Its Turkey Day, and we are off the dock. We had planned to leave the day before, but something unbelievable happened.
Guess what, something broke. 😂
We boated down the river the first afternoon, crossed over the Inter-coastal Waterway, and spent our first night anchored in Peck Lake. Our anchor drifted some that first night; Zach paced and double-checked our anchor all night. But all’s good, and we didn’t hit anything. We drugged anchor when the wind changed course, but it quickly caught again, and the boat flipped around, switching direction. A little confusing waking up the following day, the other boats in the anchorage were on the opposite side of us from the night before. Our first night anchored went well; we enjoyed two Bertolli family-sized frozen meals for Thanksgiving dinner that night. Can I get a yum! Easton said it was his favorite Thanksgiving food. I obviously do not set the bar high.







We pulled anchor Friday morning and started heading farther down the ICW to Jupiter to refill on fuel, eat lunch, and head south to Palm Beach. If only it were that easy. There was a little confusion with the fuel/gas/diesel at the marina. The attendant at the Castaway filled the fuel tanks with gas and not diesel. Zach asked him a random Zach question that would only cause Zach concern. The man replied that all the gas, including what’s currently filling our tanks, is 90 gas. UH-OH! It was not looking promising for us or the engines to make it to Palm Beach that day. Due to the Black Friday holiday, we had to wait until Saturday morning to get a tow to an open dock for for a fuel polisher to come and pump and clean out the engines with the contaminated fuel before the bar opened. We were stuck at Castaway Marine, who was also shares a dock with a famous bar the Square Grouper, Alan Jackson filmed his music video, “It’s Five O’clock Somewhere” with Jimmy Buffet there. I have never seen the video, but that tune is always stuck in my head. You are welcome its stuck in your head now. Did I mention that it was Friday night! My kids were promised experiences they would never forget, and spending the night at a famous bar, where a band play until 2am, fights, drunks running from security, and girls peeing off the dock on a Friday night; was the first memorable experience we promised and fulfilled. It probably would have been fun, but sucks to be the sober ones at the party.



We fished the Atlantic along the way to Sailfish Marina in Palm Beach. No success fishing, but I got a lot of practice driving the boat.
We reached Sailfish Marina Saturday afternoon, and it is now Friday, and we are still at Sailfish finishing getting the boat ready to make the cross to the Bahamas. Zach has backups for all the pumps and just about anything that can break. He also snatched up a life raft just in case, extra food and water, and another Covid test for our health visa. Fingers crossed we will crossing this weekend. We are so ready to get off this dock; The boys have only broken one ornament in the marina’s gift shop. The shop has beautifully decorated keepsake Christmas trees. And the boys had to fill their quota for the year of breakage of special ornaments.
The weather is just beautiful here, no humidity, light breeze, sunny and cool nights. Sleeping with my little hatch open has been the best. Zach keeps trying to shut my hatch, but that is definitely not going to happen.
I love seeing palm trees with Christmas lights, and the boats decked out with lights and disco balls. I wish I got a picture of the boat at the end of our dock, maybe later tonight they will turn them back on. I felt inspired and I picked up some Christmas lights too and I cannot wait to decorate the outside of the boat. Zach is not thrilled and told me to only get one string; Yeah right! I am still looking for a big blowup, unfortunately Lowe’s was all sold out. A win to Zach for the moment, maybe I will find one today when I make a final grocery run.

Miss everybody, sending lots of hugs and kisses home. Hopefully we will be at Atlantis in the next few days. Swimming and sliding with sharks is all Sawyer has ever wanted to do in life, and he will be so happy to finally be reunited with his kin. Sawyer also lost another tooth on the boat. That kid is running out of teeth to loose, maybe one of them will start to grow in soon or he may have to go on a liquid diet. Easton got a black eye a fall, Hunter is filthy as always from just being hunter, and Logan is tween. Zach has been busy being Zach, making friends with anyone and everyone who will talk to him.


We did little field trips around Palm Beach. The escalator for your grocery cart at Publix is so cool. I know that makes me a huge dork.
Science Day @ Loggerhead Marine-life Center Junior Vet






Measuring, observing, and recording injury to injured sea turtle.

New game, find the toothbrushes.