And We're Off

In our latest episode we pulled anchor in West Palm for the last time and are embarking on our first solo adventure. I wanted to share a bit with you all on how we prepared for this trip and share what I have learned about the areas that we went to on our journey. I personally was very worried about going to new anchorages because of some of the experiences that I have read about. I definitely don’t want something to happen to Dauntless, so I was very adamant about researching the inlets that we were planning on sailing into and where to anchor and so on and so forth. We looked at Windy and Predict Wind extensively in the days leading up to our departure so that we knew what our wind, current and wave patterns were going to look like. Now, with all that being said, again, I wanted to share what I learned about the the Ft Pierce Inlet, with all of you!

Watch Episode 42 here! Or you can click the YouTube button below to go to our channel!

In Episode 42 we sailed to Ft Pierce, Florida. I could tell you how amazing the sail was and how calm the seas were and how nice it was to be on the water, and all of that is true, but you and I both know that it isn’t like that every single day. For that, I can just tell you what I’ve been told by seasoned sailors, check your weather and pick your window. As for the Ft Pierce inlet, I can tell you that it is very straight forward. It’s a straight shot in with no obstructions in the channel. We came into the inlet at about 5pm on a Tuesday, and anchored on the south side of this bent finger shaped island that is farthest in towards the mainland as possible. We chose the south side of the island because the north side looked a little shallow for our comfort and we didn’t feel like taking any chances after having such a good day. There are other anchorages if you go through either the north or south bridges, but the channel was very calm with little to no traffic and we felt absolutely comfortable anchoring off of the island, especially since we were only going to be there overnight. In the video, I have put a map with our path and anchoring spot if you this you would find that helpful.

Now, for the little island. It has lots of trees but you can easily walk through them on the south side to walk the beach. There are a few picnic tables, fire pits and grills which I thought was kinda cool. We did not use these, but its nice to know that they are there. The walk on the beach in nice but I would recommend wearing shoes to leave your dinghy or boat and be careful when pulling up on the beach because its a little rocky. Oh, and bring bug spray!

Overall it was a nice place to stay for the night and the only thing that I didn’t really care for (which I’ve come to learn is a matter of preference) is that the water doesn't clear up. We weren't bothered by the road noise from the bridge and the boaters were all very courteous. I hope this helps anyone looking to sail in this area!

Thanks,

Syd