Thursday, January 31, 2013
We're still here....reporting from Ft. Pierce!
Three weeks ago 'Southern Vectis' was launched. Her short trip around to our dock at Harbortown Marina is as far as she, and we, have got on this year's `voyage of adventure`. But we are not complaining as our dock-mates are friendly, the weather has, for the most part, been unseasonably warm, and the list of 'jobs to be done' has started contracting. In fact we are now on the one before the last - we hope!
This year we decided to have the paintwork in the cockpit, which was beginning to peel, stripped off. This has taken longer than we thought, and has meant that, for the past four days, we have had to leave the boat early each morning and stay away most of the day. This hasn't been too much of a hardship. Yesterday, a gorgeous day of warm 84F sunshine and deep blue cloudless skies, we spent at the Hutchinson Island beach. We walked for miles, then tucked ourselves behind grassy sand-dunes to read and watch surfers and kite-boarders skim the Atlantic white caps.
After a day spent watching all this activity one of us decided it was time to join in! Body surfing in the warm rollers as the setting sun turned the white caps to a pale rose, was a perfect end to a perfect day.
We`ve had good evenings out with some of our neighbouring boaters. There`s an interesting line-up of local bars and restaurants to choose from in Ft. Pierce. The tiki bar at the marina is a favourite - so easy to get home from there! But we`ve also had two good evenings at `Capone`s Hideaway`, and a giant pizza party at `A Touch of Brooklyn`, also a short stroll away. A splendid lunch at the `Sailors` Return`at the beautiful `Sunset Bay` Marina in Stuart was also a high point, only slightly marred by the fact that that was the afternoon when Canadian Visa went down for the count! Luckily we had cash to allay the suspicious glances of our waiting staff when both of our visas had been declined! (We have decided to apply for a Mastercard to avoid these little misunderstandings in the future!)
We hope to set off on the first leg of our trip next Monday or Tuesday (February 4 or 5). Sigita and Martin on board `Jumasi`, are already stationed in Lake Worth awaiting that most elusive of occurences.....a `weather window`.....for our crossing to West End, our first port-of-call in the Bahamas.
This year we decided to have the paintwork in the cockpit, which was beginning to peel, stripped off. This has taken longer than we thought, and has meant that, for the past four days, we have had to leave the boat early each morning and stay away most of the day. This hasn't been too much of a hardship. Yesterday, a gorgeous day of warm 84F sunshine and deep blue cloudless skies, we spent at the Hutchinson Island beach. We walked for miles, then tucked ourselves behind grassy sand-dunes to read and watch surfers and kite-boarders skim the Atlantic white caps.
After a day spent watching all this activity one of us decided it was time to join in! Body surfing in the warm rollers as the setting sun turned the white caps to a pale rose, was a perfect end to a perfect day.
We`ve had good evenings out with some of our neighbouring boaters. There`s an interesting line-up of local bars and restaurants to choose from in Ft. Pierce. The tiki bar at the marina is a favourite - so easy to get home from there! But we`ve also had two good evenings at `Capone`s Hideaway`, and a giant pizza party at `A Touch of Brooklyn`, also a short stroll away. A splendid lunch at the `Sailors` Return`at the beautiful `Sunset Bay` Marina in Stuart was also a high point, only slightly marred by the fact that that was the afternoon when Canadian Visa went down for the count! Luckily we had cash to allay the suspicious glances of our waiting staff when both of our visas had been declined! (We have decided to apply for a Mastercard to avoid these little misunderstandings in the future!)
We hope to set off on the first leg of our trip next Monday or Tuesday (February 4 or 5). Sigita and Martin on board `Jumasi`, are already stationed in Lake Worth awaiting that most elusive of occurences.....a `weather window`.....for our crossing to West End, our first port-of-call in the Bahamas.
Saturday, January 19, 2013
Our adventures with Alice in 'Wonderland'.
Alice, our lovely niece who we rarely see because she lives in Hamburg, Germany, was visiting a friend in Miami in early January. So, less than three days after launching 'Southern Vectis', we were heading, by car, further south to spend two precious days with her in the 'Wonderland' of Florida - The Keys. It's a long drive from Ft. Pierce to Key West, our ultimate destination, and we had driven almost 4,000 kilometres in just over a week by the time we arrived back at the boat three days later. But it was worth every minute!
