April, 2014:

April 18 – 22, 2014

Municipal docks for boaters, a lovely waterfront park offering live concerts and a weekly green market, many nearby restaurants, free trolleys that go to the supermarket and shopping mall, a nearby church with the friendliest congregation we’ve ever known… West Palm Beach, Florida offered it all. One could hang out there forever!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On our first visit to W.P.B. in 2013, we were hooked. It was exciting to go back and experience the area with our friends, Peggy and Paul. For all the aforementioned reasons, they too became hooked; but, what really reeled them in was the Easter church service the four of us went to at the First Presbyterian Church. While enjoying brunch at our favorite French restaurant in W.P.B., the four of us decided we would like to go to church the next day for Easter. There was a church on the next corner from where we were, so Peggy and I went there to check the time for the Easter service. There was a sign on the sidewalk providing the information we needed, and it also stated, “All welcome”. That was invitation enough for us.

Frankly, we didn’t have great expectations for the experience. However, we were “blown away” by the outpouring of love from the small congregation. The Easter message, given by the female pastor, was one of the best Easter messages we have ever heard. After the service we were invited and welcomed to a luncheon held in their fellowship hall. It felt like we were having Easter dinner with family, not strangers.

As we were leaving the church, the Korean church congregation, who uses the upstairs part of the church for their Sunday School, was coming down the stairs. A gentleman stood at the bottom of the stairs and gave empty Easter baskets to each child. Regarding what was about to take place, we followed the group to a nearby park, and watched as the children had a wonderful time collecting eggs.

Though we were strangers, we enjoyed every aspect of the traditional Easter celebration, with a community of believers who embraced us like family: we experienced a great Easter worship service, an amazing Easter meal, and to top it all off, we watched happy children excitedly enjoying an Easter egg hunt. God is Good.

The four of us, Peggy, Paul, Gary, and I, returned to the church to help with dinner served to the homeless/needy on Monday evening. Other local churches unite with the First Presbyterian Church to prepare food and serve the guests who come to the weekly event. The church also provided clothing and toiletries to those who needed those items. Gary nor I had participated in such a ministry before, and we were blessed to be able to help in a small way.

After we left the church that evening, we walked to a trolley stop to board a trolley that took us to the area of W.P.B. known as City Place. City Place is a popular destination for shopping, dining, and entertainment. We had previously been to City Place during daylight hours; however, the ambience of the area at night was magical. Strands of clear lights illuminated the trunks of the tall palm trees. The fountains were lit up as well, some with clear lights and some with colored.

Fountains in Daylight

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fountains at Night

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Life at City Place

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Being able to enjoy the beauty of City Place, where we had our dinner the same evening we served the less fortunate at the church, gave us an acute sense of gratitude for our blessed lives and lifestyles.

Paul and Peggy had stayed in W.P.B. to spend time with us before they went on their way to the West Coast of Florida. We had a great time with them; however, time came for them to continue their journey, and early the next morning they left the anchorage.

The same day Peggy and Paul left W.P.B., friends from Melbourne arrived at the Lake Worth anchorage. So after having lunch with Stu in W.P.B., a trip to Lowes for another cylinder of propane, and another trip to the supermarket, Gary pulled up White Swan’s anchor and we went back to Lake Worth to be with Ed, Cheryl, and their doggie Molly. Ed and Cheryl had a long day traveling on the waterway, so we invited them to White Swan for a light dinner. Ed and Gary caught up on all the boater’s world news, while Cheryl and I caught up on personal/ local news. Molly was right at home on our boat, because Ed and Cheryl had a boat the same model as White Swan before they bought their new boat.

 

We are going to cross the Gulf Stream following Ed and Cheryl, as they take their S/V Lady Bug V across to the Bahamas. We accompanied them on our first trip to the Bahamas two years ago. It will be fun traveling with them again. According to all weather forecasts, we should be able to make our crossing on Friday, April 25th. We will celebrate my birthday in West End, Grand Bahama Island… Not too shabby for a galley slave…

April 18, 2014

Upon leaving the St. Lucie River waterfront community of Stuart, Florida, we traveled south on the ICW until we came to Lake Worth at North Palm Beach. The forecast offered no good weather window providing a safe crossing of the Gulf Stream to go to the Bahamas, so we found various ways to entertain ourselves while we anchored in the lake for four days.
The first evening we were in the Lake Worth anchorage, we went to dinner on our friend Stu’s boat. We, along with another couple, Paul and Peggy, with whom we were in a flotilla that went to the Bahamas last year, were invited to Stu’s sailboat for a pot luck meal. Stu had also been in the same flotilla last year, so we had a good time reminiscing. Joan, Stu’s friend, was a gracious co-host to the event.

