RIVER FOREST YACHTING CENTER TO STUART, FL

Tuesday, March 10th, 2015

Day 218
Miles Traveled: 8
Total Miles Traveled: 2771


  We were very busy today.  By 9:00 am Seahorse was hauled out of the water and having her bottom cleaned.  Fortunately, no other problems were found, just a scum covered hull and a few barnacles.  The bottom paint that was put on before leaving on this journey is doing its job and keeping the moss and barnacle growth to a minimum.  The staff at River Forest were very friendly, professional, knowledgeable, and efficient.  We were back in the water and tied up to our slip by 11:00 am.  
To learn more about this great facility go to: http://www.riverforestyc.com/

"Seahorse" on travel lift just above the water

"Seahorse" on travel lift getting bottom power washed     

  Since we finished up so early in the day, we decided to move along to our next destination.  Immediately after leaving River Forest Yatching Center we encountered our last lock on the Okeechobee Waterway, the St. Lucie lock.  This was the largest drop of all the locks and we dropped down 14 feet (more than usual since the Port Mayaka lock was open yesterday).  When we arrived there was a wait and a line.  We were the last of 6 six boats locking through. 

Waiting our turn to enter and tie up in the St. Lucie Lock

  Shortly after leaving the St. Lucie lock, we docked at American Custom Yachts and bought some diesel fuel.  After comparing prices on the internet, they had the cheapest diesel around.  After fueling we continued on our way down the St. Lucie Canal.  More homes were along the shoreline and then the scene began to look more like a city with interstate highways spanning the waterway.  We had entered the South Fork of the St. Lucie River and were nearing our final destination for the day, Stuart, FL.  

St. Lucie River

  We arrived at Sunset Bay Marina in downtown Stuart, FL about 3:00 pm.  After getting our lines tied and checked in at the office, we walked to downtown and grabbed a bite to eat.  We stopped at Kilwin's Chocolate and Ice Cream Shop for dessert.  There were many flavors of ice cream to choose from.  Dan had Georgia Praline and Angie had Chocolate Fudge.  It was delicious.  While walking along the docks returning from dinner, there was a beautiful Great Blue Heron on a small sandy bank.  He posed nicely for his picture. 

Great Blue Heron

  So in summary, we got hauled out and pressure washed, went through one lock, docked at three different slips, stopped at three different locations, and were on 2 different waterways all in about 6 hours.  What a day on the water!