Last Anchorage and Weather!

Days on cruise:  316

Distance traveled:  21.1 miles

Travel time: 2 hrs, 30 mins

Total trip odometer:  6,324 statute miles

We had a lovely evening on our last anchorage Saturday night, enjoying the late afternoon sun and warmth, then grilling steaks and veggies for dinner. On checking the weather before going to bed, we learned today, Sunday, would be VERY windy, so decided we’d leave early to head back to Fort Pierce in the morning.

Friends Mark and Allyn on “Second Wind” left Vero Beach early this morning headed north to continue their Loop, and they caught the photo above of us at our last anchorage before we even had the VHF radio on to hear their call. We checked the weather forecast before daylight, and below is what we saw (click on photo for larger image):

And the radar showed this storm cell passing over the area. Green and blue are light rain, yellow and red are very heavy rain. So after a first cup of coffee, but before breakfast and before Cathryn got out of her jammies, we pulled the anchor and headed north at slightly higher speed than normal.

We called ahead to Dockmaster Malcolm to ask him to catch our lines on arrival back at Harbour Isle Marina, and he was joined by two other guys who happened by on the dock. We were very grateful, as the wind was the highest in which we’ve docked the boat our entire Loop! All went well.

So we spent the afternoon doing more boat chores and preparing for the week, and by late afternoon the wind was blowing steadily 25-30 and gusting higher, rain was blowing sideways, and thunder and lightning made it great fun to sit on the sundeck with a glass of wine enjoying the spectacle, all snug in our buttoned up environment.