From Hobes Sound between Jupiter Island and Loblolly, we headed north to Fort Pierce. We topped up the fuel, checked the weather forecast one more time, and headed out on the ocean. This leg lasted 51 hours, with 45 hours on the ocean. Have you heard the phrase, “Never curse a west wind.” ? Well this time it brought a entire convention of love bugs to us. They landed with glee. Hoards of them. Finally we headed off coarse into the wind to blow them off. That helped. Randy sprayed the remainder with Raid. And then we brushed piles of them overboard.
We also were treated by sightings of dolphins, rays, and sea turtles. We have also spotted many jellyfish, which discourages swimming and falling overboard.
Unexpected visits of love bugs, baby flies, horse flies, wasps and other unidentified insects drive us crazy. Unexpected visits of small birds enchant us. A small, yellow-
green bird landed on the wheel while I was steering and trying to dismiss the love bugs. The little one tried to keep a grip on the spokes of the wheel even as I turned it. He hopped to a railing behind the cockpit table and acted as if he were hiding. After resting for about 10 minutes, he flew away. The next day a small brown bird visited. He flitted about as if he were looking for a place to build a house and settle down. I finally had to urge him out of the cabin.