesday, October 8, 2013 SUNSHINE Bound!

Left home at 0800. Not ready for a long drive though.

Said goodbye to our family last evening while enjoying their company at Fove Guys.

Drove until about 1900 hours (about 430 miles). Camped at Medoc Mountain State Park in NC, about 12 miles from I95. Only one other camper in the park. Used the Eureka Equinox tent.

Getting Ready for Another Cruise!

SUNSHINE spent the summer luxuriating at the Stuart Yacht Spa where she received excellent care and new standing rigging. We've been missing her and have been plotting our return since fall has arrived.

After taking care of last minute business with the shacks and the 5er, we have been cleared for takeoff. The truck is packed to the gills with most of the gear we removed last spring. Packing took much longer than expected so we delayed our departure, originally planned for this past weekend to tomorrow.