The weather was set fair when we picked Alice up and set our course for two days of sightseeing, fun and catching up on family news. Our first stop was the 'Lorelei' waterfront restaurant in Islamorada. It has been a favourite of ours since our first trip to the Keys at least fifteen years ago. From there we headed down the long and winding road, past Marathon, over the Seven Mile Bridge, and eventually arrived, bedazzled by sun and turquoise seas, at the Lighthouse Court Hotel in Key West. We had only booked our hotel the day before, but we weren't disappointed. We wanted a bed and breakfast or small hotel with 'old town' charm and character, that was central to all the 'action'. We weren't disappointed. The rooms were small but there were roosters by the backyard pool, and Ernest Hemingway's house, complete with a Hemingway look-a-like and a yard full of cats, was just across the road.
We headed out to show Alice all the sights we had enjoyed during our two recent trips here with 'Southern Vectis'. We watched the sun set at Mallory Square, walked around to the old Seaport Area and watched the majestic old schooners returning, filled to the gunwhales with tourists after their sunset cruises. We showed Alice where 'Southern Vectis' had tied up at the Town Dock, and then decided against a wharf-side restaurant and opted for 'Pepe's' - just across the road from the wharf. This restaurant opened its' doors in 1905 and has been going strong ever since.The line-ups for brunch are something to behold! But there were no crowds for dinner - and it wasn't fried - so unusual and refreshing in this part of the world.
We walked through our favourite streets of the old town to get back to the delights of Duval Street. Maybe we hadn't been out this late before (8:30 p.m.!!)' but we noticed for the first time all the beautifully dressed 'ladies' decorating the streets and beckoning from the bars and restaurants! Alice drew a lot of envious attention!
The next day we set off back to Miami. We stopped in Marathon and showed Alice all our 'special' places. We had a spectacular seafood lunch at Keys Fisheries (upstairs). The freshest oysters ever tasted, heaps of giant shrimps, sashimi raw tuna and lots more. From there we managed to get ourselves the short distance to Marathon's lovely 'Sombrero Beach' where we swam and sunbathed.
We had decided to spend a night in Miami before driving back to Ft. Pierce, so booked ourselves into the Mutiny Hotel, overlooking Biscayne Bay in Coconut Grove. It's an 'all suite' hotel and very comfortable. That night we all had dinner with my school friend and fellow Isle-of-Wighter', Sue, at the 'Peacock Garden', right next to the hotel. Then we had to say our farewells to Alice. We'd enjoyed our time with her so much, but it had been all too short.
Now we are back on 'Southern Vectis' in Ft.Pierce. The weather, which until now, has been perfect, has taken a turn for the worst with a cold front and lots of wind and rain. But it's an opportunity for us to get 'Southern Vectis' ship shape and ready for our Bahamas adventures.
The weather was set fair when we picked Alice up and set our course for two days of sightseeing, fun and catching up on family news. Our first stop was the 'Lorelei' waterfront restaurant in Islamorada. It has been a favourite of ours since our first trip to the Keys at least fifteen years ago. From there we headed down the long and winding road, past Marathon, over the Seven Mile Bridge, and eventually arrived, bedazzled by sun and turquoise seas, at the Lighthouse Court Hotel in Key West. We had only booked our hotel the day before, but we weren't disappointed. We wanted a bed and breakfast or small hotel with 'old town' charm and character, that was central to all the 'action'. We weren't disappointed. The rooms were small but there were roosters by the backyard pool, and Ernest Hemingway's house, complete with a Hemingway look-a-like and a yard full of cats, was just across the road.
We headed out to show Alice all the sights we had enjoyed during our two recent trips here with 'Southern Vectis'. We watched the sun set at Mallory Square, walked around to the old Seaport Area and watched the majestic old schooners returning, filled to the gunwhales with tourists after their sunset cruises. We showed Alice where 'Southern Vectis' had tied up at the Town Dock, and then decided against a wharf-side restaurant and opted for 'Pepe's' - just across the road from the wharf. This restaurant opened its' doors in 1905 and has been going strong ever since.The line-ups for brunch are something to behold! But there were no crowds for dinner - and it wasn't fried - so unusual and refreshing in this part of the world.
We walked through our favourite streets of the old town to get back to the delights of Duval Street. Maybe we hadn't been out this late before (8:30 p.m.!!)' but we noticed for the first time all the beautifully dressed 'ladies' decorating the streets and beckoning from the bars and restaurants! Alice drew a lot of envious attention!
The next day we set off back to Miami. We stopped in Marathon and showed Alice all our 'special' places. We had a spectacular seafood lunch at Keys Fisheries (upstairs). The freshest oysters ever tasted, heaps of giant shrimps, sashimi raw tuna and lots more. From there we managed to get ourselves the short distance to Marathon's lovely 'Sombrero Beach' where we swam and sunbathed.
