12.16.08 Manatee Pocket, Stuart, FL

Larry needed a new starting battery so we stopped in Manatee pocket for the night.

The bottom is very muddy…this is our neighbor in the anchorage washing down their chain.

We were blessed with another beautiful sunrise.

Here are a few of the “modest” homes we saw… We were really impressed with the color of the water as we got near the inlets. We are in an anchorage near N Palm Beach. Nice dock at a launch ramp for taking Raisin ashore. Jim and I took a quick swim. The water here is nice but not as pretty as it was earlier.

12.15.08 channel near Palm City..just off St Lucie river

Diane spent most of the morning behind the wheel while Larry finished up his chores.

She’s really good…She does all the driving when we are trying to tie up at anchor and sometimes we get pretty tricky with current and wind.

There is no such thing as “his and her” jobs on the boat. Everyone gets to try their hand at everything. It is a safety issue..if one were to become incapacitated…the other can take over…

Here is my “galley slave”.

12.14.08 leaving Indiantown Marina

Indiantown Marina has a large area for boats that need work. You can liveaboard and do your repairs. Or you can pitch a tent. Looks like this one might be getting new bottom paint. Larry spotted this one in the storage area…figured I’d like it.  He was right. It has twin keels and the rudder becomes the third point. It is designed for areas with a very high and low tide. If you are left sitting high and dry….you just sit there on the keels and wait for the tide to come in. We left the dock around 10:00..they had 6 boats needing slips.