Returning To The Jolly Sailor

At least that's what I call it. The Jolly Sailor Restaurant was located in downtown Stuart, Florida for 27 years before the couple who owned it decided to retire. That restaurant was famous for having a traditional London Black Cab (a hackney carriage) parked out in front. That couple came out of retirement in 2009 to open Sailors Return, seen in the photograph on the left and located directly on Sunset Bay Marina and Anchorage in Stuart. I discovered their outside bar, with a great view of the marina and St. Lucie River, in 2016, when I was down fixing up our condo to rent out. The original sign from the Jolly Sailor was hanging to the right of the bar, and so I have always thought of the place as two separate entities - the Jolly Sailor outside bar and the upscale and pricey Sailors Return restaurant next door. 

I must say, years ago summer was a very quiet time in Stuart - traffic was light, there was no waiting to get a table at a restaurant, and it was a laid-back atmosphere. Not anymore. The Jolly Sailor was hopping when we got there, with a trio playing jazz on the outdoor stage. A lot of people seemed to know each other. I was wearing a Martin County Tigers (the local high school team) polo shirt that I bought years ago at Walmart, and one of those locals visited our table to find out if I had grown up in Stuart. I explained that my parents moved there in 1976, and I have visited often since then. He himself had moved there in 1979 and just loves the place. The photograph on the right shows my sister Susan with a glass of chardonnay, enjoying the ambience. 

This place is great for people watching. There were a lot of locals having fun, and a lot of characters hanging around, too. I can just imagine the two fellows sitting at the table in the photograph on the left having just docked their boat after a long day of charters, fishing, or whatever they do on the high seas. If I see them the next time I am there, perhaps I will ask if I can join the crew.

As we were leaving, I noticed that the Sailors Rest has spaces in front of the restaurant for people to dock their boats or stop and pick up or drop off passengers. And I must say, many of the boats at that marina are huge, no doubt able to head to the Bahamas or points further out with no trouble at all. Back in 2016, I walked along the piers looking at all those boats, and I saw one whose home port was Centennial, Colorado, just a few miles south of my condo in Denver. I am not sure how they are able to travel to a suburb of Denver by water, but I intend to head back to that marina and see if that yacht is still there. If so, I will see if I can find the owner and get the exact route, just in case I need an alternative way to get from Stuart to Denver. No doubt that passageway is a well-kept secret.