March 1 - Sunset Bay in Stuart, Florida

We got up, had coffee, and cleaned the boat up.  It is really foggy and wet this morning.  We left at 9:45 a.m. (after moving the dinghy and kayak to the mooring ball) and waited for the two bridges to open so we could pass through.  We are going to the Stuart docks to pick up Gwen and Doug and take them on a boat ride.

With Gwen and Doug aboard, we took off for the Manatee Pocket to have lunch at one of the restaurants.  The fog burned off and it was sunny with a slight wind, which made the trip very pleasant.  Doug and Kip talked about boating, work, and other guy topics, and Gwen and I talked about the family, how they were doing, etc.

We pulled up and docked at Shrimpers restaurant and enjoyed lobster fries, grouper, shrimp, and conch soup.  After we ate, we drove around a bit and looked at boats and houses in the area.  It was fun spending time with them, and they seemed to enjoy the day as much as we did.

We dropped Gwen and Doug off on the docks and made our way back to the two bridges to wait for them to open.  The railroad bridge was slightly open (they were having problems with it as usual) and the big bridge was closed.  After a short time, the big bridge opened, and we were able to sneak through.  

It was much easier reconnecting the mooring ball this time!  We then read for a while and took a nap.  We sat on the back deck and watched the sunset.

We took the dinghy into shore and took our nightly boardwalk stroll, but we didn't get ice cream.  Instead, Kip wanted to try the pizza place we walked by the previous night.  We shared a big piece of pizza and went back to the boat.

There are many things to do here, so it is really exciting to check them out.  This weekend there is a trawler boat show on Hutchinson Island, and Sunday there is a farmer's market in Stuart.  Never a dull moment.