Saturday, March 2, 2013 – River Forest Yachting Center, Stuart:

            We didn’t have a long way to go today, so we had a leisurely breakfast (poached eggs on an English muffin with a slice of tomato and melted cheese on top), and, yes, it was delicious no matter the calories!  After breakfast we were trying to decide whether to hang around (coffee on the fly bridge definitely enticed me to stay awhile) or get going and get settled in at the River Forest Yachting Center.  Our decision was further complicated by the boater next door who told us he had heard that all the restrictions on the Indian Street Bridge had been lifted.  That meant we could go through the St. Lucie Lock and the bridge anytime.

            We decided to get going and get settled in even though we didn’t have a long way to go.  So we threw off the dock lines and headed out.  Indiantown Marina was a nice place to stay even though there wasn’t anything in the town except the Seminole Country Inn and Restaurant.  This was an inn built in 1925 by Davis Warfield, and used by his niece, Wallis Warfield Simpson, on her honeymoon with the Duke of Windsor.  Now wasn’t that a scandal!  Unfortunately, the inn only serves lunch to the public and you needed a car to get there from the marina.  Oh well – maybe next time.  YIKES!  Did I just say, “Maybe next time???!”  Ha Ha Ha Ha.

            We only had thirteen miles to go, and the weather was nice; so we meandered, and of course, the first obstacle we came to was the Indiantown Railway Bridge, which (we couldn’t believe it) was closed.  But fortunately, there was a bridge tender who opened the bridge for us right away – no trains coming I gathered!  This is a relatively non-descript part of the St. Lucie Canal – a few houses – some nicer than others, some farms, a lot of construction on the adjacent banks, a few derelict boats on the banks, but it is still a nice canal to travel down. 

            The River Forest Yachting Center is not really a marina, but a yacht storage facility and service center.  When Bob called them to make a reservation to see if we could tie up there for the night, they told him that this was not a busy time for them, and we could just come in and tie up wherever we wanted to – no one would be there, and would we just let them know on Monday if we really had come in for the night because they wouldn’t charge our credit card unless we really had tied up there.  There is a short entrance into the center from the canal, and you are then in a wide area with a concrete pier on both sides with enough room for about thirty boats to tie up along side the pier.  There were only two boats in there, and we had our pick of where we wanted to be. 

            Once we got settled in, we ate lunch, and Kitty Cat did another unexpected act.  She all of a sudden realized she had missed lunch and came flying up out of our cabin and assertively requested lunch.  I, of course, complied, because there is no not feeding her if you want any peace, and after she finished her lunch, she strolled outside and there she remained for the rest of the day.  Normally, she will poke her head out the door, look around furtively, and maybe stay outside for a few minutes before bolting back in again, but today she boldly went out and stayed out!  We finally decided to go out and see if she was alright, but we just needed to look out the rear window and see her watching all the goings on from under the dinghy.  She watched some birds that looked like swallows diving around, fish jumping all over the place in here, and the vultures cleaning out the dumpster next door!  She had a great time.  Bob and I went up on the fly bridge after awhile, and she came up there and joined us (I made sure I didn’t have a cat comb within a hundred feet of me!), and she acted like she just did this all the time.  I swear she is a mystery!  I think her bravado finally tired her out, because she came back inside, curled up on the settee and promptly went sound asleep. 

Lucy watching the goings on from under the dinghy

Strolling around the deck

            I think Florida is disappearing again.   The weather is calling for temperatures going down to possibly 36° tonight, and possibly early morning frost on Monday!  I do not want to put on my winter pajamas again!  It is cool right now, and there is a beautiful sunset.

Sunset at River Forest

            Tomorrow we go through the St. Lucie Lock, which is the last lock until we get back to Virginia.  Then we head back to Whiticar Boat Yard, and we get a new microwave!  Now that’s exciting!