2025 February in Fort Pierce

     February ushered in better weather. Temps climbed and the winds shifted to the south and east. That meant that we could shed our jeans, sweaters, sweatshirts and that bad 4- letter word, “coats!” Shorts’ weather is returning! Of course, the beautiful sunsets continue regardless of the temps.

     Saturday, 2/1/25 ~ A beautiful day for the Farmer’s Market and breakfast at Reggie Bowl. There were lots of people dancing to the Latin band that was playing this morning.

 

 

 

   
     It was too pretty to stay on board. We took a ride south on Indian Trail and returned north on Hutchinson Island to hang by the jetty for a while.

     Monday, 2/3/25 ~ We woke to heavy fog this morning.  It turned out to be a beautiful photo op.  

 

 

 

 

 

A fog rainbow!

     Tuesday, 2/4/25 - It was a perfect day. It started off with a wonderful walk with Barb and Chrissy. We did 2.5 miles.

 

  

 

 

     The day continued to be beautiful with mild temps and gentle breezes. It made for a great Taco Tuesday. Diana & John of SV PHEONIX, were able to join us. They had been in the slip next to DESTINY and were moved to the T-head on J-Dock recently.  Randy and his girlfriend, Mary Ellen, also joined in the fun. Randy recently bought the Hunter on H-dock, so hopefully, he will be joining us for more Taco Tuesdays.

 

 

     We all enjoyed seeing the launch that coincided with tonight’s dinner. Launches are particularly spectacular when they coincide with sunrise or sunset. The angle highlights the vapor cone (also know as the "jellyfish") behind the rocket. As we were enjoying the site, our son, Greg, sent a picture explaining that he saw the launch form his ship while exiting the Cape Fear River, NC, 450 miles away. Moments later our son, Chris, responded with a photo from their backyard in SE Pennsylvania from 800+ miles away! As Chris explained, “Shared moment! We didn’t even know!”

     

Fort Pierce, FL                            Cape Fear, NC                                   West Grove, PA

     After the cleanup was completed, we joined Melissa, Mike, Elisha and Charlie over at Cobb’s to enjoy another evening of great music courtesy of Dave Goodman and Paddy King.

     Due to our travels north in December and Jon’s continuing PT, our lunch dates with Marilyn and Jon had been on hold. We finally were able to enjoy a beautiful day, good food and their great company for lunch at Island Beach Bar & Restaurant. They are part of the restaurant group that also owns The 2nd Street Bistro.

     For most of the month, we have experienced super low tides! In fact, one night as I went out to walk Tillie, we had to STEP UP about 15 inches onto the dock. What was even more astonishing was that in the creek adjacent to the marina, there were now islands emerging in the middle of the creek. I thought I saw a log grounded on one of the islands, but then it started to move. There was a mom and baby trying to leave the creek and had to undulate like seals over the islands. Thankfully, the shallows and islands were not that big. Tillie and I listened to the suction sounds of skin against mud for about 2-3 minutes until they were back swimming towards the river.

                     
AUGANAUT and PEKSBU at low tide.         The white toe rail is 15 inches below the dock 

(The blue line is a reflection on the step ladder which is sitting on the dock.)

 

Boats sitting very low on the water & The creek showing some of her bottom (the islands)

     Saturday, 2/8/25 ~ We took Tillie to Vero’s Dog Park. She had a great time making new friends, both 2- and 4- legged. Boy, did she need a bath once home!

 

     One evening, Tillie and I walked around River Walk Park and the Manatee Center before dinner. Found some great photo ops.

 Parts and pieces of the Fort Pierce Sign

 

 
Nature ~ egret, Tillie and a manatee!

     Sunday, 2/9/25 ~ Ray’s memorial was held here at the marina. We gathered for good food, wonderful friends, shared memories, and saluted his memory with a Bud.

