Chased South by Old Man Winter

We continue to push south, and the weather follows us. We spent 2 nights in Stuart where we linked up with ouir friends from Sail Harbor, Terry and Deb. They left Savannah the same day we did, but went outside and straigh to Canaveral in 36 hours. They held up in Sutart waiting on some parts which allowed us to catch up with them. We took a big walk to West Marine(about 5 miles RT) which we all needed. I had to buy a new belt- my pants are getting looser- which is a good thing. Deb had us and another couple over for sundowners and apps. It was a nice visit, but in an effort to get to warmer climes, we let loose of the mooring ball and got back on the ICW. It was a nice ride, but with quite a few lift bridges in Jupiter. You've got to time them just right or you end up burning up the day waiting on them to open on their schedule. There were several stretches of beautiflu blue-green water, especially coming into Jupiter. We even saw a manatee, but he/she was about a hundred yards away and not putting on a show for us like the dolphins often do. We made it to N Palm Beach Monday afternoon and anchored just south of Peanut island which sits just inside the Lake Worth inlet.

Last night, we wanted to get Bella out, so we put the motor in the dingy and headed to Peanut Island, to find a great rec area. It appears the county did a big makeover of the spoil island, by putting in bathroom facilities, picnic areas, and even a camping area. The island has a walkpath all the way arouind it. We landed the dingy on the beach and Bella cut loose- running, chasing her Flippy Flopper(a great soft frisbee that Jack and Ben gave her for Easter several years ago), and wading into the water. Within minutes, we were nearly struck by our first tragedy. Carryn turned to see the dingy being carried off the beach by the waves and current. Fortunately, it didn't get far, but I had to wade in to get it. You can't get lax in this gig, or it will bite you in the butt.

We had a nice night on anchor last night. Plenty of wind, but not too bumpy. The wind generator hummed through the night, filling our batteries with the juice that Carryn burned watching "The Bachelor". I was down by 8p, snuggling with Bella. Carryn joined us later.
We plan to go on the outside tomorrow to get to Fort Lauderdale. While we will miss some great sights on the ICW(big beautiful estates on the waterfront and huge mega yachts) we will also miss the dozen or so lift bridges that can be a real hassle. So today, we have much work to do, securing all the equipment on deck and putting away everything down below, so it doesn't get tossed to the floor when heeling and taking the wave action offshore.
Hope all is well with everyone.