We had decided to spend a night in Miami before driving back to Ft. Pierce, so booked ourselves into the Mutiny Hotel, overlooking Biscayne Bay in Coconut Grove. It's an 'all suite' hotel and very comfortable. That night we all had dinner with my school friend and fellow Isle-of-Wighter', Sue, at the 'Peacock Garden', right next to the hotel. Then we had to say our farewells to Alice. We'd enjoyed our time with her so much, but it had been all too short.
Now we are back on 'Southern Vectis' in Ft.Pierce. The weather, which until now, has been perfect, has taken a turn for the worst with a cold front and lots of wind and rain. But it's an opportunity for us to get 'Southern Vectis' ship shape and ready for our Bahamas adventures.
Saturday, January 12, 2013
WINTER 2013
January 8 - 3:45 a.m.
Alarm bells rang, lights flashed.....it was time to get up, pack the car and set off on a 2,300 km drive south to spend another winter on 'Southern Vectis'. There was no snow in the forecast, though we'd seen a lot of it over the past month, both on Vancouver Island over Christmas, and in Ontario.
Our drive south down the I75 went smoothly and we made record time, needing only one overnight stop en route, in Knoxville. The winding mountain drive through Tennessee was spectacular in the soft winter sunshine. Luck was with us as we managed to avoid the many speed traps along the way!
We arrived in Ft. Pierce around 8 p.m. on 9 January and checked in to the Sandhurst Hotel on the water's edge beside the Ft. Pierce inlet. We just had enough energy to stroll along the waterfront to the neighbouring 'On the Edge' restaurant for a dinner of fresh and delicious mahi mahi. It was such a strange feeling to be free of coats, boots, gloves, and to feel the warm sea breezes blowing off the ocean.
'Southern Vectis' was launched the next day. We spent the following two days sorting out all the equipment we'd stored on board and cleaning and scrubbing everything in sight. The boat is stored in a sandy area, and the winds of summer had done their best to deposit gritty sand inside the boat as well as sandblasting the outside!
But it hasn't all been work. We've treated ourselves to our regular 'favourites' as well. Before we set to work on the boat we had to have a 'Full American Breakfast' at the Captain's Galley on Seaway Drive. You can only survive one of these breakfasts a trip - though some of the clientele looked as though this was a more regular treat! We've eaten dinner at Capone's Hideaway, and already spent quite a few hours at the marina's Harbor Cove Inn. We've also become part of the regular Happy Hour drinks gang who meet on our dock each evening. It was good to see friends we had met here in previous years, and also to meet new boaters, many from Ontario. There are sailors from Queen City Yacht Club and from Toronto Island Marina just a few docks away, so we feel quite at home!
Alarm bells rang, lights flashed.....it was time to get up, pack the car and set off on a 2,300 km drive south to spend another winter on 'Southern Vectis'. There was no snow in the forecast, though we'd seen a lot of it over the past month, both on Vancouver Island over Christmas, and in Ontario.
Our drive south down the I75 went smoothly and we made record time, needing only one overnight stop en route, in Knoxville. The winding mountain drive through Tennessee was spectacular in the soft winter sunshine. Luck was with us as we managed to avoid the many speed traps along the way!
We arrived in Ft. Pierce around 8 p.m. on 9 January and checked in to the Sandhurst Hotel on the water's edge beside the Ft. Pierce inlet. We just had enough energy to stroll along the waterfront to the neighbouring 'On the Edge' restaurant for a dinner of fresh and delicious mahi mahi. It was such a strange feeling to be free of coats, boots, gloves, and to feel the warm sea breezes blowing off the ocean.
'Southern Vectis' was launched the next day. We spent the following two days sorting out all the equipment we'd stored on board and cleaning and scrubbing everything in sight. The boat is stored in a sandy area, and the winds of summer had done their best to deposit gritty sand inside the boat as well as sandblasting the outside!
But it hasn't all been work. We've treated ourselves to our regular 'favourites' as well. Before we set to work on the boat we had to have a 'Full American Breakfast' at the Captain's Galley on Seaway Drive. You can only survive one of these breakfasts a trip - though some of the clientele looked as though this was a more regular treat! We've eaten dinner at Capone's Hideaway, and already spent quite a few hours at the marina's Harbor Cove Inn. We've also become part of the regular Happy Hour drinks gang who meet on our dock each evening. It was good to see friends we had met here in previous years, and also to meet new boaters, many from Ontario. There are sailors from Queen City Yacht Club and from Toronto Island Marina just a few docks away, so we feel quite at home!
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