 
 

Eagle Fans

   Today was also Super-Bowl. The Kansas City Chiefs played against the Philadelphia Eagles for a second Super Bowl in 3 years. KC won the original match-up. This time it was the Eagles who dominated the game with a 40-20 win. GO EAGLES!!
     The pre-show showed love and support for those affected by the recent NOLA massacre as well as the survivors still suffering from Hurricane Helene’s devastation in NC.
     As usual, there were some memorable Super Bowl ads: Budweiser had the “First Delivery” by a young Clydesdale that delivers the keg that fell off the delivery wagon. Michelob’s “The Ultra Hustle,” was where William Dafoe & Catherine O’Hara are pickleball hustlers, Hellmann’s “When Sally Met Hellmann’s” had Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan united for the famous Katz’s Deli scene and Doritos' “Abduction” where aliens attempt to steal a computer geek’s Doritos making the geek be bounced around the room while attempting to hold onto the bag.

Overnight guest in marina 

     Saturday, 2/22/25 ~ Pete, Tillie and I had breakfast at the Farmers Market. My strawberry cheese croissant was delicious, but came with sticker shock of $8.00! Pete’s Beef Empanadas were delicious and reasonable, but unfortunately, they are too spicy for me.
     We waited along with a couple of thousand others for the annual Cracker Boys Parade. They were a bit late in arriving and came south on Indian River Drive due to freight train slowing down to enter the switching station. Traffic on Avenue A came to a complete stop for the train and then the parade. When the parade circled around and attempted to head west on Ave A, it too, came to a complete stop. It probably took a good 10 minutes for the train to pass and traffic to move out of the way. This year there were quite a few more horse-drawn wagons, about 100 riders of all ages, as well as the riders and walkers cracking their whips.

 
The train caused the backup on Avenue A ~ including the riders

 

   

 

 

   

SV ELAN

     Mike and Barb’s SV ELAN had sea trials this morning. She will shortly have a new owner. After 7 boats, uncountable miles, places and memories, almost 50 years of boating Barb, and Mike’s boating adventures are coming to a bittersweet end.

     Monday, 2/24/25 ~ I drove down to Ann’s for lunch at Poppie’s and to support her with the lawyers. Needless to say it was a busy day.

     Tuesday, 2/25/25 ~ Once again it was time for Taco Tuesday, Rick and Gail, Melissa and Mike, Diane and Dave, plus Pete and I joined Diana and John here on I dock. As usual, we all had a good time. As the sun was setting, so were the temps, so we started cleaning up around 6:30.
     As people started leaving the dock, Buddy, the dog aboard Sue Ann’s boat began barking furiously. We later learned that Sue Ann had passed. It was a rough night for all.

     Wednesday, 2/26/25 ~ “CCYC South” had a great lunch at Ocean Grill with Sue and Jim, SV QUEBECOIS, visiting from the Cape with Marilyn and Jon, plus Connie, Ed, Pete and I. Once again delicious food, special memories and great friends.

MV BOLD RASCAL
heading for sea trials 

     Thursday, 2/27/25 ~ It’s official, and bittersweet. MV BOLD RASCAL is sold. Melissa and Mike will be heading back home by the 2nd weekend in March.

     Friday, 2/28/25 ~ The ladies of I-Dock met for lunch at Cobb’s. Melissa, Diane, Elisha, Nan, Bambi and I had our own memorial for Sue Ann. These are such special ladies, and I am so thankful they are my friends.

 
Nan, Bambi, Diane, Melissa, Kathy & Elisha

 

MV GADABOUT

    Barb has been so stressed with the boat sale and finding lodging for a month, we haven’t had time to walk and de-stress. We had a brief time to say our goodbyes in-between her runs to unload at the rental. Mike and the new owner will head out tomorrow to take the boat up to Eau Gallie for a final familiarization, where Barb will pick up Mike and then head over to their rental only a few blocks away.
    Sue and Ann arrived last night and left early this morning to begin their Great Loop adventure aboard MV GADABOUT. I was so glad I had a chance to wish them well, say goodbye and forward a photo taken by Pete of them leaving this morning.

