The weathermen lied!!!

(Just a brief news update while sitting in a 'Panera Coffee Shop' in Stuart, Florida.)
Every weather forecast we consulted before our Saturday Gulf Stream crossing promised seas of a mere 2'-4', and winds of 10-15 knots dying down to 5 knots or less!! They were all wrong! 'Barometer Bob', Chris Parker, 'NOAA', even computerized 'Passage Weather' spoke with forked tongue! We travelled across in company with a 32' sailboat, as Robert and Carolyn on 'Sea Island Girl' who were originally to be our 'buddy boat' waited an extra day to meet up with some friends. By the time we had fought the 30 knot winds and 8'-10' waves, not to mention the strong Gulf Stream current and reached the sunny shores of Lake Worth 12 1/2 hours later, the sun had just about set. It was dark when our 'buddy boat' appeared! We anchored thankfully for the first night, and then took the boat into the 'Old Port Cove Marina', which had been recommended by Carole and Bob. We tied up just behind their boat, 'Sea Change'. They had gone home to Canada for Easter. We had to go out to the airport to check in, and then rented a car from there so that we could do some much needed food shopping etc. Going in to a 'Publix' supermarket after three months of local Bahamian stores was like going into Aladdin's cave! So many choices, so much food, and such succulent, fresh vegetables! I went crazy for tomatoes! That day we went to a little restaurant beside the Intra-Coastal waterway called 'The Raw Bar' for a late lunch. Later that day Robert and Carolyn on 'Sea Island Girl' arrived from the Bahamas and the next day we were invited to dinner on board and met up with a whole group of Royal Marsh Harbour Yacht Club members. Great fun, and we all pledged to meet up next year in the Bahamas. Most of the group have been wintering in the Bahamas for many years and most have graduated to trawler-type power boats from sailboats!
Yesterday (Tuesday) we set off up the Intra-Coastal (ICW) to Stuart to visit John and Fruji Bull at their lovely golf resort, 'Harbour Ridge'. Unfortunately when we were about 10 minutes from the dock a huge storm with 40 knot gusts of wind broke over us. We had to stay out in the river until the winds went down to a mere 20 plus knots before we could try for the dock. Bill did a fantastic job of getting us in safely, aided by John and the dockmaster. It was John's birthday, so he and Fruji and a couple of their friends from Ottawa came on board for champagne before we all went out to a lovely birthday dinner. Last night it was wonderful to spend a night in a real bed...one that didn't rock and roll! Today we shall go up to Fort Pierce by car to check out the marina where 'Southern Vectis' will spend the summer, and then we will play a game of golf! Hope we're not too rusty! We expect to be back in Canada by the end of next week.