Author: Phil

On the 5th we turned in the rental car and Carey finished storing provisions. Practically everything is imported into the Bahamas and, consequently, prices are extremely high on almost everything. As we’ll be there over 2 months, Carey ensures that we’re well-stocked. Over the years, she’s fine-tuned the process and we won’t have an inch of storage space to spare! Up and underway to Lake Worth in North Palm Beach 50 miles south. Like most transients, we anchored, but this trip we found only a couple of fellow boats awaiting the crossing. Usually, the anchorage is pretty full of folks anxious to get the show on the road…or the sea. We arose on Wednesday, and at 8 AM, headed out the Lake Worth inlet into a quiet Atlantic Ocean. Fifty-two nautical miles to West End Bahamas! However, the quiet seas were broken by 2-3 footers mid-way to West End but laid down to nearly flat by our arrival near 2 PM. Tied up quickly and relaxed as the mid-day rocking and rolling was tiring. Enjoyed a quiet dinner at the West End restaurant and after-dinner drinks aboard. Next morning we cast off on a two-day trip of ~110 nautical miles to Green Turtle Cay in the Abacos, east of the Grand Bahama Island. Pictures are of the Lake Worth shores, Atlantic Seas on our crossing, West End, and their beach front bar.

Continued getting ready for trip to the Abacos. Carey made the lists of need items and we went shopping. Now we have a rental car full of stuff to move aboard the boat. That’s tomorrow’s job along with one necessary medical exam for Carey before we sail away east. We did stop today to have lunch with my cousin Jan at Manatee Island Restaurant. While there we had a surprise visit from about a dozen Belgium Police Officers that were attending a training and exchange visit with the local police here in Fort Pierce — picture taking then wasn’t on the agenda.

Carey put this downtime to good use reorganizing the galley and every storage area, with the now familiar announcement … “I’ve overstocked!” Having decided not to enlarge a bit with the 46′ Grand Banks we checked out in Brunswick, we’ll just streamline a bit. We have now installed the Starlink system to provide us with satellite Wi-Fi we were missing on this boat. You can’t deny news junkies their news! We enjoyed the Marina’s lighted tree park with music every night that synchs with the lights. I even did a bit of sanding off some of the old varnish outside of the boat. Now our focus is planning our next stops and staging our crossover to the Abacos. Looks like a great weather window next Wednesday, Jan 7. Crossing our fingers the weather holds! Next step is to leave Tuesday to make Lake Worth in Palm Beach for the crossing. A popular departure inlet, we’ll no doubt be joined by more than a few other transients. Ready to get this show on the road. For the meantime we have thoroughly enjoyed Fort Pierce marina, our Florida boat home over the years and met so many nice and enthusiastic boaters. Now, we’re taking off for “First Friday” at the adjacent park with music and food vendors. It’s Fort Pierces’ monthly block party.

We enjoyed a quiet Christmas dinner aboard, served up by Carey on a day of 70-degree temperatures, sunshine and light winds. Next day we picked up a rental car and began a few days of touring our old homestead area. We lived in this area from 2017 to 2021. As noted by friends and family, we move every four years! Carey, I found out, likes to live life in chapters … warm weather back to seasons … farmhouse in the country and back to small town. We’ve been back in Colonial Beach for a bit over four years … trying not to call her attention to that, particularly because she’s waxing nostalgic about the locale!

Saturday we met with a Starlink Contractor about installing satellite wifi on the boat. Although marinas offer free wifi, reception is spotty or seldom working. As we’re news junkies, we want to stream and want to stream news at any time and we can do that with Starlink, even in the Bahamas. On Sunday we had brunch with our dear friend Bonnie Scanlin at the Club House in Ballantrae, our old neighborhood. Bonnie is also an old Aquia Harbor resident and the widow of my best friend. There’s a number of previous Aquia residents and past fellow members of Aquia Harbor Yacht Club now living in Florida. And, a special resident here – just a mile or so from our marina – is the one and only Diane McKee! She abandoned CB several years ago and is sorely missed. We’ll be meeting up with her soon.

Below are pictures of dolphins playing alongside the boat as we traveled at 10 mph just north of here. and of places we’ve revisited. And, a picture of the anchorage outside of Melbourne where I proposed to Carey in 2006! Aahh!

Our five days stop at Eau Gallie was planned, welcomed, and enjoyed! The first night, after renting a car and some provisioning, we met Carey’s cousin Pam and her daughter Jill for dinner at Frigate’s, a seafood favorite of the locals. The next two days, Saturday and Sunday, we caught up on some maintenance and simply chilled out! Monday, we jumped in Pam’s pickup and headed for The Villages to visit more of Carey’s relatives … Pam’s Dad Jerry, sister Carrie and her husband Mario. With the exception of Mario, who is German, the others are Potomac, Maryland transplants. That night included a concert of Coasters and Platters tribute band in the Villages’ Savannah Concert Hall. The Coasters were original players from the 50s and played their iconic songs “Charlie Brown” and “Yakety Yak” among many others. The Platters group sounded exactly like the originals. We enjoyed “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes,” “the Great Pretender,” “And Only You” among many others and included a sentimental Christmas show that brought home what Christmas is all about! Both groups were fantastic! Tuesday was full of breakfast, laughs, and reminiscing family events, including years of routine skiing weekends at Wisp at Deep Creek Lake. Mid-afternoon we headed back to Eau Gallie so we could make the cruise to Fort Pierce City Marina to spend Christmas Eve with Phil’s cousin Jan and husband Tom, both of whom are unbelievable gourmet cooks. In fact, Tom is an outstandingly successful personal chef. And Jan is an equally successful proprietor of several salons in the Vero Beach area. We’ll stay at the marina for a couple weeks sightseeing and visiting friends.