Beach, Boat, and Shopping

Atlantic Ocean
Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge, FL
February 20, 2026

 Fantastic!

That is how I describe our boating adventure yesterday. Chris, Nicole, Finnegan, and I  headed out of Pirates Cove Marina in the Manatee Pocket just before 10 AM to enjoy a full day centered around boating activities. We were embarked on my new favorite boat, a 22 foot Bayliner, which has a ladder on the bow for easier beach and sandbar access. 

On the Beach, Nicole and Chris
Hobe sound National Wildlife Reserve, FL
February 20, 2026

The water was relatively smooth as we made our way to Peck's Lake and our first stop to enjoy time on the beach. Along the way we saw a manatee! The water was very cloudy and so we did not get a great look at the manatee, but we saw it as it surfaced a couple times. I kept the boat a safe distance so we could watch as best we could without endangering the manatee.

The beach was great! It was sunny with a nice breeze and temperatures into the 80s! We stayed for a while, but then needed to head out for Stuart for lunch and shopping. During the unloading process from the boat to the beach, my flip-flops broke! A terrible wardrobe malfunction. I determined that I would replace them in Stuart--but it was a long walk from the dock to the store mostly barefoot. I did find a nice new pair of flip-flops fairly rapidly once in the city. I had forgotten what it felt like to walk on nice, new, squishy flip-flops.

Stuart City Docks Heraded to the Boat
Stuart, FL
February 20, 2026

There was a lot of traffic on the ICW and St Lucie River yesterday. A lot more than I am used to seeing and it really tested my boating skills. The wakes from the bigger boats were a problematic. Chris hates it when I crash through and so I slow down to push through them. There was one relatively tight section of the ICW where I was faced with two other motor craft headed south while approaching two large sailboats headed north. Everybody did perfectly, I guess the sheriff's boat as part of the procession helped keep everyone in line. 

Seagulls on the Beach
Hobe Sound National Wildlife Reserve, FL
February 20, 2026

We enjoyed our time in Stuart, but the boat needed to be returned by 3:30 PM and so we only had about a half-hour to shop after enjoying lunch along Osceola Street. 

The trip back to the marina was rougher than the ride to Stuart. The wind had grown stronger while we were enjoying time in Stuart which meant the water had gone from light chop to choppy with whitecaps! The chop, coupled with all the other boating traffic, meant crossing wakes became a bit trickier. I hit one a little to square and threw spray over the entire length of the boat. Chris was not amused. I was not spared and had to wipe water from my sunglasses so we could continue on. 

We made it back to the marina with 15 minutes to spare! All agreed, it was a great day on the water. 

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL