Thanksgiving Report

Happy Thanksgiving and I hope everyone enjoyed their celebrations. Dave has made it to Hope Town after travelling all night across the gulf stream and checking into the northern Abaco customs and immigration. Another Life continued on to Green Turtle Cay where they retrieved the personal possessions off several friends' boats that were stored there and totaled after the hurricane. On their way to Hope Town they passed several of the outlaying islands and Dave said that they are barely recognizable with so much damage. As soon as they arrived in HT he headed to our apartment and has been able to salvage quite a few things. It is the strangest thing that even though there is a 1 1/2 ft. of rubble from the ceiling and roof on the floor to trudge through, there are items that remain the same, waiting for us to return...like clothes in the closet and all Dave's 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place glasses sitting proudly on the open shelves. He checked our boats and they are fine! Hopefully he can find the paperwork so he can complete the sale of them. It must be so surreal, especially since the weather and clear water are still as beautiful as we remember it, but everything else is so damaged or destroyed. I am sure Dave will have many stories to tell when he returns, and I am so anxious to see photos and share them with you.

And Off He Goes!

Dave is now headed to Hope Town to help out and try to salvage what he can from our apartment, after Hurricane Dorian blew off the roof and collapsed one of the walls. He is also going to try and sell our boats. We already have buyers for both Walkabout and Dandy, so hopefully those deals can be closed on. In order to be over in Abaco, everyone needs to be self sufficient since the islands are still in clean up and recovery mode. The best way to do that is to go over in a large boat with plenty of food, water, and fuel. Our friends Ted and Claire on the s/v Another Life kindly offered a berth on their Irwin 52 to cross the gulf stream and anchor in Hope Town Harbour for about 10 days. Today the boat arrived in Manatee Pocket and Dave boarded to head over.

We had already loaded many supplies for Hope Town on the boat when it was in Ft. Pierce and it is packed to the hilt with provisions to remain independent. Another Life is a huge boat though and can handle it.

In Stuart, Ted filled up with diesel while Dave filled up the auxiliary cans with gas for the dinghy.

Once the holding tanks were empty and the fuel tanks full, they were off the dock with Dave helping out as crew.

Hopefully they will have a nice calm trip. I know Dave will have tons of photos and many tales to tell of his adventures on both the boat and in Hope Town, once he returns.

If you are wondering how he is getting back, after helping out with the recovery efforts, he will be hopping on a 1943 DC 3 plane to Ft. Pierce. This is a wonderful service that Missionary Flights International has been providing for disaster relief personnel going to and from hurricane hit areas. Since they only have a few people returning to the States on his flight, he has been offered way more than normal baggage allowance. It will be interesting to see how much Dave can find in the rubble to bring back.

No matter what, this whole trip will be an experience of a lifetime...and hopefully one he won't ever have to repeat.

Around The Park

Our first major cold front has arrived and it is perfect for long walks in our park. Going around all our side streets I can cover at least 2 1/2 miles. Way in the back there is a pond that I especially like to stop at, because the birds seem to enjoy congregating there.

 The other day there were storks and ducks...

Today there were ibis and egrets...

The pool is where WE enjoy congregating and it is kept at 82-86 degrees year round. On 65 degree days like today, it would be hard to get out of it though. There is also a hot tub that is something like 100 degrees, or least feels that warm. There is also a fantastic speaker system that plays bluetooth music from your phone. With many of us baby boomers hanging out in and around the pool, the classic rock is a nice addition.

We also have a nice clubhouse for events, along with shuffleboard courts, a billiard room, a library, and an exercise room. The treadmills are so big that both Dave and I fit on them...

Then again I prefer to walk outside and Dave prefers to ride his bicycle around since there is so much more to see. Hopefully it doesn't get THAT cold this winter that we have to use the exercise equipment inside, but it's nice to know it is available.

Back On The Water

We are pretty much settled in now and have started kayaking again. Although I didn't have my camera for the first trip, we went in the mangrove backwaters of the St. Lucie River's North Fork, along with some new found friends, who showed us the way.

Today we went to Sandsprit Park and kayaked the perimeter of Manatee Pocket. The tide was really high and actually washed over the fish cleaning station at the launch ramp (yes that is a real pelican on the piling by Dave).

There are tons of huge sportfishing boats docked at the numerous marinas in the area. 

Hinkley Yacht now only services huge motoryachts and their own brand of boats.

We even saw a boathouse, which is very unusual.

This is a pretty rare sight too...a boat with Volvo IPS drives which have counter rotating props facing forward. The exhaust comes out the opening in the back and it steers independently. This is a big boat to be on a lift!

We came across one of our Sailing Club members boats from Hope Town, that he sold a couple of years ago. It used to be immaculate, but it has gone downhill, which is sad to see. However, it is a 1966 boat, which is amazing.

Here is the queen of the harbor. It is a gorgeous Chesapeake Bay Oyster Buy Boat. At the stern was a manatee trying to drink the water from the air conditioning outlet. How appropriate since it IS Manatee Pocket after all!

Lastly, we saw the best name for a boat (he may be dunboatin too 😉)....

There were several side canals that we wanted to check out, but decided to save them for next time. It sure was great to be exploring by water again!

5 x 400 = $$$$$

We certainly weren't on the Northway when we saw this boat with 5, 400 hp Mercury Verado outboards!

Sighted...

Today I took a long walk around our community. The weather has been so hot that I haven't been out as much as I wanted to, but today was a bit cooler. There are several small lakes around which bring in the birdlife. As I walked by one mobile home I came across this trio of storks in the driveway, of all places. The one was either drying its wings or cooling off. I have seen herons do this also...

I tried to get closer without disturbing them, but they were pretty skittish. I took another photo and continued on my way. They certainly are strange looking and nothing like we all see in cute commercials or cartoons on television.

I didn't know I would be doing this much bird watching so close to my backyard. I'm still waiting for the sandhill cranes to come by though.

Add Another To The Collection

It was inevitable that we would need a boat down here and we only want to have one in the storage area. That meant a decision as to whether to go with sail or power. Sail won and Dave found a daysailer in Naples. It is called a Designers Choice 15, aka DC 15. Well that has our initials, so it was meant to be.

After a down payment was sent, Dave and our friend Scott headed over to Florida's west coast to pick the boat up. The seller said he had everything set, but 5 miles down the road, the wheel bearings on the trailer got so hot they almost burned up. Luckily there was an auto parts store close by and they had the bearings in stock. The old ones were frozen and rusted on, so it was quite a dirty project for Dave to change them in the parking lot, but he and Scott (who is a an airplane mechanic) persevered. I sure am glad I decided not to go on this trip, especially since the temps were in the mid 80's.

The DC has a small 5hp outboard that we can use too, but Dave says no way! We'll see what happens with the current and winds. First time we get stuck, it will be on the stern for sure. 😉 Soon we will be ready to take this yet unnamed boat out on the St. Lucie River. Any suggestions as to what to name this latest addition to our collection?