We only stayed one night at the Riviera Marina in the Lake Worth area as the tiki bar band played loudly until midnight but then the morning crew came in at 6:15 am to dry stack boats (boats stacked on racks with a fork lift in a big boat barn) and we need just a little more sleep. We moved on to Fort Pierce Marina with “See Ya” and “Freedom” on 4/24 and it was great to be on the easy ICW again. We have had winds of 20-25 knots for the past few days but don’t have to worry about it.
Ft. Pierce Marina is worth a stop. This is a great marina with helpful staff, 2 tiki bars but without the morning dry stacking stuff, clean restrooms, as well as laundry facilities that work and are only $1.00 per load. After paying $4-5.00 per load in the Bahamas, we felt that we were making money.
Ft. Pierce has a fantastic Farmers’ Market complete with a Latin jazz band every Saturday from 8am to 12 noon. This was perfect timing for us as our supplies are very low and we were craving fresh fruits and veggies. I was even dreaming about fresh ripe cantaloupes. Selection is pretty limited in the Bahamas and prices are often 2-3X as much if you can even find decent produce. I filled up my boat cart with fresh and frozen fish as well and, of course, tasted lots of bakery items and free samples. We are missing the laid-back pace of the Bahamas and have felt some culture shock, but are glad to have the abundance America provides.
We rented a car to do some major provisioning at Target, West Marine and Publix so our bowline is looking pretty low in the water again. After giving the boat a good wash, as well as laundering all the rugs and bedding, we are ship shape again and ready to cruise.
We visited with my cousins, John and Maggie, in Stuart and were treated to a sumptuous brunch at their golf club. It is wonderful to see family along the way and catch up on all the news. We were also delighted to see gold Loopers, Mickey and Doug, on “Bucket.” They completed the Loop in 12/08 and Ft. Pierce is their home port. It was fun to reminisce about our time together on the rivers as well as get some suggestions for the trip north.
Ft. Pierce Marina is worth a stop. This is a great marina with helpful staff, 2 tiki bars but without the morning dry stacking stuff, clean restrooms, as well as laundry facilities that work and are only $1.00 per load. After paying $4-5.00 per load in the Bahamas, we felt that we were making money.
Ft. Pierce has a fantastic Farmers’ Market complete with a Latin jazz band every Saturday from 8am to 12 noon. This was perfect timing for us as our supplies are very low and we were craving fresh fruits and veggies. I was even dreaming about fresh ripe cantaloupes. Selection is pretty limited in the Bahamas and prices are often 2-3X as much if you can even find decent produce. I filled up my boat cart with fresh and frozen fish as well and, of course, tasted lots of bakery items and free samples. We are missing the laid-back pace of the Bahamas and have felt some culture shock, but are glad to have the abundance America provides.
We rented a car to do some major provisioning at Target, West Marine and Publix so our bowline is looking pretty low in the water again. After giving the boat a good wash, as well as laundering all the rugs and bedding, we are ship shape again and ready to cruise.
We visited with my cousins, John and Maggie, in Stuart and were treated to a sumptuous brunch at their golf club. It is wonderful to see family along the way and catch up on all the news. We were also delighted to see gold Loopers, Mickey and Doug, on “Bucket.” They completed the Loop in 12/08 and Ft. Pierce is their home port. It was fun to reminisce about our time together on the rivers as well as get some suggestions for the trip north.
