First Full Day at the Boatyard in Fort Pierce, aka Bumtown
We cleaned out the boat today, bow to stern, using a host of chemicals designed to banish bacteria and disrespect dirt. The first items of interest we found was a business card of the former owner, on the back of which was scrawled some sort of forgotten Christmas gift, apparently “Good for 24 hours of kisses.” The illustrations of hearts and lips were amusing. For lunch, we picked up the cheapest bologna, bread, milk, and cereal we could find, splurging on Dijon mustard in order to make our sandwiches truly glorious. The milk, naturally, had to be kept cold, and as we are without refrigeration (or water or toilets) at the boatyard, we needed ice. Rather than getting screwed to the tune of $5.99 per bag, we visited a Days Inn, which Brian recollected as having an outdoor ice machine. So it was, and we filled our cooler, avoiding questioning from the hotel employee patiently waiting her turn behind us. After lunch, we began cleansing the storage lockers used for spare parts and tools. Soon after, Brian called to Aaron. The conversation ensued thusly: Brian: I think I found his stash. Aaron: Stash of what? In the shadow of the emergency tiller lay two copies of Penthouse and one issue of Reg. The foremost Penthouse bore the affronting image of a freakish dominatrix dressed as some kind of maid. Two women, garbed in more modest maid clothing, knelt at a respectful distance on either side of the Colossus, staring obediently at her erogenous zones. Were these artifacts from the last owner or the one before? Were they forgotten about or left for our enjoyment? What were they doing mere inches from the circuit breaker? None of these mysteries detracted from the find, which had us in stitches for the better part of the day. The cleaning done, we sought a place to relieve ourselves, eschewing a Wendy’s and two public beach restrooms in favor of a third public beach restroom. We were forced to act as bouncers for one another, as the restroom lacked doors. From there, we considered a swim, but the wind was up and it was too chilly. Instead, we explored the neighboring town of Fort Lucie, duly noting the bowling alley, driving range, and weekend produce market. We ate cereal for dinner and put all of our gear away. Audentes now resembles home.