Chapter 41: Ft. Lauderdale to Ft. Pierce

Log 41
FT. Lauderdale, Fl. to FT. Pierce, Fl.
5:20 AM
Sunday, May 14, 2000
Pelican Yacht Club
Ft. Pierce, FL.

Remember at my last log I predicted that yesterday would be a great day. Well I was wrong. It was an awesome day! At 6:50 we untied the lines, and left Pier 66. The sun was up, and you could tell it was going to be beautiful. It only takes about 10 minutes to get to the Atlantic, and when we got there it was quite a sight. There were almost no winds, so the ocean was almost flat. There was a slight swell, and it was just enough to gently rock the boat as we made the turn north. In fact as it turned out the swells were at our starboard aft, so they kind of pushed us along. My plan was to test the Atlantic, and duck into an inlet if necessary, but you could tell that wouldn’t be necessary.

The first way-point (that is the technical/nautical term for a particular longitude/latitude point on a map) was Lighthouse point, almost 10 miles away. We blew by that in about 45 minutes. The next waypoint was an inlet just north of West Palm Beach.

No problem, lets keep going. Finally, I set a course (almost due north) for St. Luice inlet. This was about 70 miles from where we entered the Atlantic, and the way we were going it seemed like it would be no problem. As it turns out, that was in fact the case. No problem
Once we came inside, we rejoined the Intracoastal at about mile marker 995, where we made a hard right, and headed north again. This intersection is also the place where if you go east on the St. Lucie River, you would end up on Lake Okeechobee. We were at this exact intersection last January 1st, when we went south to Ft. Lauderdale.

For the next 30 miles we followed the Intracoastal, and ended up in FT. Pierce. The place we’re staying is called Pelican Yacht Club. I knew this place because we had a friend who had a boat here, and I’ve been here a few times to go boating on it. Once we arrived, we put in some fuel ($1.35 @ gallon) and tied up to our slip. We all grabbed something to clean with, and washed the salt off the boat. I also went to the office, and got my e-mail. After that some good ole fashion relaxing, with Deb and Donna on the bow, and Darrell and I up on the bridge.

We had a bit of a surprise during dinner. I had called a friend of ours (Bert McGuire) who we knew from when we lived in Germany. He was the engineer who built the distribution center we were operating for Kraft. He has just since relocated to Coco Beach. When we talked it didn’t sound like he would be able to meet us in Ft. Pierce, but just as we were putting the chops on the grill, he called, and said he was on his way. He arrived about an hour later.

I wish you could have listened to him tell some of his stories. He has lived, and traveled all over the world, and has just moved from Trinidad. In fact not only has he just moved from there, but he sailed his 53-foot catamaran from there. The stories of his trip made our adventure seem like a trip to the local 7-Eleven. It was great to see Bert, but he kept us up past my bedtime, and I didn’t get to bed until after 10.

Side note: When Deb and I were in Germany a few years ago Bert took us to his relatives who live in former East Germany, for Easter. It was a memorable experience seeing both East Germany, and meeting his relatives who had lived there all of their lives. Anyway, during our visit we met a young girl named Anka, who Deb still sends cards too. Bert tell me he forwards our e-mails to Anka, in Germany, so I wanted to say “Hi to Anka” from Deb and I. (I guess I need to be careful who I talk about in these logs, because who knows where these things end up!)

Today….
It promises to be another beautiful day here in central Florida. (Which is a sharp contrast to home where it is rainy, and cold) I just helped a 75-foot boat leave the dock, and he tells me it will be perfect out on the Atlantic this morning. He is heading for New York, and will make almost the entire trip outside.

Our plan is to go about 100 miles, or so today, and end up about ½ way to St Augustine, where we want to be on Monday evening. I don’t see anything keeping us from doing that. By covering the distance we did yesterday we have already gained a day, according to my schedule.
So I need to end this and get to work. A quick check in the engine room to review the fluid levels, set up the charts, and the electronics, and we’re off.

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY MOM! I LOVE YOU.

BK.