We had a good trip yesterday. The waves were better than predicted: just 2 feet. About 5 hours dock-to-dock.
Last night we had dinner with two yacht club friends – Paul and Ro – who live in Stuart in the winter. Stuart is a little off the beaten path – about ten miles up the St. Lucie River, but I’m glad I made the trip; the river is very pretty. And the meal was wonderful. Stuffed shells, meatballs and sausage, all cooked from scratch. Heaven!
We’ve already lost 5-10 degrees in temperature. Our last day in Key West was 82 degrees; today’s high will be 72. And today is gray and stormy-looking. Back to jeans and a long-sleeved shirt.
****************************
When we left Key West, several days ago, we were headed almost due east. Then at Key Largo, we turned NE. Now we’ll be traveling more northward.
We needed a good 3-day weather window to get from KW to Stuart, because I wanted to run outside in Hawk Channel, and then in the ocean as we passed Miami and made our way to Stuart. That’s why I was so frustrated waiting for parts in Key Largo…I was wasting good weather days.
To some extent, I am just trying to chew up some mileage during this stretch. This complete northbound route will cover about 1,400 miles, and 660 of it are in Florida and the Keys. Once we get into Georgia and the Carolinas, we’ll be visiting folks and taking longer layovers.
From here north, the ICW will be less crowded, and we can travel in the ICW if we choose to. I’m really happy we made it this far, because – as I feared – the winds are going to pick up the next few days, with waves building to 5-6 feet outside. Nasty. In the ICW, they are predicting just a moderate chop.
Today we head for Titusville. There’s not much there, but it is the next convenient stop. I’m really happy we made it this far, because the winds are going to pick up the next few days, with waves building to 5-6 feet. Nasty. We’ll go inside all the way to minimize the effect of the wind and waves.
Gotta run; the sun is coming up, and it’s time to go.
Rod & Guinness' Amazing Adventures 
The high temperature Is supposed to be in the sixties here next week. Hopefully, you’ll have good weather as well.
LikeLike