Crew Log for December 19th – 21st, 2022
Trip Summary:
• Vero Beach to Fort Pierce
• Trip Distance of 13.9 NM, Total Distance To-Date of 2,416.1NM
• Departed at 09h00, arrived at 11h50
We had one bridge opening on the short 14 nautical mile trip between Vero and Fort Pierce and won’t you know it, we missed it by minutes. We pleaded our case, but we unfortunately we too far behind and there was too much traffic backed up for the bridge tender to leave it opened. We hovered just above the bridge in the strong current, all the while being reminded of the consequences of making a mistake as we surveyed all the beached boats around us.
We had actually timed our departure from Vero to make the 11h00 bridge opening, but the combination of currents and enough wind to sail, had us here earlier. It was fine in the end and provided good practice for hovering.
When we finally did get through the bridge we radioed Fort Pierce Marina to let them know we were on our way in. Now, I had just spoken to them the day before. The conversation ended with, “great, we’ll see you tomorrow”. Which is why we were a little surprised with the long radio silence, followed by, we don’t have a reservation for you. Seems "Ann" in the office and the dock staff weren't big on communicating, despites Ann's overactive "gift of gab".
After a lengthy back and forth, they agreed to squeeze us in on the face dock, in a 45 foot section between 2 very large and very expensive catamarans. The current was running strong and after a couple of attempts, I exercised my Captain’s right to declare the docking unsafe and we eventually relocated to a t-dock on the other side of the marina.
They apparently had us coming in the following week, which didn’t jive with the “see you tomorrow” conversation the day before with Ann, but we were grateful they found us a spot. We also appreciated the effort of the dock hand who had to sprint from A Dock to J Dock when we decided to relocate. He was the one bright light amongst the a staff who otherwise seemed to work very hard, at trying to be unhelpful.
Safely tied up, we hiked to the “local” West Marine store that turned out to be not very local at all. It was a long way out of town and away from the water, which prompted a discussion of what was the economic rationale for the store’s location strategy. Cheap rent, was the most likely reason, according to our detailed analysis completed on route.
Partway through the walk, we received a message saying that Fort Pierce had the nickname Fort Fierce, given it had the reputation of being a rough town. It also wasn’t a very pedestrian town since the walk buttons at the crossways didn’t appear to work. We eventually made it to West Marine, without getting run over or mugged. Just as we were about to enter the store, someone walked by and said, Congress just decided to throw the book at “’him’…what a waste of time…nothing will ever stick…”. Wisely, I shrugged my shoulders, flashed my Canadian Flag luggage tag on my knapsack and continued into West Marine.
We picked up a new fishing rod for Judy to replace the flimsy, collapsible rod she brought with her along with a selection of lures for Mahi Mahi and tuna. Wanting to avoid the added attention of walking back to the marina with a fishing rod, we opted to Uber back.
Back on the dock, I greeted our “neighbors” and recklessly said, “hey, I hear Congress is throwing the book at ‘him’”. I knew better, and have no explanation for why I said it, but it was a mistake. My punishment was a 15 minute lecture on how inaccurate the news reporting is. It ended with an American’s assessment of “that Canadian President…and how he was no good either”. Lesson learned.
We did however get to meet Kory, on sv ETSIA, a Nauticat motor-sailor, registered in Edmonton, Alberta of all places. Kory was a full time live aboard working part time from the boat with his Golden Lab, Cadence. He was busy doing what appeared to be a lot of work to the boat and had plans to eventually head to the Bahamas. Despite sharing a dock with him for close to 4 days, we unfortunately never really got to know him.
We did however, get to know the local pelican population quite well. There was a healthy population of pelicans around the marina, which most of the time left us alone. However, in the evenings, they would chase fish through the marina and under the docks, and occasionally run into the side of the boat. It was amusing for awhile to hear the sound of splashing water followed by a thud, but it quickly grew old after a few days. Pelicans are also not the most hygienic birds either.
Judy and I were walking along the waterfront one afternoon and were approached by a guy in a full wet suit. His choice of outfit made him the perfect person to ask where I might pick up a new wet suit. He suggested we go to a small local dive shop within walking distance from the marina. He also told us to go early to ensure “his guy” would be there. It turned out to be great advice. In addition to the wet suit, I also picked up a pole spear and Judy haggled them to throw in a fish ID card.
One of our final chores was another provisioning run to the Publix, which was conveniently located next to a liquor store. We once again loaded up on non-perishable food which amazingly got stowed away somewhere on this little boat. However, we do have a foot stool made out of beer cases, which we will need to drink our way into before we host another indoor dinner party.
There was a nasty weather front moving in towards the end of the week, so I asked the marina if we could stay. The mistake I made was to ask them if we could extend our stay to span a week and get the weekly rate. The marina of course is only interested in transients staying “1 day less a week” in order to maximize their daily transient revenue. We could stay another couple of nights, but we would have to leave the day the front rolled in.
I decided to mull over our options while I hunted for a banking machine and Judy had a video chat with her friends back home. The first place I tried said their system was “down” and they couldn’t provide me with any cash. I hiked up to Wells Fargo who didn’t recognize my Nova Scotia drivers license and directed me to us their ATM. It was out of order and, they didn’t know when it was going to be operational again. How helpful. I almost found myself developing an appreciation for our banking system. Almost.
Back at the marina, Judy and I strolled through the crafters market before grabbing a beer with our discount coupon and, went over our options for the next few days. It was there that we bumped into Guy from sv Lola who had the fuel emergency back in Titusville. It was Guy who suggested we carefully review our marina bill. They apparently charged him for a 45 foot space for a 30 foot boat. When he questioned it, they sent someone down with a tape measure to confirm the boat’s actual length. In our case the boat grew by 3 feet, which according to the marina was to account for our davits.
Fort Pierce City Marina was very quickly becoming our least favorite marina that we’ve visited on this trip. The facilities were adequate and it was conveniently located, but we were never made to feel welcomed the entire time we were there. The marina seemed to cater to full time live aboards and big boats. Our “little boat” seemed to be more of a bother than an appreciated customer.
So, before leaving Fort “Fierce”, we made a final stop at the Manatee Information Center next door. The staff were enthusiastic and pleasant, but the Center itself was limited. There was a resident Manatee hovering lazily in the water next to the center, which was the highlight and required no admission to see.
Christmas was approaching and this would be the first time for either Judy or I, that we would be away from family. Not to be overly dramatic, but getting tossed out of the marina, just added to the gloominess of this holiday season. We weren’t sure what to expect in Lake Worth, but we had enough of Fort Pierce and decided to leave a day early.
In the back of our minds, we thought, Christmas in the Bahamas didn’t sound too bad. But more about that, next time.
Additional Photos:
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