Stuart, FL

Friday, March 29 - Monday, April 15, 2013

Windy! That is how I would describe Florida's east coast. We blew into our slip at Sunset Bay Marina in Stuart upon arrival and blew out two weeks later! Sunset Bay Marina was very accommodating. Sam was always ready with a joke! There was a nice laundry room and boater's lounge. The staff was efficient and friendly. They traveled on 3 wheeled electric scooters to assist boats in docking.




Large Mooring Field = Busy Dinghy Dock

Dock Hand Jason on Electric Scooter

In between, we had a great time. Once again we were lucky to land on a friendly dock! (There is something about those 'A' Dockers!) Our slip mate, Sherry, on the S/V Impetuous, invited us to docktails every evening at 4:30. Her husband Tim was helpful in recommending a reliable diver to clean Irish Attitude's bottom. It had been 2 months and the barnacles were growing, again. Tim and Sherry have lived aboard for 13 years since they raised their kids on Anne Marie Island (Bradenton). Everyone was very kind and helpful.  Bob is single handling a sailboat. Bev and Dave, aboard a catamaran, were from Canada. We met some gold loopers too. Kathy and Garth on Algonquin and Judy and Dan aboard Quest. They were returning to the states from the Bahamas. Mike and I went out for 'rib night' with Kathy, Garth and Judy (Dan was in MI on business). A full rack with 2 sides for $11! Most of the time we eat aboard but it is nice to splurge! Many more boaters stopped for docktails, sharing stories, knowledge and laughter.

"A" Dock at Sunset Bay in Stuart

Stuart is known for sport fishing, especially sailfish. During the day we rode our bikes all around Stuart. The purchase of bikes and 4 panniers proved to be a wise decision. (Side Note: Prior to our adventure, I could not imagine life without 2 cars. Now, I don't miss having 1!) We visited Hutchinson barrier island to see the Atlantic Ocean. Stuart has a great 'old' town area near the marina. As we walked around we found a nice river walk, farmer's market and unique sidewalk art.

Sidewalk Art

Sailfish Fountain at Night



Below are pictures from our bike ride to Hutchinson Island

A Tow and Barge from Bridge

Looking Out to Hutchinson Barrier

 Beach Front Avenue!

Beautiful Waves and Rock Formations on Atlantic Coast

We ran into Larry from Lady KK while he was out walking Ms. Peaches. Larry said they were going to skip the Georgia ICW due to shoaling. Sherry and Larry would travel outside from Fernandina to South Carolina on the outside. While walking the docks we ran into Carol and Ron off Dragon's Dance. We last saw them in Clearwater. True to the boating way of life, their plans to head to the Bahamas changed and they too cut across the Okeechobee Waterway. They must have been just ahead of us! We went out for pizza one night, another night we took in the marina movie, Life of Pi. That was fun, everyone in their umbrella chairs, I almost forgot we were outside!

Jelly Fish

Our mail and Amazon orders arrived and we were ready to move at the next fair weather window. Thank you to all the people on A Dock that made Stuart a fun stop! Hopefully our wakes will cross again.

 

Sunset at Sunset Bay Marina