Moving on to Ft. Pierce Marina

2/20
     We traveled on the ICW for about 45 miles to Ft. Pierce.  My binoculars are my best friend on the helm!  Not only do I use them to help with navigation and reading markers, but I enjoy looking at all the sights and homes along the ICW.  I wish I had taken a video, because it is hard to describe how many huge, beautiful homes there are, one after another, all through the areas of Miami, Palm Beach, Jupiter and Stuart.  I am amazed at the wealth that these people must have!  Most of the homes had manicured yards, pools, fountains and large boats!  It was certainly a sight to see.
     The wind was gusting up to 25-30 knots when we arrived at Ft. Pierce Marina.  It was a challenge to get in.  We needed to get fuel.  The dockhand was by himself, so he radioed for us to "hang out" for a little while until he could get to the fuel dock.  Karl was using all his skills to keep us steady and keeping us from blowing into the rocky seawall on one side and the boats on the other side!  We heard others calling on the radio, saying they were just going to anchor out and let the wind calm down before making the attempt to come in.  We were lucky to get to the fuel dock in one piece.  We took on about 600 gallons of fuel.  This is the most we have had to put all at once since the beginning of our trip.
     To get in our slip, we had two dockhands helping.  Karl has learned that "Slow is Pro" when backing into a slip.  I am happy to say, he did great.  It is nice to be secured in a safe spot for a few days, hopefully until the winds die down.  Off to explore this small coastal town of Ft. Pierce!