Condo Bliss - Which Way to the Beach?

Our time in Stuart continues to be magical. Having our friends Fritz and Holly Hanselmann from Chicago nearby makes for fun times. Fritz and Holly bought a condo at Tarpon Bay in Jensen Beach which is 20 minutes away. Their condo complex is the home of numerous retired circumnavigators. These folks have literally sailed around the world. Many of them are close friends of Holly’s long time live aboard parents Bev and Dave Feiges. Tarpon Bay has a deep water marina for boats up to 50 feet. The real advantage is the dock fee. Up until the end of 2016 the cost was $1.00 per foot per month. In 2017 the price increased to $1.50 per foot per month. Still an amazing bargain. Fritz and Holly have a hard bottom RIB as well a several kayaks at the marina. They took us on a tour of the river. Much of the river is parkland with bird sanctuaries.

Fritz and Holly at Tarpon Bay

Alison, Oscar and Jackson had challenging weather on the first few days of their visit to Stuart. That did not keep us from swimming in the condo pool on Friday and going to the beach on Sunday. This was Jackson’s first experience with the ocean. He loved playing in the waves. Yes he is fully clothed but we had a change of clothes in the car.

Jackson at Stuart beach

Oscar caught the first fish off the pier at our condo. The water is very thin around the pier. You can see the bottom all the way to the end of the pier. Fish are jumping around both sides of the pier and the Pelicans are constantly diving for the fish. Oscar caught a horn belly snapper. Watch out for the very sharp spines on the belly. The mouth is as large as the fish is wide.

Oscar catches the first fish from on condo pier.

One of the challenges of condo living is not having a workshop. However, with a little creativity the whole world is my workshop. I just set up a drop cloth on the beach and spray away. I sprayed five sets of folding doors and this entry table with Rust-Oleum Universal. I love the fan spray tip on the Universal aerosol cans.

The folding doors were spray painted in the shadow of our palm tree.

We finally made it out for a sail on the Indian River today on a Flying Scot. The winds were light and variable but my daughter Alison’s expertise on the helm kept us moving nicely.

Our friend Mary Berkley finally arrived from Califirnia. She purchased a condo in Cedar Pointe near Dan and Iris. She had a complete rehab completed while she was away. It will be very exciting for her to see the results. We met Dan, Iris and Mary at Guanabanas restaurant in Jupiter to welcome her back to Florida.

Iris, Mary and Dan at Guanabanas.

Captain Father John and Beachcomber Dan carry on the Thursday night tradition of the Lantern south.

Bonus photo