Summertime, and the livin’ is…sweaty

Wow, just realized we have not checked in since early August. I began this post several times, but seemed to get sidetracked, and now its almost Christmas!

We returned to Florida from the Bahamas in mid-May, entered the ICW at the Ft. Pierce inlet, and headed to Vero Beach. Vero has become our pseudo Florida base. It is familiar, has everything we need in the way of services, has a free bus, and we have made friends there – a few even stay year round. It is as close to “coming home” as we get these days. We considered staying here for the hurricane season, but knew we would be traveling, and weren’t completely comfortable leaving Ritual unattended on a mooring during peak hurricane season in August/September. We hung out for a week, getting re-acclimated to the US hubbub (it is a real thing!), then headed north to Palm Coast, where we had a slip reserved until October.

Palm Coast Marina, only 20 miles south of St. Augustine, had become another favored spot to stop as we moved up and down the ICW. We made connections there with cruisers who call it home. While there is no bus service, the community has fantastic bike paths and we can walk or ride to restaurants, grocery, hardware store, etc. It is more affordable than most marinas, and considered a “hurricane hole” – a safe spot to hunker down for storms. It is miles from any ocean inlet, minimizing storm surge, and sits in a small protective basin just west of the ICW.

We had looked forward to being part of the summer boating community. We knew Meg and Gus, on Seawinds, would be gone to Portugal. However, just after we arrived, Peggy and Eric (and their 4 weimaraners!) sold their catamaran and moved to Costa Rica; Mark and Brenda sold their trawler and bought an RV; and Neil had knee surgery and moved ashore for healing. Others left their boats and took off traveling. So it was a bit lonely. We had figured it would not be much hotter than what we had experienced during a Chesapeake summer, but the joke was on us – it turned out to be Florida’s hottest summer on record! Even the locals complained. Those who stayed aboard, stayed inside. Phil and Belinda, on Contiguous, were the one constant and we enjoyed their company.

We did okay in June, but by July we caved and bought a small portable air conditioner. Lisa also sewed two large sunshades to cover the decks. Both made the heat more tolerable. July temps were in the 90’s, but it was the humidity that really took its toll. The plan had been to get a lot of boat maintenance done while at the dock. However, if that work didn’t occur before 10 am, the “sweat factor” was too high to be outside. And those of you who know us well know we like to take our time with morning coffee! Needless to say, outside projects were delayed. In preparation for possible hurricanes, we stripped gear off deck and removed the sails, and added extra dock lines and chafing protection. We felt comfortable leaving the boat in this secure little haven while we traveled.

In August we flew to Seattle to spend time with daughters Rachael and Lauren. Our forever friends Gail and Phil put us up for several days (we call their beautiful lake house “Perkins Resort”). Rachael’s beau Chris treated us to a weekend at Sucia Island in the San Juan Islands, aboard his family’s yacht. We have many fond memories of this island, and we hiked, picked through tide pools, and caught dungeness crabs, grateful to spend a couple days here.

Granddaughter Emily and friend Ryan flew in from Denver to join us for a few days. We herded the gang around Pike Place Market, the Ballard locks and salmon ladder, and a meal at another favorite spot – Ray’s Boathouse on Puget Sound. It was difficult to leave, in part because we didn’t have time to see several old friends, and because this is a place we never get enough of. And of course – family time is precious!

Back in Florida, we retrieved the kitties from “cat camp” for a 3 week reprieve. Ritual was fine, and there had been no bad weather. What we had not thought about was having the boat bottom cleaned. Because the marina basin does not get much water movement and only has a one-foot tide, the biosphere that grows on the boat bottom is lush, as evidenced by the sea turtle munching at our waterline! Typically we hire a diver every couple of months while we are in the ICW, but Palm Coast requires monthly cleaning to keep up.

Our big trip was spending three weeks of September in Portugal. This country had been a topic of discussion for several months. A former Seattle colleague and his husband had moved there two years ago and raved about it. Then a cruising couple we met in Vero Beach moved there last spring. When Meg and Gus told us they would be there all summer and had space for us, it was a done deal. We spent time with all three couples, allowing us to experience the Algarve region in the south, Lisbon, the Silver Coast between Lisbon and Porto (Peniche, Obidos, Nazare and Leiria), and Porto. Everyone generously shared their experiences and knowledge, and we loved it all! We can see why this country has become a favorite haven for ex-pats in Europe, and Portugal makes it relatively easy to get a resident visa (hmm…). As our cruiser friend Kathy says, “wine was involved”. OMG, the wine!! With vistas of olive, lemon, orange, and carob groves, cork trees, yummy pastries and breads, fresh seafood and food markets, ocean beaches, history and architecture dating back to the Moors…we were smitten. We even caught up with Tom and Ilse on Serenata, our sister ship from Hampton, VA that made the Atlantic crossing in May.

Upon our return it was time to focus on the undone projects and getting ready for the winter cruising season. We hauled Ritual out in St. Augustine. It has become difficult to find a boat yard that will allow you to do your own work. There are cheaper yards in St. Mary’s, Georgia, and south of Jacksonville, but they are in the middle of nowhere, so we opted for Oasis. It costs more, but is right in town, and we can walk and ride bikes to everything we need. An added bonus is that we really like this historic town. And an additional plus is that no named storms occurred here this hurricane season!

Life “on the hard” is challenging. It involves climbing up and down the ladder all day, catching sink water in a bucket, using a bucket “at night” to avoid a 3 am walk across the lot to the bathrooms – then emptying said buckets. Fred sanded and painted the bottom. Lisa stripped old varnish off of the teak toe rail and stained teak trim. Sewing repairs were made to the cockpit enclosure. Fred serviced the windlass and reversed and re-marked our anchor chain. Lisa painted the cockpit cushions with vinyl paint. While all this is going on, the necessary tools, cleaners, buckets, sewing machine, etc, cover the salon table, chart table, cockpit seats, deck, blah blah blah. We live among the stuff because it is easier that putting it all away and then hauling it all back out every day. It was a great feeling to finish and finally stow things again!

Ritual was re-launched on Halloween day. We spent some time on a mooring at St. Augustine Marina, enjoyed a meal with Gus and Meg back in Palm Coast, then headed for Vero Beach. Cruising boats are on the move south (the “migration”) and it has been fun to reconnect with Gary and Sharleen on Aurora and Jeanne and Sheldon on Shank’s Mare. We are tracking several others as they make their way back from the Chesapeake or head to the islands.

We are currently in Vero Beach, finishing the installation of a new auto pilot and making plans to cross to the Bahamas – hopefully before Christmas if the weather gods cooperate.

Fair winds – Fred and Lisa