On the second day, we borrowed Stu’s car and drove back home to Melbourne to pick up a few items we had forgotten. On our dinghy ride back to our boat, we stopped by Peggy and Paul’s boat to inform them of our return, and ended up staying to enjoy a drink with them. Peggy and Paul are not going to the Bahamas this year because their son will be getting married in June; so they decided to stay in Florida and cruise the Okeechobee water route to the West Coast of Florida. Gary and I want to make that trip someday as well, but this time, we desire to go back to the Bahamas.

Taking advantage of still having Stu’s car, Peggy and Paul joined us on an excursion to the John D. MacArthur Beach State Park in North Palm Beach, and also the Loggerhead Marinelife Center in Juno Beach, Florida.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At the J.D.M. Beach State Park we enjoyed the informative Nature Center.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Upon leaving the Nature Center, we boarded the complimentary tram to traverse the board walk that goes from the nature center to the other side of Lake Worth Cove.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From there, we walked the remainder of the board walk, ending at the ocean. The overcast sky and comfortable ocean breeze offered a perfect day for our picnic on the beach.

 

On our return trip to the car, we walked a trail through a dense hammock.  The Nature Center provided a brochure with a numbered, descriptive list of native trees and bushes, and along the trail were markers with the corresponding number for each tree or bush. Fortunately, Paul and Peggy are nature lovers as well, so they were not bored with our stopping to read each entry in the brochure as we observed the flora.

 

 

 

We learned a lot about various species of turtles at the Loggerhead Marinelife Center. All four of us were impressed at the extensive rehab area for injured turtles. Each turtle had it’s own little pool, and individual medical care.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Each turtle had an informational sign at their pool, informing guests of their name, where they were found, their diagnoses, treatment received, and what their present physical condition is.

One of the injured turtles, a Ridley turtle, had washed up onto one of the local beaches having come all the way from South America. The volunteer stated after the turtle recuperates, they will transport it back to it’s native waters of South America. These people are serious about taking care of the injured endangered sea turtles, with the goal of releasing them back into their natural habitat as soon as they have recovered.

Before leaving the Loggerhead Park, we walked one of the nature trails through the dunes. I expected sand dunes, but the dunes were lush with vegetation of varied indigenous plants, protecting them from the ravage of the ocean. The board walk led us to a lookout shelter where we could see out over the dunes to the ocean. We rested for awhile as we savored the view, before walking back to the car.

On our way back to our boats, we made one last stop to have dinner at a local restaurant, the Juno Beach Fish House. Good conversation flowed as the four of us enjoyed our delicious meals. The restaurant, with the comfortable bench seats, was a great venue to relax and unwind after a physically tiring, but delightful, day.
Stu had left his car for us to use while he was at his home, rather than on his boat. He still had not returned on the fourth day we were anchored at Lake Worth, so Peggy and Paul accompanied us on another excursion.

Our first stop was a prop shop to pick up Paul’s new propeller he had ordered after “they” (not Peggy specifically) bent their prop by getting out of the channel near one of the ICW bridges. Upon hearing of their dilemma, Stu recommended the prop shop to Paul, and fortunately they were able to order what Paul needed. Also fortunately, we had Stu’s car to go pick it up.

 

 

Next stop: Busch Wildlife Sanctuary in Jupiter, Florida. This sanctuary rescues and rehabs thousands of sick, injured, or orphaned wild animals each year. Their goal is to return recovered animals to their natural habitat. However, in some cases, it is not possible to do so. As is the case for two Florida panthers who had been declawed as pets but grew too large for the owners to keep them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

April 9-11, 2014

 

Wow, has it really been almost five years since we retired and began cruising down the ICW for the first time??? How the years have flown by! Well, once again we are living aboard our sailing vessel (s/v) White Swan; and, our goal is to go to the Abacos, Bahamas.

