Staying in Fort Pierce

 Shawnee at the slip

After we thought about it for a minute we decided to just stay here in Harbor Town Marina, Fort Pierce, FL.  It's half the price of Coconut Grove, amenities are closer, a pool, dinghy access to beaches and fun spots, an amazingly large and vibrant Saturday morning farmers market

Quite a selection of mushroom varieties

with jazz society bands and a large area of arts and crafts tents,
$5 first run movies, Publix Market and CVS across the street, on site good restaurant with daily live music.

And my daughter Sarah and family - husband, 2 year old and 3 month old are coming to visit in mid March.  My son-in-law, Yeang, is very excited because there is good scuba diving with a 1715 Spanish galleon wreck 200 yards off the beach. 

We did go out and sail on Monday...hurray.  We sailed out the inlet after a much needed pump out at the Harbor Town Marina dock -- the holding tank - required by law now to keep our oceans cleaner - especially for ocean liners.  A beautiful sail for 4 hours.

After talking with acquaintances Bob and Trudy from Boston, we found out there is TV cable access at the dock.  We plugged in our cable from dock to TV threading the cable through the Doret vent and found the reception so-so.  After telling the marina dock master our reception was fuzzy he came the next day to inspect the box, and they found there was a problem.  After the fix we still didn't get excellent reception so they made us a new larger cable -- presto -- super reception and the ability to watch the Grammy awards.  Yes!  Nice, courteous, free service that works.

Sticking to keeping this a sailing blog - I decided to interview people on our dock and ask what they are doing.  Cleaning the boat was by far the greatest response, others were repairing various aspects of their boats or trying to upgrade systems - every day.

It's amazing to see where all these sail, catamarans and power boats hail from.  As I paddle board around the waterways or walk down the dock here are the places written on their sterns:  
Subtle, KY, 
New Orleans, LA,
Palm Beach, FL,
Meredith, NH, 
Boston, MA
Summitt, NJ
Crystal Lakes, CO
Cocoa, FL
Hilton Head, SC
Beaufort, NC
Beaufort, SC
Sunset, SC

An osprey swinging around on the anemometer at the top of a mast.

I pumped up the paddle board (30 lbs) and slid it into the water.  Mazu jumped aboard on her own.
We stepped onto the board off of the dinghy:

My first outing in a while with Mazu.

Several people called out from their cockpits, "How'd you get your dog to do that?"

After an early Valentine's drink at the restaurant the moon rose over the mangroves protecting the marina.

Last days in Fort Pierce

TUESDAY:  With the air conditioning thru hull emptied of insects by our diver Mike, and the water intake for water to the engine unobstructed so water goes through the engine and doesn't burn up the impeller -- for $40. Checking, rechecking, maintenance, replacing = safe sails.  We are pretty much ready to go.

This evening Drew is hanging the newly washed lines on the boom break, tuning the rigging, dropping the outboard onto the dinghy transom.  We then took a little spin around the marina.  He's gluing back the sound insulation in the engine room so it isn't flapping about, paid the bill to 5 star Whiticar, repacking the aft cabin, and will pay the marina tomorrow morning before we leave.  Aaah yes -- testing all the gear sailing south...maybe.
 

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One of the highlights recently was getting a new boat vacuum that's powerful and easy to use.
hand held Rocket - highly recommend. ttps://www.amazon.com/Shark-Rocket-Corded-Hand-HV292/dp/B00P9Z36T8

WEDNESDAY:  Alas, alack, when Drew went to pay up at the marina the dock master told him he could get a cheaper 1 month slip rate and stay until the end of February.   No pressure on Drew to get going before he feels ready.  It's really a great place since we have a pool, beaches within walking distance, Publix market across the street, an onsite restaurant with nightly live music, laundry, mail, CVS.  We don't have a pool, beach or a market closeby in Coconut Grove. So here we are.

THURSDAY:  While the north has it's storm today we are having partly overcast skies and 20 k winds at the dock.

[now reading Atul Gawande,  Being Mortal, Illness, Medicine, and What Matters in the End.

