“Cruising” Stuart

The  view from the balcony of the rental apartment looks over Stuart’s Loggerhead Marina and down the St. Lucie.

A thick gray haze hangs over the St. Lucie River. The sun’s been up for a while. Somewhere beyond the murk. There is light, enough to distinguish river from shore and spot the next marker, maybe two. That is, were one piloting up or down stream this morning.

The schooner Lily takes tourists on day cruises along the Stuart waterfront.

Up here on the balcony at 415 NW Flagler, visibility today is not an issue. No need for concern for markers or shoals or currents. Bridge openings still can be a bother, of sorts, depending on what time one wants to drive downtown. But not much.

Life now is different. Life ashore is luxury. Simple chores, like doing dishes, are—well—simple. There are two sinks, for instance, not just one, each the size of a peach basket. There’s what seems an endless supply of hot water. Water of any kind, for that matter! In the month here, not once has there been a need to fill the water tank. (Or empty the holding tank.) And—get this—there’s headroom! Enough to be able to stand up. Straight. Any where aboard—excuse me—inside this place. Headroom. How crazy is that?

The Flagler Museum each April brings Bluegrass to Palm Beach.

Stuart seems to be pretty nice, too, as noted recently by Smithsonian Magazine. (http://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/best-small-towns-2015-180954993/?no-ist ) Stuart’s a town not quite defined by the water but town and river one locked in a long-standing relationship. The St. Lucie, remember, flows eastward from Lake Okeechobee and into the Atlantic. The river forms what cruisers call “The Crossroads” on the ICW. From here, head north-south or east-west which means the view down river seems always to include a motor yacht or sailboat going to Abacos, Keys or beyond. The Chesapeake, perhaps.

Sabal Palm B&B is on the ICW at Lake Worth.

For now, though, the former crew of Steadfast continues to “journey” landside in Stuart and along Florida’s Treasure Coast. A run to Lake Worth, Bluegrass concert in Palm Beach, an afternoon with Bowe in Miami.  Being boat-less isn’t all that bad.  At least, for the moment.  It is expected—hoped—that we’ll be back on the waterways with another vessel at some point.  Of what design she’ll be is not known but this much is certain: to follow in the wake of one as handsome and sturdy as Steadfast, the next boat’ll have to be something special.

The murals at Wentworth are a must-see in Miami’s art district.

That’s for another day. Down on the river, meantime, the haze has cleared, shoved aside by a pleasant 10 knots up from the southwest. A couple of clouds, white and puffy, but plenty of blue in the sky. The morning now makes Stuart seem more as it should be, part of the Sunshine State.

And luxurious, indeed.