Time to Recharge the Batteries

 TRAVEL DAY 9 - Stuart to Ft. Pierce

February 24, 2023

3.65 Hours/26.6 Miles

    We pulled out of our third nice anchorage. Had it not been for another Looper, we wouldn't have know about this gem. We have come to rely so much on the Looper community. We meet more and more Looping travelers everyday, each one with their own stories of where they're from and what they've seen. NEBO has also been a fantastic cruising device. The little transponder mounted under the dash of the flybridge automatically records each journey and at the end of the day sends us a report with all of the stats, a map, the weather along the way and gps locations of each part of the trip. It has made my log entries even easier as all I really keep track of are engine hours, fuel usage, pump outs and marina stays. 


    We are starting to find that traveling during the week and staying put on the weekends when the boat traffic increases is the best. The added bonus is that there tend to be more events and happenings on the weekend. It also gives us a chance to catch up on things we need to do when we stay in one place for a few days. We decided we would "stay put" for three days and Ft. Pierce seemed to be a good stop to do that. We booked 3 nights at the Ft. Pierce City Marina. 



    The trip from Peck Lake was straight forward and provided us with more sights of the eastcoast ICW. The incoming tide pushed us a whopping 9.1 mph northward.

 Once in the marina we were able to pump out, get some ice for the cooler and plug in to properly recharge our batteries. The bonus was air conditioning! Sleeping on the boat so far has been great and the humidity has been low, but having AC during the day is definitely a great thing. 

The Navigator Relaxes


    We explored Ft. Pierce on foot and with the scooters. Every Saturday is a farmer's market at the park by the marina. We were able to get some fresh vegetables and a few other items. 


Farmer's Market




    This particular Saturday was the Florida Cracker Trail Ride. Each year, the last week of February, as many as 150 horseback riders, many sporting bullwhips, start just east of Bradenton and travel 9 days and approximately 120 miles to Ft. Pierce to commemorate the "Cracker Trail" which brought horses and Cattle across the state.  We got a front row seat to a very cool event! 



    Later that evening we got to participate in a Looper tradition, "Docktales" There were ten or so Loopers at the marina and the word went out on NEBO to bring a chair, get together, meet, chat and discuss whatever. Some folks we had met last fall in Kentucky, some a few days ago in Venice and some were brand new acquaintances. This was the highlight of the weekend. 
Docktales

Alfie the "Looper Dog"

    We were even able to squeeze in some Pickleball. 


    With our boat chores done, we walked downtown to grab a beer and play some darts. It was a close match and I only beat Beth by 1 bullseye. We ordered a pizza to go (gluten free for Beth), and headed back to the boat to eat it while the sunset. 

Sailfish Brewing Company

Stiff Competition

The winning dart

Stuart to Ft. Pierce

Comments

  1. Rachel EnsingMarch 3, 2023 at 8:11 AM

    This looks like an awesome stop! So cool to hear that you’re figuring out the right cadence for docking vs traveling. Also love the community you gave through NEBO!!

    ReplyDelete

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