Best Western Fort Pierce Inn

Most beautiful beach on the East Coast

by Shetaur1962

Or so that is my opinion...... The Inlet State Park on North Hutchinson Island is the most beautiful stretch of beach on the east coast. They have picnic tables, grills and restroom facilities. You can hike around for the wildlife, play in the surf, fish off the jetty or just float around on the cove side. Naturally low tide is the best time. There is also a play area for the kids. If you are there at the right time you can see or swim with a few of the local Manatee on the Cove side.

2001, March 11 Flying the Inlet

by grandmaR

The Coast Guard Station on Peanut Island at the Lake Worth Inlet

"March 11, 2001 - Sunday"

Going out the Lake Worth inlet, the current was against us because the tide was still coming in. And it was SUNDAY so all the crazy powerboater/fishermen were coming out the inlet. The big sportsfishermen came out pushing half the water ahead of them, and they'd pass us on each side, and their wake tossed us around like a cork.

After we got out of the inlet, Bob put up the sails, but the wind was flakey and light, so we motorsailed because I figured that it was 55 nm to the Ft. Pierce inlet. I talked to Laura on the phone (she had her CSY JOURNEY in a Ft. Pierce marina), and she said it often took her 18 hours to make the trip - we didn't have that long.

The day was relatively uneventful. We motorsailed north for 8 hours. Except for about 50 to 75 fishing boats outside Jupiter inlet, we saw few other boats.

Then it was time to come into the Ft. Pierce inlet. (play loud ominous music)

We lined up with the entrance range. There were large close together waves on our quarter, pushing us forward. There was a lot of current (when we started it was 4.2 knots, but as time went on it got a little less) coming OUT against us and the waves. And the wind was blowing 90 degrees to the channel.

Bob surfed into the channel. He said it was like trying to land a plane in a thunderstorm - you are never exactly where you are supposed to be but are always going through that place on the way to somewhere else.

After we got in between the breakwaters, the waves abated a little bit, and we just had the current to fight. Bob made me take the wheel while he took down the sails and put out the docklines.

We went into the marina and got fuel. The fuel dock is fixed but the marina guy supplied a ladder to let Bob get off (it was low tide). Then he helped us get into a slip - he had to work VERY hard because both the wind and the current were against us.

COSMOS (a CSY) is here also in addition to JOURNEY. Also Fred and Sharon's boat DOLPHIN is here.

Bob says he isn't going to do any more inlets. All others were a piece of cake compared to this one.

We went 52 nm at 5.6 knots - took only 9.5 hours.

After we tied up in Ft. Pierce, we had dinner at the restaurant there, and it was pretty good. Laura came down to the marina prior to leaving for the Bahamas, and we went on board JOURNEY and talked to her. Ran out of film, so didn't get any interior pictures.

"Monday /Tuesday March 12-13, 2000"

Monday, we decided the weather was too bad to continue, so we stayed another day. Bob went over and left a note on DOLPHIN, and I took outside pictures of both COSMOS and JOURNEY. Bob went up to the bathroom in the morning, and a little later I heard a loud splash. I thought maybe he'd fallen in. I looked out and saw some pelicans, and I saw a large jack next to the boat.

A couple came in on the other side of the dock in a pretty dark green boat. Talked to the lady who said it was their first sailboat. They bought it in Annapolis, and went down to Hilton Head where they lived - but it was too cold so she was going south until it was warm. They were both 74, but had only been married a couple of months. She said she didn't cook, because her first husband had been rich enough to hire cooks, and her 2nd husband owned a restaurant. This was her third husband and he was a retired doctor.

We ate at the restaurant again, but she said she didn't want to eat the same place twice. Bob walked over to the supermarket. We went down to the pier where DOLPHIN was and had lunch at the little snack bar there. I wanted to swim in the pool, but just didn't get a chance.

We had to get a splitter for the electricity (to change from 50 amp service which most power boats have to 30 amp), which they wanted a charge card slip for in case we walked off with it. If we were to buy one it would cost over $150 - the slip I signed said that we could not keep it more than a week. DItto the bathroom key. Cable TV is free. They have an outside hookup for computer/e-mail so it can be used even when they are closed. Folks are very nice, and are open early and late.

We left Fort Pierce the next day for Melbourne