We are at the slip, happy and warm.
I need to have some activities other than boat-fixes that Drew does non-stop. I help where I can, fill the water tank, hose off the occasional bird poop, clean and polish everything. Usually, the dinghy works, and I can spin out to the island and explore around with Mazu. Now the dinghy engine is broken.
Next is the paddleboard, however, the pump and paddle did not make it to FL so.... from my teaching days ... improvise. I borrowed a pump and filled to 10 psi, took the oar from the dinghy, clicked on the PFD, and set off with Mazu who chose to jump on in spite of her sad looks.
Mazu was very interested in the jumping fish and scurrying crabs in the adjacent mangroves. We went around the marina boats down to the restaurant and back with people waving and talking to Mazu.
One day we decided to investigate the area gyms that we both really need to use drastically, to get into better shape. Drew wants a good trainer with scheduled work out times. I want pickleball, zumba, and pilates classes. Vero Beach has Pickle Ball U with weekly pickleball 101 and 102 so I'll try that. I just finished 7 days of the NYTimes "no sugar" challenge that I actually completed and am trying to extend to 3 weeks. When I ate a taste of ice cream it actually tasted too sweet. Maybe it's working.
Another cool quirky thing in Fort Pierce is peacock corner at Orange and 7th Street. The parking lot and adjacent home with a walled yard have a flock of peacocks. We counted 15 that had jumped/flown over the wall. They are so gorgeous and pretty tame. Better pictures are on the website explaining how they got here. https://visitstlucie.com/the-story-behind-the-peacocks-of-fort-pierce/
Along the marina dock, we saw ZAFU, a heavily rigged boat skippered by an 80-year-old, 56-time crosser to the Bahamas; a hearty soul. He was filling up with water and fuel before leaving for Lake Worth then Nassau. Drew examined this boat for about 40 minutes because there was so much: 7 turning blocks on each side at the base of the mast leading back to the cockpit - one for each of 6 spinnaker halyards, 3 whisker poles, 2 gibs, a hard dodger for better protection that he had made in his garage, 2 wind generators, a solar panel, and much more. It is a J 37 made for around the world trials in the mid-80s.
He wanted an extra long dinghy to get around after anchoring. He extended the waterline with an elongated stern sugar scoop to get a higher boat speed; a very customized and hearty boat. He travels alone because he's "tired of waiting for people and then they cancel at the last minute. And once they're on the boat how do you get rid of them?"
Presently reading The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates. Finished Find A Way by Diane Nyad, the memoire of a long distance swimmer, around Manhattan and Cuba to Florida.