The Undoing Project for a perfect boat

Our boat is the undoing project.  Drew sees things on this boat that were done incorrectly and redoes them.  Having just finished Michael Lewis's The Undoing Project (author of Moneyball, The Blind Side, The Big Short) I was struck with how Drew's mind works similarly to Tversky's and Kahneman's.  He looks for systems in the boat that were not rational, though they appear to be, and proves they used faulty reasoning by correcting them.  "It doesn't work well."   I know this isn't a direct correlation, but I'm seeing Drew take each area and undo and redo and talk about the installers' or manufacturer's thinking.  Most of the undoing is the third party installs not Island Packet's.  His engineering explanations and thoughts are highly regarded on the Island Packet blog as well because he usually has new ways of seeing a problem.

He slipped into the cockpit locker to repack it and then saw he needed to reroute the vent line for the water and fuel tanks and the hoses.  Hmmm, he just noticed and had to change it.  In the past we also undid a grounding system by  ripping out tons of copper foil that was part of the single side band radio grounding system.  It was causing all kinds of problems with lightening strikes that did in our navigation equipment a couple of times.   We undid the courtesy lights because the manufacture had incorrectly wired them - faulty reasoning.  Just didn't work.  How many of these projects all over the boat need to be redone.? Why am I wondering as I witness each system being rethought by Drew and then slowly undone/redone?  The toilet hoses, the holding tank, the battery banks, the wind generator, the air conditioning system, the navigation station, the hoses all over the boat - their material, flexibility, direction, angle and connectors.  All of this stuff over 13 years he rethinks to make it better, and it is.  Life with an inventor and perfectionist.   He said, "I'm bothered by things that are not as they should be.  I like to look at something and see how perfectly it's done.  That doesn't happen very often.  When I look at the details of something that's when things show up that are more of a problem than I thought."

So it goes.  I participate by following directions, small time necessary help - finding stuff, errands, cleaning, traditional female supportive role that I hate because it feels too submissive to me.  When I go ahead and try to repair something Drew usually undoes and redoes it.  Why try? Once in a while as you've seen I get hoisted up the mast or dive under the boat - those are my highlights.  Love the adventure of traveling, exploring new places and sailing.


Yesterday my explore included the Fort Pierce Inlet State Park a mile away.  There is a Coastal Hammock Trail that has a one page nature guide explaining a hammock.  A hammock is a piece of land, a little higher elevation from the rest of the land.  It is a small hardwood forest with a high canopy.  I take walks with Mazu when she's allowed.  I am not a Mary Oliver who delights in nature (through her wonderful poetry) alone.  I'd always rather take a walk or hike with a friend, always, and share the delight in nature.

Here's a skinny, tall, Gumbo Limbo tree with its red, peeling bark,

When it's bigger:

I remember a great environmental science novel a student recommended The Missing Gator of Gumbo Limbo by Jean George Craighead that I read aloud.  Immediate applause  came when it ended.

A wild spiky lime trees with leaves that when folded smelled of tart lime (cabbage palm behind.)

Strangler fig, Hercules Club - the toothache tree - eating the bark numbs the mouth.  Also Saw Palmetto that creeps along the ground, the Sabal Palm or Cabbage Palm, Live Oak with spreading branches holding orchids and air plants, and Red Bay with a spicy fragrant leaf.  Hammocks are hard to come by and Florida tries to protect the few that are left.
At the end of the island is the inlet.  People at 8:00 am were already taking surf boards to the beach side. Here's a little view of the inlet.

Hanging out around the docks there's a pavilion where anyone can do big projects, have a party, bbq, or read.

Fish cleaning tables attach along the long dock.  This is the first time I saw anyone with a big catch scratching off the scales to prepare for cooking and giving away to friends.

At the end of the warm day reading and a swim in the parking lot pool.

Still working before sailing

Today Johnny B Good boat cleaners finished up.  What a good hire they were.  They cleaned the mildewed canvas, strata glass, cabin top, windows and all stainless.  The boat looks like sparkling new.  We can't say enough about how happy we've been with our experience with Whiticar Boat Works.  We are planning to put sails up after soaking the lines to rinse off the salt water.  Drew is also cleaning and waxing the whole dinghy and putting it in the water.  I cleaned all the windows and screens, filled the water tank with filtered water, and worked on the blog. 