Gary worked for months on the boat, doing repairs and preparing the boat for an off-shore passage. For non-nautical readers, an off-shore passage is one in which you are on the ocean, versus traveling on inland waterways.
The last week of being a land-lubber was spent provisioning the boat with enough paper goods, toiletries, canned goods, dried goods, etc. to last two months, the length of our trip. Also, for such an absence from home, one must make arrangements for mail, medicines, yard care, bill paying, etc., etc., etc., as well as close up the house.

With all the preparations behind us, we left Telemar Bay Marina in Indian Harbor Beach at 3:35 PM on April 9, 2014. Knowing we would not travel far before dusk approached, was of no concern to us. We believe the hardest part of the whole trip is getting away from the dock. There seems to always be one more thing to do before any departure. So, though it was late in the day, we left the marina and traveled down the ICW for two hours before we dropped the anchor to spend our first night on the water. Heaven!!!

As we prepared and ate dinner that first night, we were entertained by a pod of manatees swimming all around our boat. The water was murky, not allowing us to see the bodies of the manatees; but when they came up for air we could see their large snouts. When they descended back into the darkness of the water, they left the tell-tale sign of their presence, a circle on the water’s surface. Living on a boat is truly ”like eating a box of chocolates”, if I may quote Forrest Gump, “you never know what you are going to get.” The key is to stay in tune with nature and be observant.

We traveled 8 ½ hours on the second day, arriving at an anchorage across the waterway from Jensen Beach. Nature’s gift that evening was a gorgeous sunset, spanning at least 180 degrees. Pink and mauve filled the sky in glorious wonder.

Coming in from the Atlantic Ocean, ominous clouds greeted us the next morning. Trying to get back into our normal cruising routine, we had our coffee in bed while having our morning devotional time. Up and at’um sent us to the foredeck with yoga mats for our morning stretches and exercise. I think maybe we will leave “Up” and “At’um” at home the next time we cruise.

We wanted to go to the port of Stuart, FL to spend a few days, and fortunately, midway there we had the good sense to call the marina to see if we could get a mooring ball. There were none available at that time so we decided to go to Manatee Pocket and anchor there until a mooring ball was available at Stuart. After anchoring in the cove, we called the marina again and told them what we were doing and asked if they would call us when a mooring ball was open. Surprisingly, they agreed to call us, and they did a short time later.

Traversing the St Lucie River to get to Stuart is an interesting cruise. One must remain diligent in paying attention to the markers provided to stay in the channel. There is a lot of shoaling in this area because of the inlet from the ocean. Also, right before arriving at Stuart, there is a 65’ fixed bridge and then just a short distance from it, is a railroad bridge and then a bascule bridge. The railroad bridge’s bascule is always up unless there is a train coming, but one must hail the bridge tender of the Roosevelt Bascule Bridge for an opening. We chose to wait for the third bridge’s opening, in the river before going under the first of the three bridges, the 65’ fixed bridge. We couldn’t remember if there was enough room once we passed the fixed bridge to maneuver the boat in circles or whatever might be needed to wait for the opening of the third bridge. If you think reading about these bridges is confusing, then you are in the same boat as we were when we were going through them. This was the third time we managed to go through them. The second time we did it, we also had to wait on a train using the railroad bridge. Challenges such as this, make a nice break in an uneventful day on the water.

After picking up our designated mooring ball, we got in our dinghy and went to the dinghy dock at the Sunset Bay Marina; and, went to the restaurant beside the marina office. This was our first excursion to shore since we left our homeport two days prior. We treated ourselves to a nice lunch before we went to the marina office to check in and pay the mooring fees. The marina staff was in the process of setting up a nice BBQ buffet as a farewell to all the mariners who had spent the winter there. In our opinion, Stuart would be a great place to spend the winter months. Twice a week, the marina offers a shuttle to nearby shopping areas. They have bicycles for guests to use, at no charge. There is a nice lounge and laundry. About the only thing we would miss if we were to stay here for an extended length of time, would be a swimming pool. There is a lovely river walk adjacent to the marina, leading to the old historic part of town. Actually, the small town of Stuart has become one of our favorite cruising destinations. We plan on enjoying this waterfront town for a few days before cruising further south.