Maybe it’s because we have been confined to a slip for the past two months but getting out on the open water and moving again feels really, really good!

Yesterday, (Wednesday, 6/12) after fueling up and pumping out at Sunset Bay Marina in Stuart Florida we stuck our nose out into the St. Lucie River and headed north for Ft. Pierce. It was an awesome morning with blue skies and flat seas as we started our, approximately, four-hour journey. Several dolphins met us going the opposite direction but were camera shy and wouldn’t let me get their photo. We had an easy, pleasant and wonderful cruise as we passed by lots of beautiful waterfront homes and several boats along the way. The ugly brown water began to change to a beautiful green color.  Ahhh, life is good.

We arrived at Ft. Pierce City Marina around 1:30. As we approached the marina, we found a really strong current and when we tried to dock the boat we felt like a cork being pushed around. After a couple tries, we got tied up and settled in. The slip we were assigned was not a floating dock and we were looking right into a concrete wall next to a pump out station and downwind of the old fuel dock and the construction of new docks was going on all around us.  Not a prime location in the marina. And for that we paid $94.00 for the night.

We hung out on the boat until the temperature dropped below 90 degrees before venturing out. We had been advised to stay close to the marina and not to wander further than a few blocks away as the area is often referred to as Ft. Fierce. Hmmm, interesting.  It was about 5:00 when we decided to take the doggies for a walk to the downtown area. We found most everything closed and it felt like a ghost town. Not much fun here so back to the boat for dinner.

We did venture out again after dinner and found a Gelato shop where we had ice cream or gelato – not sure of the difference. The area seemed a bit sketchier later in the evening. This would not be one of the places we’d like to return to. Maybe it’s the time of year or ????  I think if we come back this direction we would continue on and stop in Vero Beach.

This morning (Thursday, 6/13) we decided to head for Ft. Pierce City Marina early, or so we thought. I was busy getting the lines and fenders in and, as we made a U-turn after leaving our slip to head out to the ICW, Michael mentioned something about a dog on the dock. I looked up expecting to see someone else’s dog coming down to see us off. What I saw was Snooki standing on the end of the dock, all by herself, in her cute little pink life vest looking a little scared and watching as we pulled away from the dock. She had jumped off the boat as we were preparing to leave. So, Michael maneuvered the boat back to the dock, I jumped off the boat, retrieved Snooki and we off again. Fortunately, Michael looked back and saw her – not sure what would have happened if that hadn’t happened. Don’t want to think about it. Note to self – make an addition to our checklist – make sure ALL are on board before leaving the dock.

We decided to pass by Vero Beach and head directly to Melbourne, about a six- hour journey. It was another beautiful morning with blue skies and flat seas. The scenery offered up some pretty darn fancy waterfront cottages in the Vero Beach and Barker Island area and there was very little boat traffic. All-in- all it was a terrific day to be on the water. Did I mention how good it feels to be moving again?

We arrived at Melbourne Yacht Club about 12:30 where we were greeted by our host Jackie, her husband Jack (they also have a Jack Russel Terrier named Jackson). The Yacht Club is wonderful place run by volunteers, with about 42 slips, mostly occupied by sailing vessels located just off the ICW. As we were getting settled, we found Snooki was missing again. We finally found her, brought her back to the boat and she escaped yet another time. We think she is spooked by the violent thunderstorms that have been happening in this area every afternoon. She freaks out every time. Maybe she has associated the storms with the boat since she never heard thunderstorms in San Diego. We have a “thunder shirt” for her and “doggie downers” but neither seems to work. Poor baby… To be honest, they actually scare me too!

We hung out on the boat waiting for yet another violent thunderstorm to pass before venturing out in search of dinner. FYI – we normally eat aboard but our refrigerator has gone kaput. There is only ONE refrigerator that fits in this boat (Nova Kool) and they don’t stock them, duh. They build them when you order, which we have done, but it won’t arrive for 6-7 weeks. So, we will have to improvise. Hmmm, eating out isn’t all bad.

We found a small seafood restaurant within walking distance. It was an old gas station turned restaurant “Seafood Station”. We ordered to go since the only seating was outside and the traffic was fierce and there were still dark clouds looming. We ate on the boat and it was delicious plus we didn’t have to cook – all good.

Tomorrow the plan is to go to Titusville/Cape Canaveral. Will keep you posted