Mid-Summer At the Sailor's Return

The patio at the Sailor's Return Restaurant, located in the Sunset Bay Marina here in Stuart, Florida, is pretty empty these days, a major difference from back in March, when it was almost impossible to find a parking spot, let alone a table. And in addition to that, if you did find a parking space, the valets were parking cars in a line behind the cars in those parking spaces, requiring you to ask those valets to move the car blocking yours. However, this time of year, you have the patio all to yourself. Even so, they still have live music almost every night, as seen in the background of the photograph on the left that I took of my sister Susan. I was told by one of the bartenders that business does pick up around sunset, when it gets a little cooler outside. Of course, they might avoid the sun and extreme heat, but they miss happy hour. What are 90-degree temperatures and high humidity compared to drinking bargain beers?

I like to refer to the patio of the Sailor's Return as the Jolly Sailor Pub, due to the sign hanging over the entrance to the restaurant portion of the place, as seen on the left side of the photograph on the right. The Jolly Sailor Pub was actually the restaurant in downtown Stuart that was owned by the couple that now run the Sailor's Return. They decided to retire, closed the Jolly Sailor Pub - which featured a hackney cab always parked in front - but opened the Sailor's Return when they decided they did not like retirement. And how is the food at the Sailor's Return? I believe it must be pretty good, based on how popular the place is during the season. As for prices, I browsed the menu, and it appears that the lunch and early dinner menu (before 5 P.M.) are reasonable, considering the atmosphere, but the dinner menu is way out of my price range. But keep in mind I am a confirmed cheapskate.

The thing I like the best about the Jolly Sailor is that you can sit and have a beer and look out at all the boats in the marina, some of which are for sale. When my sister Susan and I were still renting out our condo in Stuart, I actually looked into buying a used cabin cruiser and docking it at the marina just south of our condo complex. I called about one boat I thought I could afford, asked about it, and was told you get what you pay for, which I assume meant it would probably sink before it left the dock. I have since decided it is better to just sit around, have a beer, and look at those boats from the patio instead of actually owning one. Definitely much cheaper, especially during happy hour.