CURRENT LOCATION: Southpoint Anchorage, a mooring field in Stuart, FL
27 11.827' N, 080 15.652' W

Despite the late hour and extreme state of fatigue in which we arrived on Monday night (actually early Tuesday morning), we were up with the first light and weighing anchor. The Fort Pierce Inlet anchorage was not our desired destination. We wanted to convalesce in Stuart, FL. The town of Stuart has created a mooring field for boats, and ever since I read an article about what they have set up here (CLICK HERE to read the article), we knew that this is where we wanted to do our final provisioning in the United States and wait for a weather window to cross to the Bahamas.

The moorings here are set on a screw which is drilled 47 feet into the riverbed and attached to 1.5" cordage which has a breaking strength of 55,000 pounds. The city inspects and maintains each mooring from top to bottom annually. Without a doubt, we feel comfortable with the security of our boat tied to this mooring. And, best of all, there will be no anchor to raise when we get ready to leave.



For a mere $10 per day, in addition to the secure mooring, we get access to a dinghy dock, free waste pump out, hot showers, laundry facilities, wireless internet, and a boater's lounge. Within walking distance is a supermarket and other provisioning necessities. In my own opinion, this is Shangri-La for southbound cruisers. I wish more cities were as forward thinking as Stuart.

I took the helm for most of the trip along the ICW, a 26-nautical mile jaunt, and then passed the wheel to my better half. Sheryl handled the toughest part of picking up a mooring ball...driving the boat. All I had to do was take a boat hook and grab the pennant line. She made my job easy by bringing the bow right up to the ball and stopping the forward motion of the boat. Not an easy task with 15-18 knot winds kicking up.

The setting here is perfect. We have a park right off the bow of our boat (complete with palm trees)...



And the dinghy dock, though crowded, gives us access to all the other amenities...



Having only gotten 3 hours of sleep the previous night and much less for the previous four days, we were both a bit euphoric as we inflated Patience and went in to register with the harbormaster. Filling out a simple form was a challenge, "What is my name, again?" We took our wobbly legs on a walk and literally stumbled across a Mexican restaurant, where we spontaneously had a late lunch. It was more food than either of us had eaten in the last four days combined.

Unbelieveably, we stayed awake until our normal bedtime, getting things straightened up on the boat, doing a little laundry, and catching up on e-mail correspondence. However, once we were in the v-berth, we were out. We slept soundly until first light. No helm to manage, no BIG boats on the horizon, no anchor watch to be concerned about, just peaceful slumber.

The days will now take on a more relaxed quality. Sure, we are doing our final preparations for leaving the country, and all systems need to be rechecked, all supply inventories reviewed, and all critical fluids topped off. However, it is time that we enjoyed a little bit of 'vacation.' We are here experiencing 80 degree weather here while my mother is preparing for 4 inches of snow in northern Indiana. We are in Florida, and the smell of the tropics is in the air. It is almost surreal. Sheryl and I have to keep from pinching ourselves.

NOTE: The addition of our new RECENT PHOTOS links on the left will help you to keep track of all Sheryl's best photographic efforts, as only a select few can be represented on each blog entry. Keep track of new sets as they become available at the top of the list.