2017
Cruising Season Wraps Up: April 28 2017
This
final cruising season post is soooo overdue that it is ridiculous. I have no excuse but somehow, some way I
could not write the final post of the season.
I am sure the self-help/psychologist/mindfulness folks could come up
with loads of reasons. No problem – have
at it. As for me, I’ll simply write this
April 2017 post from chilly Boston on New Year’s Eve where the temperature
struggles to hit the double digits and I wait for the New England Patriots game
to start at 1pm.
So
long West Palm. Off we went for our last
night before getting the boat put to bed for the summer. Our evening destination was spent on the hook
in Hobe Sound (4/11). We were just
inside the no wake zone with loads of water fun; swimming, sandbar…all until
nightfall when we had the place to ourselves.
Dinner was an easy grill of burgers with Greek lemon potatoes (recipe
below) and sautéed zucchini.
Weather
was squirrely and as Murphy’s Law would have it there was a rain downpour
during our time working the lines at the lock.
Oh well, it was strong enough to be a perfect fresh water rinse for the
decks (and us). Our arrival and docking
at River Forest Yacht Center was smooth and easy – thanks guys (4/12). Let the storage process begin! There was laundry, work on the stabilizer
(and purchase of a $400 tool to do the job – ggrr), replacement of the fuel
fill and vent hoses on the starboard side, water shut off on the boat…and a
trip of two to Chapman’s Marine Supply on S.E. Indian Street (http://www.chapmanmarine.com/). We didn’t knock off until 6pm with the reward
of dinner at laid-back and friendly Charlie’s Bar and Grill (4/13). It seems Charlie is an alligator (http://www.ilovecharlies.com/).
Our
continued storage process continued with early morning starts and breakfast at
Galaxy Diner (https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g34657-d1097986-Reviews-Galaxy_Diner-Stuart_Florida.html). It’s a humble mini-mall diner with a Greek
bent and murals on all the walls – genle way to . Erin attacked the stainless with cleaner and
wax (thanks for the tip m/v Twin Sisters) while Chris made the 85 mile drive
south to Ft Lauderdale for a $75 seal kit (cheaper than the $900 replacement). Ooops (I mean crap) only to find the kit out
of stock upon arrival. But they’ll send
it. Tick tock and fingers crossed (4/14).
Nothing
to do but wait for our seal kit to arrive which is perfect timing because
friends Jeff and Jen are vacationing and we’ll meet for dinner in West Palm
(4/15). Yippee! We hit our favorite Rocco’s Tacos for dinner
then glam-ed it up at the Breakers for a cocktail which was positively buzzing
with activity. Great to see you guys!
The
vacation day is over and we were back at the storage process: vinegar all boat
surfaces in the hopes of impeding mold (wiping ceilings, walls, floors…); oil
changes and zinc changes for the generator, main boat engine and dinghy
engine…check, check, check. Rain is not
on the horizon which is good for our boat work; however, it is causing water
levels to drop. Lock openings have been
reduced from on-demand to only once every three hours. It was another long day which ended with
sausage, green/red pepper and feta pizza aboard and OJ with Tito’s cocktails
(4/16). Yikes – we have a stealthy
neighbor! Dinner was over, the sun had
set and I was closing the pilot house doors when – holy guacamole – those are
gator eyes staring back at me from the water inches from the boat?!
On
and on we went; 2x sea strainers cleaned; top deck canvas removed, door dogs
installed; no seal kit until Friday (tick tock); Chris installed a new poop
tank pump. Sheesh, our day feels like
Chapman’s Marine, Home Depot, Ace Hardware…repeat (4/18). And our 9 foot gator still makes his evening
swim beside the boat. Gulp. Final project is a duo soap wash of the
boat’s exterior – Chris with the brush and Erin with my favorite sponge…a
shared hose…and each of us with our own bucket of soapy water. Phew, we dragged into Charlie’s for dinner
but all was completed and she’s ready to be hauled. Will the seal kit arrive before the 21st?!
In
the meantime, we’ll put the rental car to good use – a road trip to Fort Myers
to visit Bill and Louise (4/19 and 4/20).
