Spring Break was in full swing in Fort Lauderdale. We were advised again that the ship date for our boat was going to be later in the month. So, we got the hell out of dodge!

It is remarkable how many homes and boats fly Trump flags here. One does not see this in Southern California.

Did a short ~20 miles in rainy weather, and dropped the hook in Delray Beach. Were treated to a pretty sunrise the following morning.

Departed our anchorage, and travelled ~62 miles to Stuart. The trip north of Jupiter was absolutely beautiful. Fewer boaters and lovely water.

Picked up a morning ball at Sunset Bay, Stuart. Our friends were coming back from the Bahamas and we planned to meet them there. There is a gorgeous river walk along the St. Lucie River here.

We got in a lot of walking, which was nice.

There was a Publix less than a mile from the marina, so we were able to provision. During our stay in Stuart, the Coronavirus was ramping up around the world. Although Florida did not have many restrictions, we began socially distancing (I cannot wait to not have to use that term again!). We did a pizza night on FF with the crews of Heartbeat and Scaliwag. They had all been in outer islands of the Bahamas for months, so were medically safe. The next night, we had a fantastic dinner at a recommended Italian restaurant. There was one other group in the dining room that was far away from us.

We had some lovely sunsets from the mooring field.

After one last provision (and a lot of Clorox wipes), we departed Stuart with Scaliwag. Topped off our fuel and water tanks, pumped out and headed 30 miles north to Faber Cove at Ft. Pierce. Had a mellow night at anchor. Departed the next morning and went 43 miles to a lovely anchorage in Melbourne Beach. Had dinner on Scaliwag and played dominos.

Weighed anchor the following morning and had an uneventful 28 mile trip to Cocoa Village Marina. Mike and I have stayed here 3 previous times, and really loved it. Many marinas were closing, and others were closing to transient boaters. Although Cocoa Village was not taking reservations, the Harbormaster allowed us to come in. We previously pickled our watermaker (ran storage solution through the membrane), so we were thrilled to be able to isolate at a place where we’d have unlimited potable water, pumpout access and Air Conditioning without running the generator. Temperatures are in the mid to upper 80s, poking into the 90s with humidity.

Most restaurants are allowing pick up here. We’re trying to support those folks, while ensuring all stay healthy. It’s hard. Mostly, we are cooking on the boat. We did get a bunch of Crydermans BBQ with lots of leftovers.

We take sanitizing spray and Clorox wipes with us on our walks. There is a laundry room at the marina as we don’t have a washer/dryer on the boat. Thankfully, it’s usually empty. If not, we wait. We had to go to the bank to get quarters for laundry, but found a service to deliver groceries and liquor to the marina.

Leslie has been baking. I read all these funny memes on social media about getting fat during isolation. The struggle is real.

We’ve been blessed to be social distancing with Parker and Leslie on Scaliwag. They are docked behind us. We take turns doing dinner, and have some epic UNO and dominos games. They are our social isolation family.

Day before yesterday, there was a rocket launch at Cape Canaveral. The folks who are here all got out on their boats (we are well more than 6 feet apart) to watch it. Was very cool!

With all the crumminess going on in the world, we are reminded daily of its wonder. A manatee gave birth to a calf about 100 feet off our bow. Dolphins have been coming into the marina to play. Ospreys fly overhead to their nests with fish in their mouths. During yesterdays walk, a snake crossed the road while you could hear a woodpecker going at a tree. Although it seems like Groundhog day, and we live in a VERY small home, we are still so lucky. Cruising full time, you socially isolate quite a bit. We have gone through a ton of books. And, played a lot of dominos. We’re eating and drinking too much, but trying to get long walks and boat exercise in.

Our boat was scheduled to be shipped to Victoria, BC early March. The date has been pushed forward numerous times. The latest window is April 20-22. This is probably a good thing to allow us to stay in one place and continue isolating as much as we can. We’re very happy to be in Brevard County instead of Fort Lauderdale.

Hope everyone is staying healthy, both physically and emotionally. Looking forward to Zooming with family and friends later! Cheers – M&M