Mazu was happy too.

When we had a little time we explored a bit of Stuart, Florida, home of Mack sails and  Hinckley Boat Yard, both with good reputations.

There's a River Walk and Sundays they have an open farm market with music in the afternoon.

stage

 River Walk along the St Lucie River

Also in downtown Fort Pierce at the Museum Pointe Park on Seaway Drive there was a flock of black skimmers - a life list bird I had never seen before.  Note the lower beak is so much bigger to skim fish out of the water as they fly low.

The flock of skimmers near a nice calm anchorage we might consider later.

Putting up the sails is a lot easier than wrestling them down, folding them, tying and squeezing into the bags.

Lines for the jib, main and staysil among other things in the cockpit.

Jib, the largest sail, part way up.   You can see no wind by the flat water.

Starting the top of the staysil in the slot for Drew to haul up the halyard.

Jib wrapped at dusk.  

New solar powered mini lights for the cockpit at night.  
Tomorrow there is touch up for the varnish - actually Bristol Finish - and boat yard worker tracing the problems with the anemometer.  We also bought a new one to try.
THEN, maybe, possibly, but probably not, Sat or Sun we set off - south.

Fort Pierce, boat inspection and wonderful to be back in Florida

We left winter in New Hampshire.
Looking out over the Piscataqua River and Portsmouth snow.

 Grand kids building 3 snowmen in front of the house.

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We climbed back on board and immediately felt great to see beautifully refinished floors in the cabin.  The entire interior had been cleaned thoroughly and we were ready to move 3 tubs of belongings back.

 

All of the work was done by Whiticar Boat Works in Fort Pierce and we were more than satisfied with the quality, on time and in budget results.  They did a considerable amount of work to Drew's exacting requirements.  One item wasn't as Drew expected and they are coming back to redo the topping lift, making the line longer still and figuring out why the anemometer is not working.   Tom Berryhill of Whiticar took us to lunch to review the bill and answer any questions about the job, a first for any job we've ever had. 

Right now Drew is replacing the corroded propane locker latch.  

He'll spray it with CRC to keep off the corrosion and include that as part of our maintenance program.  

Yesterday while Drew listened to Sunrise Labs meetings online I took the day to explore with our rented car.  First over to the beach to see which might allow dogs.  The park ranger recommended one about 12 miles away, Walton Rocks.  The Water at Fort Pierce Inlet State Park was pretty cold since it's been 40 degrees the last 3 nights so no swimming yet. We had the heat on last night.

Then I drove up to Vero Beach, a place we've frequented the last 2 nights because of $5 movie tickets.  We saw La La Land and  Hidden Figures, 2 movies that certainly earned their Academy Award nominations.  

I drove up to Vero today to see McKee Botanical Gardens, started in 1939 as an 80 acre tropical wonder financed by a Cleveland industrialist named McKee.  The old movie reel really showed off an amazing place.  I walked through the now 18 acres and recommend a stop here.

 Hall of giants.  This beautiful building houses the largest mahogany table in the world, built for the 1903 St. Louis Exposition for the celebration of 100 years since the Louisiana Purchase.

Sean Kenney is an artist who brought lego animals to McKee gardens.

  He does installations all over the world 

See these:

hummingbird at a flower

 monarch

praying mantis

 snake and frog

Woman gardener

The garden itself was a wonderful peaceful walk.  Not much in flower at this season.  The design of garden is lovely with many little surprise glades and features throughout.

A chair.

The waterfall wall

 tropical lily pads about 18"-24" in diameter

The bamboo pavilion

Not sailing but a great gardening diversion.  I miss my gardening but still participate on the boards of the Piscataqua Garden Club and New Hampshire Master Gardeners Association keeping my hands clean, but my heart in nature.

 At the end of the day the three of us went to Walton Rocks Beach to give Mazu a free run and a happy time. Note the long shadows as we walk south gathering a few shells.

We ate dinner at the marina restaurant, but a bit cold so Mazu waited outside patiently.

Of course at the very end of the day the sunset over Harbor Town Marina, one that gets high marks from us.  We are looking from our slip on Fiji dock #48