     Everyone is excited to watch the heavens. Today, 7 of the 9 planets will be visible shortly after sunset.  No we can't see all of them with the naked eye, but it is great to see 5 of them and the moon.

  

from Facebook

 

     They say, “change is inevitable,” but no one could have predicted all that has changed this season on I-Dock.

~ ~ ~ /) ~ ~  K & P

2025 January in Ft Pierce

 

Tillie lending moral support
 to Pete as he works

    Pete jump started the new year with a time-crunched project that had him working on New Year’s Day.
     We missed January’s 1st Night and the next day’s Saturday Farmer’s Market due to wind and rain. We also missed Fort Pierce’s famous Dancing Trees. No, they don’t really dance, but the lights around the trees are synchronized to the music. It is fun to just walk around.
     Our laundromat, out by the Jetty, didn’t make the jump into 2025 in a good way. Pete took our laundry over and found that the place was dirty, some washers as well as a dryer were broken, one machine ate our quarters, but wouldn’t run, and the change machine that does dispense quarters ate the dollar bill, but no luck on the quarters.
     I drove the 90 minutes to Delray Beach, twice helping Ann prepare for showing the house. It is difficult, but I know it is appreciated.

  
     Tuesday, 1/7/25 ~ I have been hoping for a chance to make mushroom soup. With the cold & wind settling in, Taco Tuesday was cancelled. I took advantage and invited our dock-mates onboard to enjoy hot soup. Melissa, Mike, Barb and Michael joined us, enjoying the soup, conversation and friendship.

    Sunday, 1/12/25 ~ Melissa and Mike invited Pete and I to join them, plus the new couple on the dock, Gwyn and Sean, SV BLUEBIRD, for brunch at Little Jim’s Bait & Tackle. Ok yea, it’s also a bar! Today, 2 great musicians entertained us - Dave Goodman on guitar and Padrick King on fiddle & mandolin.

 

 

 

     It was unfortunate for the staff that the Wi-Fi went down and severely delayed our orders. For us, it was a beautiful day, outstanding musicians and great food. The free round of drinks was really appreciated. We will definitely come back to Little Jim's and we definitely look forward to seeing these fabulous musicians play at Cobb’s on February 4th.

 

     The maiden flight of Blue Origins New Glen rocket, named after John Glen, was postponed twice, so we were hopeful that the 3rd would be the charm. Pete, Sean, Tillie and I left the marina around 11 pm and watch the cloud cover build the closer we got to Cape Canaveral. We joined quite a few others on the western shore of the Banana River just north of the 528 bridge. We were able to see the New Glen lit and sitting on the launch pad. The 1 AM launch was pushed back numerous times until it was scrubbed 40 minutes before the window closed at 4am. It was a disappointment, especially for Sean, who hoped to see the launch close up. We were home by 5:30 am and asleep shortly there after.

     Monday, 1/13/25 ~ The cold and winds have really enjoyed playing with us for the first two weeks of the new year. After looking at the forecast for the week, we decided to have Taco’s on Monday. With temps in the low 70’s and upper 60’s we only started to feel cool as the sun set. Tonight, the two new transient couples, Mary & Tom, MV ROSE, who are currently on A-Dock and Diana and John, SV (unknown name) who hail from England, joined in our Taco Tuesday celebrations.

Condensation on windows
 due to cold temps

     Tuesday, 1/14/25 ~ It was definitely a smart move for Taco Tuesday as tonight was cold, raw, and windy!

     Thursday 1/16/25 ~ The New Glen, which saw another two scrubs, launched successfully early this morning. No, we didn’t even try to catch it as the cloud cover was heavy.
     This evening, Musk’s Starship, which was launched from his starbase in Texas, experienced a “rapid unscheduled disassembly” moments after launch. FAA had to divert numerous flights over the Caribbean, much to the astonishment of flight crews who were directed to “turn to the new heading immediately; space debris descending in the area.”

