Plan A, Plan B, Plan A, Plan B

You never know what life will bring. As we closed in on a near perfect day to cross from Riviera Beach to Lucaya on Grand Bahama Island, the Admiral approached me and said we had to talk. The pain in her hip has worsened steadily and she worried about climbing in and out of the dinghy and up and down off shaky wooden docks on pilings. Perhaps most of all, she worried about being out of the country and becoming less than fully functional.

Though it was disappointing, we have a deal with most things in life and especially in boating. If one of us doesn't want to do it, we don't. We had discussed this eventuality a few months ago and talked about going back across the Okeechobee Waterway which both of us loved and spending some time on Florida's west coast. And here we are.

On Wednesday, we departed Riviera Beach City Marina and headed to sea out the Lake Worth Inlet. In a 10-12 knot wind, offshore seas crested at less than 2 feet. We had a quick two hour ride up the Atlantic to St. Lucie Inlet. As luck would have it, a large fishing boat passed us on the way in the inlet and we sped up to tail him as he wound his way through the shoals with the benefit of local knowledge. After crossing the ICW, he finally turned off leaving us to find our own way up the St. Lucie River to Sunset Bay Marina in Stuart, FL. Three bridges guard the entrance to the marina. The first, a 65' high bridge for Route 1, posed no challenges. However, the Brightline railroad bridge and the Old Dixie Highway auto bridge were both closed. The railroad bridge was supposed to be always open unless a train were coming. We scratched our heads and then the whistle blew. Ah. We hailed the Old Dixie Highway bridge on channel 13 and they promised to open once the railroad bridge went up. And, they did.

The marina offered both a restaurant and a coffee shop. We took advantage of the former for lunch and then walked under Route 1 and over the Brightline railroad tracks into Stuart's historic village, Who knew USA Today's readers voted Stuart the #1 Beat Small Coastal Town? They did. We enjoyed walking by the shops and restauarants all

Who Knew?

housed in historic edifices and the Admiral found one that occupied her for a half hour or so but ultimately didn't lead to a purchase. It did lead to an interesting discussion about shopping. To me, shopping is what I do when I need something and go to find/buy it--a very practical and perfunctory pursuit. For the Admiral, shopping is seeing what's there which may lead to a purchase of something you didn't know you needed but might also just be satisfying recreation. Vive la difference.

We did stop at Googan's Coffee Shop for a late afternoon cappuccino (please remind me not to do that). In any case, I learned about Googans. Turns out, we've encountered many in the last year and a half. You may have to expand the picture below but the

Never Heard the Term Before but We've Encountered Lots of Googans

basic definition is a boater who's inconsiderate or incompetent--maybe both. Believe me, Googan's are everywhere. We had a pleasant dinner of leftovers on the boat and then watched a new TV series, Atlantic Crossing. Having admired Norwegians all my life for their nordic skiing skills and lifestyle and worked for a Norwegian company for ten years, I am thoroughly enjoying the story of Olav, Martha, the future King Harald and especially Martha's interactions with Franklin Delanor Roosevelt. I recommend it!

I awoke, as uaual, in darkness and when I went outside to the icemaker for the requisite three cubes that I put in my otherwise scalding Yeti of coffee, I found a delightful crescent moon through the rigging of two adjacent sailboats. Try as I might, I couldn't

Wish I Had a Steadier Hand

hold the camera still enough to capture the sharp, crisp lines of the crescent but you get the idea in the photo above.

That day, we spent four hours cruising up the St. Lucie River to Indiantown Marina. The trip offered some great birding including two Cara Cara's--very exciting and only the second and third individuals that the Admiral and I had seen outside of Belize. We also saw dozens of Ibises, numerous Osprey, Great Blue Herons, Lesser Egrets, Kingfisher, and, at the marina, an Eastern Kingbird.

I really like the very protected, rural, unassuming Indiantown Marina. It is a place where numerous owners take their boats for service and storage as it is, by Florida standards, very high and would be very unlikely to flood in even the worst possible storm. For some reason, it is also God's waiting room for boats--a place where many derelict vessels live out their final days. Interestingly, the high and dry boats are all strapped to the ground to prevent them blowing over in hurricane force winds. One poor tug got caught up at the entrance to the marina and didn't even make it to high ground. I couldn't resist sharing this picture.

A Derelict Tug Captured by a Sundog

Today, Friday, we cruised the rest and best of the St. Lucie River to the Port Macayay Lock. A Great Blue Heron met us as we left the marina for the River and led us along the first mile or two. He introduced us to dozens of Ibises and shortly after we passed by them, we found another Cara Cara. The Admiral was in heaven. We then encountered a couple of Tricolor Herons, vultures, a Kingfisher, and the first of many Osprey. But, another surprise awaited: three Limpkins fishing along the side of the

Ond of Four Limpkins We Saw Today

bank. This was a life bird for the Admiral. We stopped and watched them for 15 or 20 minutes and then traveled along. The day brought even more birds: a Little Blue Heron, both Turkey and Black Vultures, Lesser Egrets, a Bald Eagle high on a transmission line tower, gulls, terns, hundreds of White Pelicans, a gulp of Cormorants, and even a couple of Brown Pelicans just before we got to Roland and Mary Ann Martin Marina.

It's 25 miles across Lake Okechobee from Port Macayay Lock to Clewiston Lock just before the marina in a very narrow, not well marked channel. And, a forest fire to our north cast a thick, fog-like pall of smoke over the lake which for a good part of our passage required radar and navigation lights. There's no end to what you can encounter.

The Pall of Smoke a Bit Higher on rhis Part of our Crossing

And so, Plan B is off to a great start which will only be enhanced by the Prime Rib special at the Roland and Mary Ann Martin Tiki Hut Restaurant this evening. Life is good!