Busy day on the ICW/Feb. 24

Saturday, Feb. 24, 2018

Christine and Annie are making themselves at home while we wait for parts to repair the Bow Thruster.  I Washed Mystic Lady, soaked a few lines in softener, did some Route Planning, etc. while her and Annie cooked up some great meals. Not a bad place to sit awhile. The staff at ACY is friendly and helpful also a Great view of the St. Lucie river. Also have the best fuel prices.

It's finally Friday and the Coupler came in so Kyle is down in the bow access hole (better him than me). I had everything disconnected and ready to lift the motor out but it's a big rascal and I wasn't sure my back would take it. About 45 minutes later we had the thruster working great. 

We will top off the tanks and make our way South tomorrow morning. Not going to hit the St. Lucie intersection at high tide but we will hold our breath and hope the Coast Guard has the bouys freshly located. This area shoals over bad and changes constantly. Not my favorite Florida area.

Well, here's a good example of what I have said before......There are two kinds of boaters in South Florida....."Those that have went aground" and "Those that will go aground".....

This unfortunate Captain is only a few feet on the wrong side of the Red Marker and he has run aground. A few minutes later we met the Sea Tow boat on his way to pull him off. I was too busy trying to stay in deep enough water to get a close up of this mishap, try enlarging the pic.

This is at Red Marker #30 on the St. Lucie River just before Sunset Marina in Stuart, Fl. Hug the Greens, Hug the Greens......

The trip down the ICW should not be done on Saturday. As you can see from the video it was a very busy day from Stuart to West Palm. The traffic was unreal. Christine was a nervous wreck by the time we arrived at Old Port Cove. These boaters seem to drive their boats the same way they drive their cars. Too fast and with a phone in their hand. Oh well, keeps the adrenaline flowing.

I hope the video turned out ok, I "speeded her up" so you wouldn't get bored. If video is blurred..click to enlarge screen and click on gear at bottom to set quality at 720 if it's available....a Wifi thing.

First video is clipped version...shortest

Second video is unclipped version.....full video

Another video of the Jupiter Inlet area and the massive traffic jams from all the Saturday Snowbirds.

Speeded up of course to allow more footage in less time. Enjoy......

TRIP DISTANCE TO THIS POINT===159.0 NM

Now stay tuned for more pics and stories while we wait for another good weather Crossing Window.