Rain
was forecast this Friday as we departed Las Olas Riverfront, but we managed to
avoid the pop-up showers on our way north. Our destination was Old Port Cove,
North Palm Beach, but we knew the distance was more than a day's drive. So we
set anchor late afternoon near Lantana, FL, and I set up the SaSea Sally Salon
on the swim platform to give Clay a haircut (must have been power of
suggestion). Brandy, I'm getting pretty good...err, better. En route to this
anchorage, Captain Clay received a radio call from LAMO friend Ryan Bradley,
but the reception was garbled and unreadable. Still fun to have connected.
Another pop of joy!
We
departed Lantana anchorage mid-morning Saturday with an easy anchor pull after
Nordic tracking and breakfast. We arrived Old Port Cove, an easy three-hour
day, accompanied by wind and spritzing rain much of the way. Uh-oh, another
windy docking, but Clay has gained confidence in his ability to handle this
20-ton trawler, and I've gained confidence in him. Done deal docking.
Unfortunately, after having completed all necessary
paperwork for an Enterprise rep to deliver our rental car by noon (their closing
time) today, it was not to be. No car for our
Saturday land exploration which took us to Plan B (there's always a Plan B even
if you don't know what it is yet). We were thankful for a knowledgeable staff
at OPC who enabled a Sunday rental car to attend the Cards Spring Training game
in Jupiter.
We
busied ourselves with Saturday chores; I walked to Elegance for a chat with
hairdresser Cheryl, a new best friend forever; then Clay and I revisited
Sandpiper's Cove for dinner. All in all, a nice day despite the bumps in the
road.
And,
so on Sunday...Got late-morning rental car (another glitch where the Enterprise
computer screen failed to show 'pick-up needed'), ate lunch at Panera on way to
the Cards game vs the Marlins where we purchased the only available tickets for
standing-room-only and saw a Cards win!
Clay
had the foresight to purchase tickets in advance (berm seating) for Thursday's
game, but the sold-out status for Monday's game against Boston prevented that
anticipated purchase. Not to be deterred from attending, we requested options
for Monday, but we were warned that, against Boston, the tickets would be
costly, scarce, and we'd fight for even an inch of space in SRO. That made my
decision...not. (Clay would come to his senses and follow suit the following
morning.) He has yet to catch grief from his Westminster buddies for not
attending but only because they don't know he missed the game.
Leaving
Roger Dean Stadium, we tackled an hour's drive to Ft. Lauderdale to retrieve an
Amazon Prime package delivered to Clay at Woody's which didn't quite
accommodate the two-day shipping service. We made an event of the trip by
taking Woody and Mary Ellen to Landlubber's, a family-friendly, family-favorite
sports bar nearby, for dinner. An hour-plus return trip to the boat left us
having accomplished a full day of activity.
We
had another day's car rental but no place in particular to go, having aborted
our game plans for Monday. Thus, we worked around the boat far longer than was
wise, given the fact we had a car at our disposal; it is amazing that, having
adjusted to having no car, we don't know what to do with one when we do have
it. A late-day Wal-Mart run put us in crunch mode for arriving on time for our
Bonefish Grill dinner reservation. A quick stash of grocery items, an even
quicker hair combing (oh my how my approach has changed for going out to
dinner!), and off we went for a nice dinner at the nearby restaurant (well,
nearby is relative...a 25-minute walk, but a 5-minute car ride).
Housekeeping
chores filled our Tuesday morning prior to departure from Old Port Cove toward
Ft. Pierce (do you get the idea we're on the move a lot?). I completed some
paperwork while Clay washed the deck, filled the water tanks and requested a
staff-provided pump out (what a luxury not to have to do it ourselves!) which
was provided while we returned the rental car. A late 3:15 p.m. departure
landed us at Peck Lake anchorage well after all of the other boaters had set
anchor in this popular and very crowded spot in the waterway south of Stuart.
We set anchor at 6:25 p.m. only to hear a bossy British sailor reprimand us for
locating over his anchor/chain. Good friend Dave Johnson's comment upon hearing
of our hasty relocation, "That is a bit cheeky of the old boy." Love
you, Dave!
Wednesday
brought an easy anchor pull after tracking and breakfast among the thinning
crowd of anchored boaters accommodating a comparable routine (though I doubt
too many of them have a Nordic Track skiier aboard). Pop-up storms accompanied
us during most of the three-hour cruise to Ft. Pierce City Marina. Docking was
tricky with fierce winds blowing and construction barges blocking our pathway.
As the dockhand caught our lines, he elaborated on the damage caused by
Hurricane Frances and on the current construction progress.
A
friendly hello to Jan and Barb Moore as they arrived later afternoon, Clay and
I greeted our dear friends as the skies cleared for fly bridge conversation and
dinner at the Tiki Bar on premises which was convenient and quite good.
March 6 - 12, 2015
Game
day Thursday, I awakened at 4 a.m. with a piercing headache which two Tylenol
failed to combat. Two hours and two more Tylenol later, I knew I was in trouble
when nausea kicked in. I forged onward with my morning stretch-and-flex routine
(that's the J Robert in me) and then accompanied Clay on an attempt at a
morning walk. I returned to the boat while Clay transacted the car rental, but
my wayward footsteps on the new cement floating docks (which are a huge draw
for local birds) had me unknowingly tracking bird poop into the boat. Two
strikes already, and I'm not even at the game yet.
A
bit of breakfast helped temper both my headache and nausea, so...game on. Clay
and I packed for the Cards game, donned red tee shirts, hats and plenty of
sunscreen, and struck out for Jupiter which was deemed to be an hour's drive
from our current location. As we took the exit for Jupiter, strike three on
Sally...I remembered the game tickets I'd forgotten, still on the boat and
tucked for safekeeping from wind, weather and Clay's casual ways. That sent me
into a tailspin with calming words from Clay, "Either they'll let us in,
or they won't."
Knowing
I would not eat a lot of lunch, Clay nonetheless chose to treat me to a Panera
lunch. As we lunched, I remembered a text sent to sister Sus the previous
Sunday, "thankful for berm seats for Thursday's game." Now I was
thankful for some form of proof (my attorney father, "You always gotta be
thinking!"). On to the game, I swore I'd sit in the car rather than to
have to pay twice; Clay agreed. My sincerity at the ticket window, coupled with
the fact that there are still good people in the world, enabled our entry to
the game with two replacement tickets which the ticket lady provided in less
than a heartbeat (this scenario must have played out before).
Cards
WON! Berm seating was delightful! The warm sunshine was delightful! And the
diminishing migraine took a backseat to the ambiance of the ballpark. Post
game, we detoured for a bit of JCPenney shopping in Stuart, followed by a
delightful dinner at Clay's favorite Florida restaurant La Forchetta. Despite
the early evening downpour in which I drove, all was well that ended well. And,
ended well the day did. As bad as was the start, the only way was up!
Delightful!
As
we close and lock the port, starboard and stern doors for the night, late as it
is (especially for ole Sal gal), I bid you a fond farewell. P.S. It's well past
Loopers' midnight (9 p.m.)
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