Our plans are written in the sand

Here we sit STILL in Stuart, this is the longest we have ever stayed in one place and though I love it here I am so ready to move on.  We got to Stuart on Jan7th the plan was for 1 month then head on down to the Keys for 2-3 weeks and then over to the Abaco's for 4-6 weeks.

After the month was up I decided to go home for a week to get all the paperwork over to the acct. for taxes along with some other tasks that just could not wait.  So on the day we were to leave Stuart for points south I was on an airplane heading NORTH though not Alaska, it was pretty dam cold in Massachusetts.  As luck would have it it snowed and was also some of the coldest weather of the winter 27 degrees was the high for a couple of days with wind chills of less than 15.  Dam cold!  It was 76 degrees when I left Florida.  So I certainly got my dose of reality which I could of lived very happily without but it was a necessity of life. While home I got to spend Valentines Day with the 2 most important people in my life.  The morning of Valentines Day with my daughter Ashley in Massachusetts and the evening with the hubby in Florida.

Once back at the boat Jim threw out his back and was laid up for a few days then we had some boat issues and had to order parts so that delayed our departure for yet another week.  And since I have to be in a spot to receive mail (taxes) we decided to stay put as the marina is charging us a daily rate of what the monthly rate would be.  So here we sit and here we will now stay for 1 MORE WEEK.  I have gotten e-mails and calls from some of our looper friends asking us where we were and where are we heading and when, we have changed our plans so many times that I shall now say..............

"Ours plans are written in the sand" and it is really windy here!

And look what the wind blew in.......................................................

It was so nice to see our looper friends and fellow New Englanders (sort of)
Gene and Ginny are from NY but keep their boat across the lake in VT.  We had dinner with them at the Sailors Return and got caught up on boating adventures and got some great info on the islands (Abaco's) as they have been over there a few times.  But sadly for us they will not be making the trip this year,  as they have other commitments to attend to.  We hope to see them again in the spring as we he also head north, they were certainly very disappointed that they would not be able to make the island trip this year.

Gene and Ginny on Free 2 Be heading out of Stuart to points North.   Have a safe trip, and we will look forward to catching up with you again in the up coming months.

So here we sit, until Sunday when we MUST leave as the marina will need our slip that is booked for another boat coming in. 

Sunset Bay for 1 more week

The sunsets here at Sunset Bay are magnificent

Our neighbors, it is a beautiful boat, they are heading over to the Bahama's soon we are seeing alot of boats waiting on weather windows to cross over to the Abaco's and beyond. 

These are our friends Pete and Jerri we met them exactly 1 year ago in Melbourne  Fl. they were heading to Stuart for a couple of months.  We also ended up there and became friends.  Its funny, we hadn't seen them in a year but it felt as though it was just weeks.  And as it happens amongst boaters, they loved Stuart so much they now live nearby.  Their boat, The Five O'clock, 1996 Carver 500, is now for sale if anyone is looking for a very comfortable loop boat. 
http://www.boattrader.com/listing/1996-Carver-500-100453158


Below is the 5 O'clock on the hook in Ga.

Jim has changed out the lights on SweetPea, one of those jobs that kept getting put off.  He can finally check it off the list, the replacement is LED strip lights on both port and starboard as well as the galley lighting, deck lights etc.  75 percent of the lighting onboard has been up dated to LED.



WOW what a difference!



The end of another beautiful day in the Sunshine state.



On Saturday and Sundays there is a huge Flea Market in Stuart, it is actually advertised as a nautical Market but there is all kinds of things.  Sid and Evelyn here's a new business for you,  and you won't have to change the name!

We have extended our stay at Sunset Bay for 1 more week, we are waiting on our US customs sticker for 2012 so we can head out and over to the islands in the next 2 or 3 weeks.