These guys showed us the ropes of cruising back in Rhode Island in 2005
and we have remained thick as thieves ever since. We had cocktails aboard s/v Andelen, dinner
at The Cottage and a great breakfast send-off at Marti’s Family restaurant
joined by Alice and Greg. Marti’s has
THE best biscuits and gravy on the planet and is located at 16200 San Carlos
Blvd A. Now back to the boat and the
stabilizer seal kit FINALLY arrived.
Chris installed (using the kitchen as a work bench…where else?!) and
checked for success…no leak. Yippee!
Right
on schedule we hauled at 11am (4/21).
The dehumidifier was installed (after a three-way plug was retrieved
from Ace Hardware), the final two sea strainers were cleaned and she was
buttoned up for the summer. So long
Barefeet! River Forest will check on her
and send us updates until we return in January.
For us it’s a road trip back to Boston.
First stop tonight is visiting Tom and Suzie in Melbourne just 1.5 hours
away. It’s always a fun time with these
globe-girdling cruisers and tonight was no exception.
Why
not make a stop at the famous Ron Jon Surf Shop? Stop we did but, well, it’s not quite all
that it’s cracked up to be. And clearly
all was going too smoothly…until…Chris realized he left his wallet on the
boat. What?! Nothing for it…it’s two hours south back to
the boat then two hours north to our starting point of the day. Despite our back and forth highway schlepping
we made it to our Hampton Inn in St Augstine in time for dinner at lovely Caps
on the Water (http://www.capsonthewater.com/). You cannot beat the deck with chandeliers
hanging from the live oak trees dripping with Spanish Moss (4/22).
Our
drive home continued with some unfamiliar and some return visits; stops in
Beaufort (SC), Asheville (NC), Staunton (VA) and Princeton (NJ). Beaufort
was hot and humid but the jasmine was blooming and languidly draped over fences
and tree trunks, live oaks stretched their branches wide and the marshes along
the ICW were peaceful (4/23). We enjoy
the gentle pace of this town and finished up our visit with dinner at delicious
Saltus River Grill (http://www.saltusrivergrill.com/).
We
fueled up for the next leg of our trip at Blackstone’s Café (http://blackstonescafe.com/). The breakfast is simple but tradition is the
foundation of this local downtown staple.
The Pledge of Allegiance is solemnly said while standing – daily – at
8am (Beaufort is home to the Marine Corp Air Station). It was a rainy drive to our next destination
of Ashville, NC. The Biltmore is
stunning and Asheville has become a real great destination for food. This
time we tried Biscuit Head for breakfast (amazing), cocktails at Montford
Rooftop Bar (beautiful) and dinner at Nightbell. Chicken butter is
amazing – you have to try it!! Our
friend Parker was in town so it was fun to see his favorite haunts (a friend of
both of ours but Chris met him first - at Duke where they both got MBAs).
Just
a couple more stops and soon enough we arrived back in Boston (4/28). Warm
weather welcomed us and we had dinner on the balcony (we'll see how long the
heat lasts...fingers crossed). It was glorious! Okay, but there was a hitch in the
get-along. Our upstairs neighbor seemed
to have a leaking dishwasher which flooded our kitchen for an undetermined
amount of time. Drat! We cannot seem to escape water and its
devilish behavior. Fixing the cabinets
goes to the top of our To Do list after the initial clean-up…and pizza dinner.
Okay,
now we are all on the same page. Sorry
for the delay and I plan to be more consistent once back on the boat. We return to Florida on January 2nd
and hope to splash on January 3rd.
Winter cruising here we come!
Greek
Roasted Potatoes with Garlic, Lemon and Oregano (Aglaia Kremezi)
3lbs
potatoes, peeled and cut into 1.5” cubes
½
cup olive oil
4
garlic cloves, minced
1.5
teaspoons dried oregano
1/3
cup lemon juice
1
teaspoon salt
Ground
black pepper
½
cup beef or chicken stock
2-3
Tablespoons fresh oregano, chopped
1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2)
Place
potatoes in a single layer in a 13x9 baking dish. Pour oil over them. Add garlic, dried oregano, salt and pepper to
taste. Toss well to coat.
3)
Bake
15 minutes. Add stock and toss. Bake 10 minutes. Add lemon juice and toss. Bake 10-15 minutes until cooked through.
4) If
you like – broil for a few minutes until golden brown.
5)
Sprinkle
with fresh oregano and serve at once.