Stuart, Florida - Boat Projects 2017

We arrived in Stuart, Florida with a bang and I do mean bang.  We had a rough docking episode and hit the seawall pretty hard with our boat.  Well all I can say about it is that we won't be doing that same approach again, we were too close to a big fishing boat when coming in and tried to duck into the spot but of course got hooked on the other boat and had to fend off to keep from messing up their boat.  Thank God their boat was ok but ours of course got a little ding here and there.  Just another repair job for Stuart.  The marina here is great, it has laundry, showers and a Cruiser seating room to hang out in, plus a great restaurant next door "The Sailor Return", the food was delicious.  Now begins project central, here is a list of things were are doing or getting done while we are here:

Outside Vendor Projects:
Fixing wind speed indicator instruments
Generator Water Pump replacement
Transmission- Cone Clutches
Engine Service misc.
Helm seat reupholstering
Motor mount replacements
Solar panel installation

Brad's Projects - Do it yourself:
Add screen to port bathroom hatch
Starboard forepeak hatch lense replacement
Cockpit VHF speaker replacement
Cockpit radio replacement
Add fan to Master stateroom
Replace 2 port stateroom fans
Engine hatch soundproof foam reattachment
Rebuild barbecue grill
Front window frame repainting
Add 2 transom pad eye
Update chart plotter chip
Make 2 Fender boards
Test scuba regulator service
Rebuild starter
Fix Mainsail rip
Boot strip repair
Change engine oil
Service full filters
SUP repair or replacement
Shopping for new dishes, silverware and quilt for master bed


Today we did a variety of errands lining up things:
Rental car
45 min consult with Solar Electrician
Suba shop
Stand Up Paddle shop
3 Nautical junk yards
West Marine
Home Depot
Home Goods
TJ Max
Steinmart
Made fender board


Tomorrow: Church
Kristle to visit on boat
More project work

Chub Cay

Our crossing from Nassau to Chub Cay was one of the worst crossings we have done, 4-6 ft waves on the nose with 20-25 knot winds against us. Talk about getting beat up, it was a rough day fighting the elements.  But we did make safe and sound and were able to anchor in calm waters near the island.  The resort on the island was closed so there was not a lot to see or do there.  But we did get off and go for walks on the island anyway.  The resort looks like it will be nice when they get it back open, I guess it took some hits from the last hurricane.  Here are some photos from the island:

Palm Cay Marina, New Providence

We did the crossing from Exuma to New Providence (Nassau) to the Palm Cay Marina.  It was a pretty smooth crossing until we hit Yellow Banks where we had to dodge coral heads for the next hour and a half.  We hit the marina after 4 hours + of travel time.  7 knots most of the way with a Main assist.

Crossing the Gulf from Bimini to West Palm Beach

We stayed in Bimini for almost a week before we could get a good weather window for crossing, but when we did finally get a good done. 2-3 ft waves with 5-10 winds for most of the trip anyway. With 2 hours left for the crossing, we hit winds of 15-20 and seas of 4-6 with occasional 8-10ft, rough and more rough.  But we mad it to West Palm and then anchored near the channel which ended up having crazy currents which made all the boats turn in circles facing all different ways.  But we were too tired to care, we did shorten our bridle and that helped a bit but it was just something we had to get used to.  For most of the night our anchor was behind the boat instead of in front of it, oh well, the strong currents can do weird things to the boats as we have seen during other anchorages like Little Farmers.  Upon getting up in the morning we headed out for breakfast and to the Customs Office to get a new Cruising Permit.  It turned out to be a rude awakening to be back in the USA where people not only did not want talk to you, they out right just ignored your questions.  And rude big fishing boats would create big wakes and not care if they throw you up 5ft in the air. We made it all the way across the Gulf just to get beat up by a boater's wake, bummer.
So, anyway we did not find any place for breakfast and decided to get on the road towards our ultimate destination of Stuart, Florida, which is where we plan to get work done and solar added.
As we were leaving town, we decided to stop for gas, but there was a boat tied at the docks.  They took forever to move their boat to a different location.  After about an hour of pacing and waiting for the boat to clear the docks, we were getting ready to head in, when a small Ferry boat decided to cut us off and go to the docks ahead of us.  Needless to say we were pissed by then, how rude can you get.  Finally we docked, without any assistance of course, so I flipped them off and was on our way, thank you very much.  One thing I can say about the Bahamas is that everyone was friendly.  And cruisers helped other cruisers, no doubt about it.  Hopefully our stay in Stuart will be better.