Staging in Fort Pierce

Docked in Fort Pierce

Farmers market

We liked Fort Pierce on the way down to the Bahamas, which is why we came back.  The waterfront is very nice and all the services that a cruiser wants and needs are readily available in or near town.  There is also a waterfront square with weekly farmer's markets and entertainment, tiki bars and other diversions.  So it is a good place to hang around, and we signed up for a month's dockage at the the Fort Pierce City Marina.

Fort Pierce Marina

Trying out the new rod

We were originally planning to spend only 3 or 4 weeks here before we jumped off for Bermuda, but when we were at Mack Sails in Stuart to order a new storm jib, we decided to get a new mainsail made and that was going to take 6 weeks to finish.  Our old mainsail is in need of repair and modifications; it was too big and we had to sail with at least one reef in the main most of the time.  The boom, at 18 feet, overhangs the bimini and prevents us from mounting another solar panel, should we decide to do so in the future.  We will replace our boom with one that is 2 feet shorter and that will move the center of effort forward by a corresponding amount, which will certainly help with the weather helm and allow us to fly more of the sail more of the time.

Boatel,  hauling out

Orchids, Farmers market

Among the hundreds of things that we need to do before we leave is to haul out - again - to repair the damage from hitting the mooring block in Marsh Harbor, raise the water line and reapply antifouling.  This should take less than a week and we will do it next week once our new Rocna 33 (it's a monster) arrives so that we can make modifications to the bowsprit to carry it.  Our anchor inventory will consist of the Rocna on 275' of 5/16 hi-test chain as primary, the Delta 55 on 300' of chain/rope as secondary, a Fortress FX37 on chain/rope at the stern, and the Raya with 300' of rope as a spare anchor.  With all those hooks out, we will hold the bottom like a burr on a fuzzy sweater.

Me too, taking the rod for a 'spin'

Prettyyyy

It won't be all work, though; we will make time for some play.  This morning, Maggie and I walked over to Fisherman's Wharf to try out our new spin casting rod and reel.  It was fun, but we did not actually want to catch anything because we still have some seafood in the freezer from the Bahamas.  Maggie also joined a local gym for a month and we may take some yoga classes at the nearby community center.  I am looking forward to the music festival of local bands happening later this month.

When we arrived at the marina, we saw Ted and Diane on a trawler called BOATEL I from Toronto, whom we had meet on our way down the ICW.  We helped them get their 65' beast into the same boatyard that will haul us out next week.  They did a great job getting down the narrow channel and making the tight turn into the haul-out slip.  I hope we do as well.

Marcel, Richard, Diane and Effie

Pegasus, leaving....

We also had visitors.  Richard and Dianne, Marcel and Elfie, our friends from Quebec who have been spending the winter in Florida dropped by for a visit and it was great spending the day with them.  Dean and Nancy, from PEGASUS, who crossed over from the Bahamas also popped by a couple of times as well.

Sophie is likely not too happy with being here.  Last night while Dean and Nancy were visiting, we all heard a large PLOP.  It sounded like a big belly flop, which isn't what fish jumping sounds like.  It was Sophie (a.k.a. Fatty Redbelly) landing in the water after trying to jump the two feet to the dock.  A ballerina she ain't.  It was dark but the flashlight beam found her high up under the dock after she hit the water and scrambled up the piling.

After her bath

 Once aboard, after much fuss and yowling, she commenced a furious tongue bath, and this morning she is back to normal and no worse off for the experience.  It's a good thing she is not on a low sodium diet.

All in all, we are enjoying having this address for the next little while.

Branko