The New Glen Rocket Launch

            

                                          and the “rapid unscheduled disassembly” during launch of Starship

     Friday, 1/17/25 ~ I tried new laundromat in Vero. It is a smaller than our old one, and a bit longer drive, but the jury is still out if it is worth it. It is clean, all machines are front loaders & new, 18 washers and 18 extra-large dryers, all stainless steel as well as the large folding tables. The big negatives are that there is no air conditioning and most of their business is laundry drop off, so most of the machines are in use by the staff.

     Saturday, 1/18/25 ~ We enjoyed our breakfast at The Sunrise Café here in town. I think this will be our go to more frequently. They provide great table service, a variety of breakfast and lunch choices, and indoor seating, so no weather concerns.
     I met one of the Florida Fish and Wildlife officers. She had a sick loggerhead turtle in one of the dock carts while waiting for a biologist to come. The poor thing was in a bad way as she didn’t lift her head or seem concerned that she was in the cart. The officer thinks this cold weather has severely affected her.
     It was a gorgeous day to sit and read in the cockpit. Later in the day we drove over to enjoy the inlet & jetty.

     Sunday, 1/19/25 ~ Changes are coming in weather for east coast. Temps are dropping again and the winds are returning from the north. Before they arrived, Pete washed the washed dog, while I cleaned the interior of boat.

 

                              

                        
Tillie being groomed, shirt to absorb the wetness, drying her face and chillin' once dried

     Monday, 1/20/25 ~ Gwyn & Sean (SV BLUEBIRD) headed north to anchor, probably Vero. Winds are now out of the NNW 13 with gusts to 21 (which is probably a bit conservative), which helped in getting them out of the slip which was against the bulkhead. Temps are remaining in the upper 50’s all day, but with the winds, I’m sure it was a long, cold, bumpy, and slow slog to their anchorage.
     Besides being Martin Luther King Day, it is also the Inauguration of President Trump. Due to the cold, single digits without wind chill, it was held indoors.
     This weather has temporarily sidelined Barb’s and my walking (and probably many others as well). We both miss it.

     Sunday, 1/19/25 ~ The local weather people in the southeastern states were using words they were unaccustomed to; words like “snow, ““snow accumulations” and in New Orleans, “blizzard conditions” and “white outs,” “snow closures along Route 10,” as well as “schools closing due to accumulating snow” in North Florida.
     On January 21 and 22, 2025, Florida broke its snow record with 9.8 inches of snow in Milton and 8.9 inches in Pensacola. New Orleans imported snowplows from Kansas. Our kids and grandkids, near Philadelphia, also experienced a couple of inches of the white stuff, but it was the cold and wind chills of -5 and temps in the single digits that closed schools and many places of work. Kent Island/ Queen Anne’s County, MD (where we keep the boat on the Chesapeake) closed schools for the entire week, using extra days that they need to make up! I don’t know the reason for the long closures as it wasn’t included in the KI Facebook postings, only in the re-postings of the school announcements.

 

         

Florida and Charleston with snow  ~ While our temps were a bit better, but windy in in Fort Pierce.
 
     Pete participated in an IDPA match up in Port Malabar. He managed to snag the last slot. Though on the cooler side, it was a great day. He knew a few folks in his group from previous matches and added more with this current group. He was pleased with his score as the recent mechanical adjustments stopped the problem that penalized his overall score.

USCG WM TATE off Savanah

     Our “Coastie” son, Greg, along with his ship and crew, headed south from Phili to work on aids to navigation (AToNs) as far south as Jacksonville here in Florida. Somehow, their work coincided with the longest stretch of calm weather we have seen in winter! They had the better part of 5 days to work the sea buoys between North Carolina and Florida, as well as navigation aids in the St John’s, St Mary’s, Brunswick, Savanah Rivers when the weather turned iffy. Then another few days of good weather for Cooper and Cape Fear Rivers.

         Towards the end of the month, the heavens began an an show that will continue for the next few weeks. The planets are aligning in the sky and many are visible with the naked eye.

 

     It might have been cold, cloudy and rainy for a good part of the month, but there were a number of memorable sunsets!

 

    

~ ~ ~ /) ~ ~ K & P