Plot Twist in Stuart: Naps, New Friends, and Christmas Curveballs

After four days crossing Florida on our great Okeechobee adventure, we pulled into Stuart on fumes—emotional, physical, and probably mechanical if we’re being honest. Once secured to our mooring ball we grabbed a quick breath, and immediately collapsed into the kind of nap that can only be described as medically necessary.

When we finally resurfaced, blinking like moles seeing daylight for the first time, we went ashore to officially check in to our mooring at Sunset Bay Marina & Anchorage… and instantly wondered why no one had warned us we were about to fall in love.

Because listen—this place?
A cruiser's dream.

 

A Marina Worth Writing Home About

*Before I start gushing, my heart will always belong to Snookbight Marina due to the people we left behind.

Now, about Sunset Bay Marina and Anchorage. It spoiled us instantly:

•           Free laundry (yes, FREE—boat people understand the joy)

•           Free dinghy dock

•           A mail delivery room that felt like Christmas morning every time someone walked in

•           Movie night with pizza (which is basically how you win my husband’s heart)

We puttered around in our dinghy that evening, exploring the marina, watching the sun paint the sky in calm golds, and soaking in the sheer bliss of not being thrown around by wakes or worrying about dragging. After four nights of interrupted sleep—wait… does four nights count as a week?—We slept like we’d been knocked out.

Plot Twist had never felt more like home.

 

A Christmas Curveball

The next night, reality showed up with a clipboard and an attitude.

We had a plan—a good one. We were going to take Plot Twist to a well-loved marina up north, a favorite among Kadey-Krogen owners. In fact, it was the very place we toured our first KK when we were boat shopping. It felt like completing the circle.

But then reality tapped us on the shoulder and whispered, “Are you sure about that?”

Another four-day transit north, only to come back south in January for our haul-out appointment. All of it requiring overnights on the ICW with an anchor we absolutely cannot trust to hold. Not to mention the moment we started calculating fuel and marina fees? Our eyebrows nearly hit the overhead.

That’s when Captain Chuck planted an idea in our heads—an idea we jumped on like a toddler tearing into Christmas presents.

Because suddenly, the smartest thing wasn’t muscling through four days of stress.
It was finding a place on land to regroup.

Cue: the frantic Airbnb search.
You’ve never seen two adults scroll so fast in your life.

 

New Friends and Hard Goodbyes

Over the following days, we met some wonderful new neighbors at the mooring field—one of the best parts of cruising life. We laughed, we swapped stories, we solved the world’s problems over dinghy rides and sunset chats.

But then came the tough part: saying goodbye to Captain Chuck, our knight in a dinghy who had saved us from a potential mooring ball catastrophe. He pointed his bow toward the Keys, and he was gone before sunrise.

We told him we hope to see him again in the Bahamas, assuming we can fix the rather bureaucratic… situation… that is currently blocking our entry. Let’s just say we’re still missing some paperwork and leave it at that before my blood pressure rises.

 

Three Big Questions Ahead

As we settled deeper into Stuart life, we found ourselves juggling three enormous challenges:

How do we meet up with our kids for Christmas?

When can we get Plot Twist hauled out to get the work done we need to prior to transiting to Bahamas. Including one new anchor? 

How on earth do we get all our documentation to us from the boat purchase so that we can get into the Bahamas.

One thing’s certain:

Life aboard Plot Twist may not be predictable…
but it’s never boring.

And truthfully? I wouldn’t trade this life for anything. Every sunrise brings a new beginning. Every friend we meet becomes part of our floating community. And every night, as Plot Twist rocks gently beneath us and fresh sea air drifts through the cabin, I fall asleep grateful for this wild, beautiful adventure we chose.

And the real adventure?

It’s just getting started.

Stay tuned—we’re about to make some big decisions.