Sunset at Sunset Bay
Happy New Year! We arrived in Marathon and are settled in our slip at Sombrero Marina.
Our stay in Stuart was very nice; Sunset Bay Marina remains a favorite. The day after we arrived, we rented a car and drove up to Orlando to pick up our car (and all the craft show supplies) which Staci had stashed in a storage facility near the airport in late October. We turned in the rental and headed right back to Stuart.
The next event was a new-to-us craft show in Ft. Pierce that takes place every Saturday in conjunction with a large Farmer’s Market. We were set-up by 7:30 AM and waited all day for the shoppers that never really came. It seems the crowd was mostly “locals” and that the snowbirds are arriving later and later each season. Something to do with an economy in turmoil. We decided we would try one more time the following Saturday.
Seven inches of rain in six hours put an end to that plan. The roads were all flooded and getting around was a real problem. It didn’t deter us from wading through the water to Steak ‘n Shake for a consolation lunch, however.
The next Saturday was clear and warm and the show ended up being great. Staci is now back in full production mode for the upcoming events in the Keys.
Other Stuart events included getting the boat waxed by Dana and Heidi from Fluff ‘n’ Buff – the best in the business. We try to schedule this work at least six months in advance to make sure we can get on their calendar.
We also arranged to get our name-boards painted. Why we didn’t do this at the same time as we painted the caprail is beyond comprehension. With that job finished, there is no varnish left on the boat and we love the look.
Krogen events included attendance at the weekly owner’s breakfast (26 on one occasion), dinner with Larry Polster who was in town for a management meeting, dinners out with Steve and Ruth (“Sequel”) and Jennifer and Darryl (“Freelance”) (We’re both on diets now.)
Soon it was time for the holiday road trip. With Piper in the Fur Seasons Resort, we drove to Sanford, FL and boarded the Auto Train for Lorton, VA. The trip was uneventful and we actually arrived about 1 1/2 hours early. Too bad the folks who offload the cars weren’t at work yet.
When we had our car back, we headed for Mom and Dad’s apartment where we enjoyed a Christmas Eve brunch in the dining room. On Christmas day, we all went to Chris and Bob’s for the annual family get together/celebration. Susan and Ross were off in Houston visiting Ross’s Dad and Pat was out in Washington working hard at his new Producer job at the local TV station. We all missed them.
The next morning we piled back in the car and drove to Cincinnati. The weather was perfect and relatively warm for late December. Our first stop was at Cory and Sue’s home/zoo. Since we were last there, they have added four alpaca’s, some Chinese pheasants, and a couple of giant puppies. They’re all really cute!
We then went to Dick’s house where Staci prepared a delicious dinner that we shared with Dick’s neighbors – a wonderful family who keep a close eye on Dick and his escapades. The latest of which involved acting as a contractor for the renovations of his church. We were given a full tour. It’s too bad we hadn’t seen the “before” because the “after” is pretty impressive.
After a great time up north, we pointed the car back to Florida and two days later we were in Stuart. We didn’t head directly to the boat though. We stopped at the Dermatologists on the way home for a follow-up on what I thought was a bad bug bite on my cheek just under my eye, and what the Little Clinic in Cincinnati told me was really Impetigo and what the Dermatologist in Stuart told me was really Shingles! With that diagnosis in hand and given the proximity to my eye, we did one more detour to the Opthamologist. Fortunately, I think my case was pretty mild and the antiviral drug seems to be working fine. I’ll follow-up at the end of the week when we go back to Stuart to get our car.
A few last minute boat issues nearly held us up but with a perfect weather window we quickly dealt with them, reprovisioned, and cast off for Marathon. As the inlet in Stuart is not usable due to shoaling, we moved down the ICW to Palm Beach and then out the Lake Worth inlet to the ocean. Our destination was Ft. Lauderdale and a nearby marina on the Dania cut-off canal. It was to be a long day but our weather window to get to Marathon was only 2 1/2 days so we need to make long days. After a great day on the ocean, we headed into Ft. Laurderdale just as the sun was beginning to set. We moved the two short miles to the marina in twilight and were quickly tied up and celebrated the day with a glass of wine. I slept through the New Year’s Eve fireworks that surrounded the boat.
It was up again at first light the next day. We went back out the inlet and cruised down the coast past Miami and then joined the Hawk Channel through the Keys. Our destination was the Channel Five bridge at Lower Matecumbe. We set the anchor in the lee of the bridge as the sun was setting and enjoyed a settled evening with burgers on the grill.
At this point, we were only 25 miles from Marathon. With NOAA forecasting a very strong cold front with gale force winds the following afternoon, we were well positioned to make it safely to Marathon, even if the front arrived several hours early.
By 9:45AM we made the turn into Boot Key Harbor and our slip at Sombrero Marina. John and Barbara (“Solveig IV”) are our next door neighbors and they delayed a trip to the health club in order to be there to catch our lines. Barbara was sad that the health club outing wasn’t cancelled altogether. Both of us decided to move to from Boatman’s Marina to Sombrero this year – the docks are in much better shape and we are sharing the tiki-hut right behind our boats. Barbara has planted lots of flowers and it’s just beautiful.
So here we are for the next few months. The cold front and winds arrived exactly when predicted (shocking!) and we’re glad we raced down the coast. Had we not left when we did, we would probably still be in Stuart where it was 39 this morning (a balmy 54 in Marathon).
The Marathon edition of the Krogen breakfast began yesterday and it was nice to see familiar faces and catch up on plans and cruising stories. We’re off to get our car in a couple of days. There are bowls to be sewn, engine room tasks to be completed, and then changing the body-clocks to Keys time. Updates to follow.
Do you have a number for Fluff n Buff? Based on your comments may want a estimate from them but the website number is no good.