Fort Pierce to Marineland

The days begin to run together when I haven't posted a blog for awhile. I need to download my pictures so I can talk intelligently about what we have been doing.

The picture download started at Fort Pierce so I will also.

7 am Fort Pierce Park.

We overnighted at Fort Pierce. A really nice marina, and it is under construction for an extension and a better access. The big machinery is out front of the marina and digging and building a new breakwall. There is a lot of current as you come in, so the new breakwall should make entering and docking a lot easier.

A laundry and shower were high on the list of things to do.

Using a sailboat for a billboard sign. Just not right!

Linda had said we could sleep in, but she changed her mind once she saw the tide table. We were up early, had a pump out and caught the tide to make our way up the ICW. While waiting for the bridge to open we saw a sailboat off to the side, anchored and being used as a billboard. Peter's comment, "now that's an awful way to treat a sailboat!"

We have been so fortunate, as we have had day after day of great boating weather. The wind was off our back quarter so we were able to get our sail out and make good time. Nice to be under wind power for a change..... so quiet and peaceful. I spent the day searching for a marina that would haul and store the boat for a reasonable rate over the next 9 months.

You are taking too long to do the Loop, if your Looper flag looks like this.

We had a big change in plans after talking to boat brokers here in Florida, and in Canada. They all now use the same Yacht World pricing/estimates. We were told that Surona was now valued in the $30's, and if listed for mid $40's; no one would even look at  her. Five years ago, Peter turned down $85k, and since then has added another $30k to make her Bahamas ready. What a disappointment. We knew boat values were down but still thought the value would come in between $50k to $60k. CHANGE OF PLANS. 

We decided we may as well keep the boat here over the year, return in spring of 2014, and go to the Bahamas. Perhaps Surona will be our southern boat and Deja Vu our Georgian Bay boat.

Linda Franko (not my best picture of her)

Steve Franko

We anchored out at Calalisa. Great anchorage and we had another wonderful sunset. The wind stayed up till well into the evening. Of course the tide changed and the wind direction changed overnight. All to make for an interesting job of getting the anchors up in the morning. The anchor line of Steve and Linda's boat was under Surona and around the keel and then the lines were wrapped. Half an hour later all was good again, and we were on our way.

This was another morning that while we thought perhaps we would sleep in, the tides once again determined that it should be an early start to catch the tide. Catching the tide is so important, it can make the difference from travelling at 4 knots, when you are against the tide, or 7 knots if you can travel with it.

Off for Marineland Marina. 53 mile day. The winds favoured sailing, but we didn't put the sail out. Travelling the ICW, is like travelling in a channel; and with the sail up you cannot see half of the channel. And it makes it more difficult to see those ever important markers. There are always areas where there is shoaling and you need to be able to see them and move around them.

We arrived at Marineland, a brand new marina, well protected, very clean, great staff, and only $1./ft. Showers, laundry, pump out. No fuel. Time for that sleep that we have been missing. Dinner with Steve and Linda aboard Surona. We had one of the most amazing sunsets, and I was able to capture the rose/red colors with the camera.

We will be staying 5 days at Marineland. Yesterday we finally got Peter's drivers license in the mail. What a run around that has been. The Minsitry of Transportation, decided to send it to Banana Bay where Steve and Linda had wintered. They completely ignored the new address I gave them for St. Augustine in the second request. We were fortunate that Larry, the Banana Bay dockmaster, had kept the letter and he sent it overnight mail to Marineland Marina. Unfortunately we were not able to arrange a car rental with Enterprise till Monday. Enterprise is the only rental agency that will come and pick you up. And the courtesy for the marina is in the shop getting fixed. We will have to be patient. There are worse places to wait.

Biking the hiking trails.

The first day we were here we took a bike ride through a pathed hiking area, then on to the beach. An amazing beach, with coquina rocks. Rocks that are made up of seashells crushed together. Then lunch at TJ's Snack Shack.

Marineland Beach.

The second morning here we arranged for a kayak ecotour. 2.5 hours. Once we had crossed the ICW and were back in the protected channels it was easy going. With the tide/current for part of the tour. The guide was quite knowledgeable about the are and the wildlife. It is migration season for a lot of the birds; he pointed out Lesser Tern, a flock of Glossy Ibis, Barn Swallows, White Egrets, Blue Heron, and showed us where the Manatee had been eating the grass along the canals. We saw the oyster beds up close, and he explained that the Federal government had made this area a protected area once they realized the importance of these canals as the nursery for a lot of the seafood we love. Shrimp, crab, oysters, mullet, mangrove snapper, etc.

Steve and Linda on our double kayaks for the eco tour.

We had to cross the ICW to get back, and ended with about a 1/4 mile paddle against the current. Glad it wasn't any longer than a 1/4 mile.

Our goodbyes are really a see you later, as we know we will either meet them again on our drive home, or on Georgian Bay this summer.

Steve and Linda had to leave to make their destination of Fernandina Beach by Monday for the MTOA Rendezvous. So once again we find ourselves saying good bye to Steve and Linda. They are such good travel companions. We always have a good time with them. We know it will be a relatively short good bye; we will perhaps see them on our way back home, or we definitely will see them this summer on Georgian Bay. They will return to their northern boat "Guppy" to travel the Trent and Georgian Bay.

Outstanding sunset at Marineland Marina. The colors are so vivid. 

Well here we are ....... alone again. What to do? What to do? I have a book to finish, Peter is starting a book. And there always is the interesting process of watching others docking their boats. The challenges being, tide, current, wind, water depth (not enough), or limited space on the dock. Like it when we can watch others, not so much; when it is us trying to do the sometimes impossible......  a controlled, experienced docking with all of the above challenges.