This is not the normal kind of bar you are thinking of, but one that you can imagine we would be at...Gilbert's Bar and House of Refuge.
This is an historic lifesaving station on Hutchinson Island and the bar is really a reef.
The shoreline is rugged and dynamic. It would be a very hard place to rescue shipwrecked mariners from.
It certainly is a gorgeous spot on the ocean though!
In yesterday's 20 mph southeast winds, we decided to take a ride on the Silverwing over to the Stuart Causeway to see if anyone was windsurfing or kiteboarding. This is a popular place in higher winds for these sports. As soon as we arrived, there was a Hobie Cat landing on the beach with its skipper and his dog as the only crew member. The dog looked to be an old hand at sailing, although it immediately came up to us after jumping in the water, and shook all over us. All we could do was laugh.
Although there was only one kiteboarder way in the distance, there was a line up of windsurfers and the now trendy wing-surfers ready to go out. The wings are smaller than the windsurf sails, but with the foil boards, they really fly!
Since most of these sailors were not exactly 'spring chickens', it makes me wonder if perhaps there might be a new toy in our future? 😉 Probably not for these 'two old goats'.
Weekends are a good time to stay off the water, and yet with our warmer weather we want to be in the water. We have been heading to our pool the past few days, since it hasn't been too busy and it is for our residents only during the Covid Pandemic. The water is a wonderful 85 degrees!
However a week or so ago, that was a different story when I was taking my morning walk and noticed that the water was almost completely drained out. It was cold at the time, so no one had been swimming or even outside to notice. We posted a photo on our private community Facebook page and someone called the emergency maintenance supervisor (it was the weekend) and Taylor rushed over to see what happened.
Apparently there was an issue with the drain and he fixed it and started refilling it with two hoses. It took a couple of days, and then a few more days to heat it, but now it is all toasty and inviting again. We are off to swim our laps now. 🌞
It has been wonderful having more temperate weather, allowing us to go out on the water almost daily. The predicted conditions of sunny skies, light breeze, and an incoming tide sounded perfect to finally take our powerboat Coqui up to the Ft. Pierce inlet. Jim went with us since he had never explored there before, and I always like having that extra pair of hands onboard for launching and anchoring...we call him my 'boat boy'. 😉 Thank goodness he was with us this time! With a roller trailer, we have to be very careful when launching, so that the boat doesn't slide down the trailer prematurely and end up on the ramp itself. I have no problem at home holding back the Sea Fox with a dock line, but Coqui is much heavier. Last year we waited until we were backed into the water to undo the boat from the trailer, but this time Dave was anxious to get in the water, so he unhooked early. When I questioned his method, he just replied with "Jim's here." Those words will echo in my mind every time we launch now. I grabbed the stern line and Jim had the bow line wrapped twice around the trailer post when Dave started backing up. I knew the lines (which are probably old and came with the boat) would stretch, but suddenly the boat was rolling off the trailer and down the concrete ramp with the motor down and making an awful grinding sound as it skittered into the water. The bow line broke! Thank goodness I had the stern, but with the boats momentum, what a job it was holding it back (had I been alone, I would have had only the bow line and not the stern, so the boat would have continued on its way and Dave would have had to swim after it). Jim came down the dock, jumped into the boat and grabbed the dock, walking forward to get our bow back to the dock, since the wind was blowing our now sideways boat into the boat next to us. The guys checked out the outboard motor, prop, skeg, and the hull, and amazingly the only damage was a very slight bend in the skeg, hardly even detectable. We were so lucky...it sounded so awful. If the motor had not been down though, the hull could have been severely damaged. Antics at the launch ramp are always fun to watch, but we hate being the spectacles! That's okay though, because the brand new boat next to us had a man, his wife, and young child in it and he started his outboard with it tipped out of the water, not having a clue about running it (scary). Another boater coming into the dock, told him to put the motor all the way down and then the family took off, going right into the shallows next to a big sign saying "Caution, Shoal!" The same friendly boater went and rescued him (I hope the newbie takes a boating course). Later we said maybe he thought how we launched the boat so fast was how it was done. 😉 Anyway, all was well and worth our efforts. There was no one in our favorite creek, the sandbar was still uncovered, the water clear, and the guys even went swimming in the 67 degree water. Dave even saw large snooks and sheepshead fish in the current while snorkeling. What a good feeling to be back on track with watersports!
