Stuart, FL - At Last! Mile 987 + 8

Greetings from Stuart, Florida and Sunset Bay Marina.  This is a beautiful spot and we had an easy trip today - just over 20 miles.  We left Ft. Pierce this morning and enjoyed a nice cruise down the ICW - at mile 987, we turned into the Ft. Lucie River - which is also the beginning of the Okeechobee Waterway - which crosses Florida from East to West.  We went 8 miles which brought us to our marina here in Stuart.  We will be here for at least 3 or 4 nights and we are so excited to reunite with our friends Don and Sue from Nova Scotia.  We had originally met them in Elizabeth City - then we spent over a week wtih them in Charleston (to include Thanksgiving) - and we are now together again for Christmas! 

Of course, we saw some playful dolphins en route - so of course, we took more photos!  Then today, for the first time, the water was a beautiful blue - we really felt like we were south!  So cool.  The sun shined brightly today, but it's still a little windy - but truly lovely.  Sunset Bay Marina is the marina we wanted to stay at for the winter, but they don't have space - so we're going to check out the marina we do have a reservation at tomorrow.  This marina, however, is lovely - recently renovated and tons of amenities - great restaurant, restroom, shower, and laundry facilities, a few lounge areas, etc.  It's only about a 5-10 minute walk to downtown Stuart and also a short walk to a Publix!  We haven't explored much yet - we were into relaxing when we first got here - but we'll explore more tomorrow. 

Today the water looked really blue - so cool!

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and all the joys of this great season.  With love, Jen & Paul

Today's Quote:
"Holiday gifts: To your enemy, forgiveness. To a friend, your heart. To all, good will."

--Don Ward