To see as much of the world as we can,
Using the smallest carbon footprint we can,
Spending the least amount of money we can,
Making as many friends we can.

Team Red Cruising

Ph. III, day 31, Stuart

It's crowded. And noisy. But. Secure and we can walk ashore. It's not what we had hoped for, but it's really helpful.

Red Ranger at dock
Red Ranger In Stuart

Docked at the Harborage marina in Stuart. 27°12.702′N 080°15.451′W. Slip J-38.

Ready for food and showers.

Then, tomorrow, we'll start the dinghy motor jobs. Get the motor. Get some propane. Get lube oil. Run a test.

Gloom and Doom

Back in Day 29, Problems we were feeling gloomy because we had a number of problems and didn't quite understand how to solve them.

Eventually, we arrived on the idea of "marina", and that lifted the gloom.

I left one of the more subtle problems off the list. It's not really a "problem". It's more of a disappointment.

We'd hoped to tackle a bunch of jobs in Dinner Key. We really like it there. It's our next big offshore hop. We're really, really close to Dinner Key.

But.

We can't get in there. The dock is completely full.

The mooring field is limited to 40′ LOA boats.

This wasn't the case in 2013-2014. Post hurricane IRMA, however, it is now the case. We're too big, and cannot get into Dinner Key.

This really put us into a kind of downward spiral of gloom. "Can't get in?" "We're only 42′, maybe they're flexible."

We doubt they're flexible. We're 42′ plus a bowsprit. We can't bend the rules a little. We really can't get in there. We'll anchor near by, wait for weather, and then head down to Rodriguez Key.

Adjustments

So Stuart will become our new Dinner Key (I think). We'll wash the boat. Top off water and fuel. Tackle the jobs we've been putting off because it's hard to get parts on a mooring ball.

For example, I need to see about disposing of engine oil. I might do an oil change here. It's a few hours early, but, it's handy to do it here. The next spot will be Key West.

CA's checking out the showers right now. The WiFi isn't great, but it's available on the boat.

Travel

Attribute Value
Depart Jensens Beach Mooring Field 27°15.018'N 080°13.392'W
Arrive Stuart Harborage marina 27°12.702′N 080°15.451′W
Distance 22 nm
Time 3h
Engine 3h