Dave and Jim had a great afternoon of sailing in their boats, Coquina and Pepe on the Indian River in Ft. Pierce. Hopefully more days like this are in the near future!
Today we took Jim Ryan on a kayak trip in what we call Hope Creek (because of this boat and how it reminds us of Hope Town when we see it).
We launched in the tiny break in the mangroves, down the slippery embankment, and what a surprise to find the whole canal was filled with manatees! During very chilly weather like we have been having, they apparently congregate in this spot. We talked to the owner of Hope, who told us that one day he counted 40 of them right in front of his dock.
We carefully paddled around these huge docile animals, trying not to disturb them. They were just lazing on the surface, and at one point it looked like they turned into a bunch of big stepping stones all the way under the bridge and to the end of the canal. What a great experience!
Footnote update on Irwin the Crocodile... 5 days later he (or she) is still in our pond, coming out of the water each morning to warm up on the grassy bank, staying in the same spot all day.
Dave and I were taking an early morning bicycle ride today and I noticed this sunbather trying to warm up in the chilly temps (it was only 55 degrees out).
He or she was along the shores of Warner Creek, and although this section is fenced, much of it isn't. Recently we had walked the area and glad we didn't have a chance encounter! That is a brave turtle catching some rays, right behind the gator too. We certainly have a growing list of nature right in our own backyard.
FOOTNOTE: After some research, we think that this may be a now famous crocodile, aptly named Irwin, that has been frequenting the Jensen Beach area. It was recently seen at a condo complex further down on Warner Creek. FWC claims that Irwin has not been a nuisance and has been quite mellow so far, so they have not tried to catch him (or her). It is hard to tell crocs from gators, but the sharper snout in my photo tends us to believe it is Irwin. It is now 2 PM and it is still is in the same spot. I just watched some brave ducks walk by its head, giving it a wide berth though.
That is exactly what we did today..."took only pictures and left only footprints". We kayaked from Jimmy Graham Park in Hobe Sound, north to Peck Lake, and then walked the pathway over to the ocean beach.
It really looked like we were back in the Bahamas, complete with beach hut made out of things that floated in.
What a gorgeous cold front day and no problem social distancing!
Today we had a chance encounter with our friends from the Bahamas, Bill and Nan on Notluf. We had trailered the sailboat and kayaks up to Ft. Pierce, and after I helped Dave rig and launch Coquina, I then took off in my kayak.
We had both set our destination of Faber Cove and when I arrived, I saw Dave's sail not moving and wondered what was up. Then I saw him tied to the back of Notluf and it all made sense. What a great way to catch up on all the news.
As we floated there, dolphins came in to greet us and we also saw them again by the launch ramp. They are so hard to take photos of, but the pelicans showed the way and actually kept landing on top of them, hoping to steal their fish.
We stayed so long chatting that we didn't realize the wind was dying towards late afternoon. That made it easier for me to paddle back to the Jaycee Park launch ramp, but Dave was going slower and slower.
Since the sun was getting low and I didn't think he would make it back before dark (good thing I had the keys to the van 😉), I paddled back out to see if I could tow him back to the ramp. Instead he had me push him by putting the bow of my yak between the rudder and motor bracket (he may have been wishing he hadn't sold the motor last year...) and then paddling like crazy. It worked fantastic and at times he just coasted along.
What a perfect ending to this hiatus from the windy and chilly winter weather we have been having lately!
Happy New Year! 2021 sure sounds futuristic. Hopefully this year will be a better and healthy one for all.
Meanwhile, our weather is still in a windy pattern and we have been doing some more hiking. We didn't even have to go very far from home. Warner Creek runs through our community, and we followed it as far as we could, even finding a little dam and waterfall, which helps to prevent flooding.
The ibis really liked it and they didn't want to leave the area, so they flew into the tree as we passed by.
Then it was on to the Hawk's Bluff trail, which is part of the Savannas Preserve State Park, located just a few miles away, here in Jensen Beach. It was much more than we expected with the trail going through the sand dunes, palm and shade tree hammocks, and along the water's edge.
We noticed all sorts of pretty little dune flowers and even Zebra Longwing butterflies.
It's great having all these parks and places to explore, so close to our own backyard. Plus we know there are many more to discover.
