Yesterday was a day for new experiences... We spent the morning hunting down boat parts, then stopped for lunch at Tillsons BBQ truck where we tried out some excellent ribs and pulled meat sandwiches. When we returned to the dinghy, which we had left at a nearby marina, we startled a manatee that had been swimming right beside the boat. I was glad to have finally seen one;
since entering Florida there have been signs all over to warn boaters "Manatee Zone Slow Down". I was a little disappointed that our first manatee sighting was too fleeting for us to take a picture.
 |
Cool mailbox in Stuart, Florida
|
That afternoon we took the dinghy to the grocery store and on the way back were stopped by a couple of fishermen who offered us some of their catch. When we returned to the boat we tried our hand at filleting the fish - I think we did pretty well for our first attempt. We tossed the fillets on the grill and I mixed up a bit of rice and salad to go with it.
Yesterday Al picked up some anchor chain and installed it. I researched what provisions we will need and created a very long grocery list. Al learned of a 7 seas cruising conference that is being held near here next weekend so we will probably stay close by until then.
Today we sailed a little farther down the ICW to Port Salerno where we anchored out at Manatee Pocket. We had a good spot for watching the Christmas Parade of Boats. There were over 50 boats in the parade and a spirit similar to our Santa Claus parade.
 |
| This was my favorite as dolphins pulling the sleigh and palm trees, stars etc. really cool boat!!! |
