We left Bald Head Island (Southport, NC) and ran offshore overnight all the way down to Fernandina Beach, FL. It was a little sloppy and with higher seas than forecast offshore, particularly off Savannah, but at that point we were about 50 miles out. Seas were aft of the beam, so it really wasn't an unpleasant ride. We spent a couple of nights in Fernandina Beach, then headed down the ICW toward our destination of Ft. Pierce. Another couple of nights in St. Augustine provided sightseeing, and then we moved on with one-night stops at or anchored near New Smyrna Beach and Melbourne. We met some new friends, owners of a Kadey-Krogen 39, in New Smyrna Beach, and then arrived at our berth for the next few months in Ft. Pierce early in the afternoon. BUT, the low temperature in Ft. Pierce was higher than the high temperature in Solomons, MD! I promptly toured the town by bicycle, and located a barbershop to relieve me of significant overgrowth.
The water in this marina is amazingly clear, and schools of catfish (unfortunately, the salt-water, non-edible kind of catfish) abound. We have met a number of new friends who winter here, and also renewed friendships with previous acquaintances. We have had a car at times, and attended the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, one of the premier shows in the world. It has five venues, and we didn't even scratch the surface of what was there to be seen, but we did spend a fair amount of time in the equipment and electronics tents (but not on the 200-foot super-yachts). We will shortly take a break from cruising and return to Texas to visit family for the holidays.
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| Old Friend--Fernandina |
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| Ft. Pierce |
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| Ft. Pierce |
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| Marina Denizens |
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New Ft. Pierce Friend--Winston
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