"When all is said and done, the weather and love are the two elements about which one can never be sure." Alice Hoffman.
After some time here, I'll move to waters further south, Florida a Keys, and Bahamas hopefully. Here's a screen shot of the final navigation chart that shows Glory Days making her final waypoint in Ft Laiderdale
More Ponderings….
"Weather or Not"
"Weather or Not"
What is the most common topic people speak about? Without a doubt, it is the Weather that people talk about. It bonds conversation between, strangers, new aquaintances, and loved ones here, there, and everywhere.
The Weather has dominated the headlines this week….the Polar Vortex I heard it called... As I heard of record low temps in my home town near Atlanta this week, something occured to me … it hit me about 5am yesterday so I scrawled it down in my sleepy mode... It seemed profound at the time, but now I'm not so sure,,,.... :) so here's my little rambling essay on that topic...
WEATHER OR NOT
Just about every decision we make revolves around, or depends on, the weather.
Where I set the anchor depends on which direction the winds are from.
Where we build our home depends on which view of the weather we want.
We choose tomorrow's clothes based on what the weather forecast says...
There really is no such thing as "bad" weather. It's all just atmospheric happenings, each one beautiful in their own way.
For the past week, I have checked the weather forecast no less than 10 times a day for where I am, where I am headed, and where friiends and loved one are back home.
Weather dictates which route I will sail…
Should I go on the inside, safer and protected, or on the outside, faster and more exposed.
Should I go on the inside, safer and protected, or on the outside, faster and more exposed.
A change in the Weather allowed me to take off my shirt and bask in the sunshine yesterday.... but just a few hours later, I was donning my full cold weather and rain gear.
Sunny weather will power solar panels.
Windy weather will power wind generators... All fond elements for today's cruiser.
Whether we obey the weather is another story... so far, in my short life, I have found it always prudent to obey the weather... Yes sir, even if the forecast is incorrect, it's the safer choice to honor it.
Whether we weather the storm or just sit it out, depends only on the indiviual.
What type vacation we plan all depends on the weather, the season, the expected conditions … it's all good.
I figure I might as well get used to loving ALL the weather, no matter what it may be. After all, what's the alternative....?
We can pray for good weather, and many people do ...but whatever weather we get will be answered prayers whether we know it or not.
Awesome dawn leaving Vero Beach anchorage.... It would be our sunniest day for the journey.
Bring it on.
This guy is decked out for everything needed to live off the grid...solar and wind generators, full enclosures, etc
Dixon deserved this rest... He was awesome crew and I cannot thank him enough... We actually got on quite well to be in such tight quarters for 8 days... A great guy and trooper to the max!
There was a sweet beach access from our stay at Loblolly Marina in Hobe Sound
Up the mast to replace a bulb…
MORE SHOTS ALONG THE WATERWAY...
Just a little house on the hill with an ocean view is all she wanted… wow.
Forging ahead during a sunny spot of an overcast, cold week
Altho it was tempting to dart out the St Lucie pass above, small craft warnings were issued for the afternoon so I just smiled at the weather ....
Purple Crocs and happy feet.
Lovely day sailing south along the Indian River.
An overnite Marina stay at Hobe Sound had a perfect beach access.
Boys will be boys… video below…
Surfers enjoyed the oversized waves created by the cold front
Dixon motoring around loblolly Marina
This video of tidal current moving against a buoy shows you why it's not always an easy job to get where you want to go… especially if it involves moving AGAINST a current… Fortunately, we had the the tidal current, and the wind, on our side for much of the way.
This is the first of 18 more drawbridges we would pass through on our final day to Ft. Lauderdale …. It was usually a race against time to get to the next bridge just in time for the next scheduled opening, usually on the half hour… if you miss the opening time, you must "hover", in high winds and rain, until you can get thru on the next opening….
"Open sez-a-me…" was the drill for the day,,,, or for the week for that matter...
Typical view from an anchorage in an urban port…
Boca Raton.... I'm sure it's a lovely site to come back to one day… but for us, it was one of the more windy days we encountered…. By now the waters have turned a lovely aqua blue... So different from the grey brown waters of the waters north… quite noticeable…. 
this was a little traffic jam along the ICW… everybody wants under the bridge at the same time… the rule of the sea is that the vessel going with the tide has the right of way to pass under the bridge first since he has less control over his forward motion than those approaching against the tide… some folks tho, don't know the rules, so always beware.
Lake Worth is quite the industrial port… busy, busy, boats and ships everywhere...
These metal extensions are called davits. They allow you to hoist and store your dinghy easily off the stern off your boat....I bought these from fellow sailor on a Hobe Sound who makes them. I will install them permanently this week… another gadget to improve the lifestyle… hopefully, the spending is almost over… yeah, right...
The lights og North Palm Beach as seen from our anchorage…. another long day slogging down the miles from daybreak to dusk…
The final 10 miles were quite special as the excitement built… the final mile was a bit emotional….I choked up because we had come so far it seems.. at the speed we went, it was like walking the length of Florida…
ARRIVAL!!!!!!
We dropped the anchor in Sunrise Bay, which is less than a half mile from our friends Craig and Linda' condo… The rain would not let up, but we motored over to their place in Dazy, the dingy… We had a toast of Grand Mariner to celebrate our arrival before boarding the dinghy… Craig took these photos as we motored down the narrow channel to his home… thankfully, he has a boat slip where Glory Days can rest for the remainder of the month, until I head even further south.
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| Our final approach |
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| We are greeted Coming ashore!! The next day we moved Glory Days into the slip at Craig and Linda's place… They live on a little canal that is connected to the Intracoastal Waterway… perfecto.  |
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| Two goofballs saluting the world… Thank you God for safe passage. That night we were treated to the best meal we could've ever imagined… see these yummy lobster with Craig and Linda? Well that was just the half of it… they also made a bundle of clams, mussels, potatoes and corn and we ate till we dropped…. great way to end a passage… and great way to begin another one…  Stay tuned for what's next… after some R and R and boat upgrades, Glory Day's will be back on course for new sunsets.  Ahh…. finally she's in her slip… this is their condo where I'll be staying for a little while ….A half mile walk to the beach and located in the yachting capital of the world, this should be a fine place to take a break… That's Craigs boat on the left of Glory Days… So much  Namaste |
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