December 28th- Jensen Beach, FL

Not much to report on. The wind was still up with periodic rain squalls. The park is a little crazy so we didn’t really feel comfortable leaving the dinghy tied to the pier for long periods, unattended. The stop is not ideal but it does provide adequate protection from the wind.

December 29th- Jensen Beach to Hobe Sound, FL

Today the weather was more of the same. Wind and Rain. I felt the wind had moderated a little so it was time to go. From Jensen Beach to the St. Lucie inlet we had to contend with an adverse tidal current, a head wind, large boats, and rain about every 15 minutes. After the inlet we pulled into a narrow cut along Jupiter Island and everything calmed down. The wind was absorbed by the mangroves. It’s a “no wake, manatee habitat”, so the traffic quieted down. It was still raining but with the temperature at 75 degrees, who cares?

We went through the Hobe Sound Bridge. It’s the first of about a million draw bridges we have to pass under between here and Miami. Hobe Sound is bordered by a nature reserve on one side and Jupiter Island on the other. Jupiter Island is home to the rich and famous (Tiger Woods is on the list). We anchored on the nature side and were richly rewarded. I saw one manatee in Vero but we have both seen several while in Hobe Sound. When they surface, they exhale from their nostrils. They then begin their slow dive, exiting the scene with a lazy push from their big horizontal tail fin. They seem almost prehistoric.

We have our own private beach off of the back porch.

December 30th- Hobe Sound, FL

We were enjoying ourselves so much we decided to stay another day. Today we had visitors! Some friends and family rented a power boat and tied up with us for the afternoon. Lynne served up some hors d’oeuvres. A fun time was had by all. The rain even stopped (mostly).

Ollie has been a swimming beach bum at this stop. Catalpa is a salty, sandy mess (as is Ollie).

More late day showers brought on the inevitable rainbow.