The weather is the news here too in Stuart Florida!
We returned to Adagio I last Sunday and the weather, except for half a day, has been abysmal. First, a cold front brought the temperature to the freezing point during the night of Monday to Tuesday. It has rained heavily every day this week. Today, the forecast promised occasional thunderstorms. Instead, we are getting torrential rains that have flooded major roads. This afternoon, it took us more than two hours to drive eighteen miles between Fort Pierce and Stuart. Across the water the visibility is nil. We drove in the center lane as the rest of the road was dangerously flooded. It is obvious that many coastal towns are really vulnerable to extreme weather as they are built for the most part on low-lying or reclaimed land from the ocean.
On a brighter note, we found the boat in excellent condition which is always a relief after a long absence. We have spent the better part of the week getting the boat ready for cruising including provisioning it for the season. Provisioning is an easy task the second time around knowing what will be available in the Bahamas. What an experience for a Canadian to shop at Costco for very good wines at a reasonable price!
We also had time to visit with good friends and partake in the activities of the Krogen boating community which is very active in Stuart. Today, we went to the Navy Seal Museum in Fort Pierce. It was interesting, among other exhibits, to see first hand the lifeboat from which Captain Phillips was rescued after having been taken hostage by pirates from Somalia in 2009. J.E. and I had seen the movie over the Xmas holidays.
The plan is to leave Stuart on Saturday, weather permitting. We will head to the West Coast of Florida via the Okeechobee Waterway. We plan to spend the month of January in this general area including the Florida Keys before jumping off to the Bahamas for the better part of the winter.