Where did April go? Ft Pierce to Charleston

After our crossing back from the Bahamas, our destination is Fort Pierce and the newly renovated city marina.  Since we have planned ahead and filed a float plan with customs and immigration, we clear back into the US with a simple phone call.  The music continues as we arrive just in time for the week long Jazz Festival on the waterfront near our marina.  There is music every afternoon and evening, from jazz to blues to rock, all very good.

 

So glad we happen to be around for the Ft Pierce Oyster Festival too.  The events just keep going.

The shucking table

Baked, on the half shell or oyster shooters!

Yummy!

We attended the MTOA Southern Rendezvous while in Ft. Pierce.  The theme was Dr. Seuss and this is our costume for the theme party.  We were one of many 'Things' in attendance, all very fun.

As part of the rendezvous we went to the Navy Seals Museaum in Ft. Pierce.

Actual Maersk Alabama lifeboat
 used in the movie Capt. Phillips

Someone needs a shave

We also had time to visit our boating friends for a few days who now have homes at 'The Villages' located north of Orlando.

Scott liked this sign in a Villages square

Here we are with Phil, Alice, Jean & Steve

On the way north, we stopped in St Simon to enjoy more BBQ at Southern Soul.  We headed out on our bikes, first to get air for the tires and then to dinner.  We found a great bike shop called Monkeywrench with free air.  Of course while waiting we browsed and purchased a new bell and horn (something we should have had all along).  Off we went and within 10 minutes one of our front tires when flat, so back to Monkeywrench for repair.  

Settling up our tab at Monkeywrench (bike in foreground)

Brisket  and Ribs at SS BBQ - fantastic!

The outdoor 'kitchen' at SS BBQ

On to Charleston where we walked, and we walked, and occasionally rode the trolley.  We had a fabulous dinner at Jestine's Kitchen on Meeting St with good home cooking (fried chicken).  We also took in comedy at Theater 99 and wrapped up our stay with a concert  by Patrick Davis & The Midnight Choir at The Circular Church.  We were introduced to PD in the Bahamas at the February Songwriter's in Paradise shows.

Sweet scent of Jasmine everywhere

Beautiful window boxes

Patrick Davis & The Midnight Choir at The Circular Church

Bahamas to FL

3/25/16

To make a long story short, we left the protection of our boat slip at Green Turtle Cay and anchored to the northwest side of Mangrove Cay (nothing there but mangroves) since the winds were expected from the southeast.  Shortly after we arrived, storm cells off the coast of FL headed our way with heavy rain, thunder and lightning.  One cell sat on top of us for 20-30 minutes with winds up to 55 mph.  Scott fired up the engines and every once in a while shifted into gear to take the load off the anchor.  To say it was frightening is putting it mildly, but thankfully we held our anchor as did the other 12 or so boats around us.  After the storms passed the sea was still quite lumpy so sleeping was pretty much out of the question.  It was a long night.

3/26/16

Daylight brought us a beautiful sunrise and calm seas.  We stayed put until midday then moved with 4 other boats to a place on the chart called Memory Rock.  The plan was to anchor there and get an early start for the 76 mile trip to Ft. Pierce inlet.  The "anchorage" is simply a point on the chart that, hopefully, is not on the route of other boats who might be transiting.  There is nothing there.  Nothing.  The nearest land 20 miles to West End on Grand Bahama and 76 miles to FL.  During the middle of the night, wind met current which made for another unpleasant evening.

3/27/16

Wide awake at 03:00, the plan was to leave at 04:00.  We hauled anchor and set out for Ft Pierce Inlet.  It was very dark and a bit unsettling to travel with only the electronic instruments to guide us.  There were a few 'blips' on the radar that we navigated around without ever seeing them.  At least one was a very large freighter many hundreds of feet long.  By the time the sun rose, we had been traveling for about 3 hours.  The trip started out fine but as the day went on, the wind blew harder.  The seas were out of the southeast and began to build from 3-5' so it was a very tedious day, arriving in Ft. Pierce about 14:00.

Center of the Universe Rock on Bahamas Bank

Sunrise after the storms of 3/25

Sunrise out in the gulf stream