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.