Sunday, February 12, 2017

InSpeyered 2 Gets Another Makeover!!

We now have been here at Stuart Yacht for 5 weeks and our lovely boat shines and she looks young again.  So it has crossed my mind how unfair it is that some buffing, painting and teak coating can make our boat look younger while I still am aging at an alarming rate!!  I want a makeover too!!
Her body has been waxed and buffed, her "brow" has been made white again, her bottom was cleaned and she even has new bracelets.
Well not exactly bracelets, they are razor sharp line cutters that will keep the props from getting wound around crab or lobster trap lines.  We have heard from many sources that in order to enter the waters of Maine, line cutters are a must.  We were even told the lobster boats have them because the traps are so thick up there.  Not sure if this is fact, but we've been told the traps all have GPS trackers on them so better to have the line cut rather than drag the trap to places unknown!  Maine is our destination this summer we hope!

Note how the transom teak shines and if you look closely, you can see the name of the boat behind her reflected in her mirrored finish.
She was hauled out of the water last Monday, February 6 to allow the transom and swim platform to be finished and to do the work requested on her props and bottom.  While she was on "the hard" we spent our week helping boat buddies get their boat moved and partially prepped for storage.  Our friends on California Lady went home over Christmas and a medical test revealed a challenging medical problem that will require them to stay home until sometime this fall.  So they asked us to help them out and go and rescue their boat in Vero Beach because she now needs to be put on land for storage.  
We had 2 captains aboard, our friend Gene from Free To B joined us in Vero, and the 3 of us brought Cal Lady to Stuart Yacht on Wednesday 2/8 so we could continue the work to prep her for storage.  And thank goodness we had 2 captains because part way the starboard engine pulled up sludge from a nearly empty fuel tank and crapped out on us.  So the skill of the captains was much appreciated in bringing the boat safely into this port (including navigating a shallow and winding river that leads to Stuart Yacht).  So besides our own boat chores and those on Cal Lady we have still had some social time to spend with boat and land friends. 
My college roommate and I enjoyed a girls night out and took this picture to prove we are not much different than we were in 1972 when we met! 

And we lucked out and discovered boat buddies from Sum Escape were near by in Stuart with their boat buddies as they were traveling south to stage their crossing to the Bahamas.  We all enjoyed an afternoon at the Port Salerno Fish Festival. 

The crews from InSpeyered 2 and Free To B spent a nice day in Ft Pierce tasting foods at the Farmer's Market and touring the Navy Seals Museum on Saturday 2/4.  (A must see if ever in the area!) 



Al was thrilled to find Stidd chairs mounted on this navy boat because Stidd is the brand of captains chairs we put on our boat last Spring. 

And of course, he had to sit in one to test it's comfort.  Just like ours, they are top notch! 
We also have enjoyed a lunch with Mike and Marie Sigalito, friends from home but the rainy day precluded a picture.  And I have found turtle entertainment on our walks as there is a nice little county park where turtles can find a protected environment that we include into our daily hour long walk.  
I had seen this sign many times before finally spying a real loggerhead turtle.

But despite having a nice park to make a home, this little lady (guy?) has chosen to dig along a fence in a neighborhood yard so she must cross the street every day to forage in the park for food. 

Many days she is out sunning herself or making her hole deeper.  Perhaps she is preparing to lay eggs! I do hope we leave Stuart before any eggs hatch, we need to get moving again!  
But in the mean time, we can enjoy a Stuart Yacht sunset at cocktail time!

The plan still holds that we must wait a bit longer for the 2/22 recheck appointment for Al's eye and if we are cleared we will begin to search the buoy and wind charts for a weather window to cross over to the Bahamas!  Cross your fingers for us!!