Today is our last full day in Lantana we will be moving Light Reach up to the Loggerhead Marina in Stuart and then on the 31st we'll take her to American Custom Yachts for haul out.
We really had not planned on being on the boat for a week, which means putting things back on that we had taken off for the season and provisioning her. We got the provisions yesterday but need to clean out the condo fridge today and get the fridge on the boat stocked. I've planned meals for the week and am trying to bring only the amount of perishables we can use for the week. We drove up to the Marina and Yacht yard Saturday to get the lay of the land. The Yacht yard where we will be hauled wasn't accessible, very heavy security so we at least know LR will be well taken care of while we are away, but they would not allow us into the yard. We could only look through the very high fence. Light Reach is going to look like a toy there! There were huge mega yachts all over the place
The Marina on the other hand was very accommodating once we found it. It isn't near any shopping, hence the need to provision for the week. The closest grocery store is 3 miles away and while not a terrible distance it is on a busy highway and we won't have a car. Lugging groceries that far really didn't appeal to me. They do have a two restaurant son site which I am sure we will visit.
All the Loggerhead Marina's have reciprocal agreements so we can spend the rest of our month that we have already paid for at the one in Stuart at no additional cost other than our electric. Sweet. The dockmaster was very friendly and helpful. He took us out to show us the dock spot we will have and gave us instructions for how to approach the dock from the river. He recommended we call SeaTow when we get to the "Crossroads" (where the St Lucie Inlet/River and the ICW intersect) and get local knowledge for how to make the turn into the river. The area is notorious for shoaling.
We'll spend the night on her tonight to be able to pull out early tomorrow. The Flagler Bridge is on a very limited schedule due to construction and the waterway has been closed completely for days at a time. Tomorrow the bridge is on half span openings once an hour on the quarter hour with no opening at 8:15. We won't have daylight until 6:00 AM so there is no chance of us making the 7:15 opening so we are going to attempt to make the 9:15. It is all a delicate dance as low tide is at 7:20 and the exit out of the Marina is best done at high tide. Fingers crossed we will have enough water and if not at least the tide will be rising. The Stuart Marina closes at 5 PM and we hope to be able to arrive before close so we can have help to get into the dock. We've decided to go inside, the distance is about the same either in or out and the St Lucie Inlet can be dicey and with T-Storms possible there are more places to hide out if we get a storm cell.
We've filled the water tanks, fuel tank and packed our bags, back to cruising if only for a week.
The picture is of my two favorite crew mates taken on Key Biscayne.