Sunday, 14 December 35.6 SM
Wow! Fe-e-e-e-e-e-l that sun. No wind to speak of. No watch cap, either; no gloves, no coat. Get this – the uniform of the day includes just two (count ‘em, 2) shirts and a single fleece vest. And the vest may not be needed much longer.
It’s warm! Praise the Lord, it is wa-r-r-r-r-r-r-m!
Wow! Now this is Florida. This is what this trip is all about. And with the promise of more sun and higher temperatures, ripping away from Velcro—ahem, that is—Vero Beach is not all that difficult.
Even shallow draft boats need TowBoat if they stray from the channel.
It is difficult to get to the fuel dock, though. It seems The Swarm—boats in the Sail Magazine ICW Rally—has been here a couple of days already and several are tied off, waiting to take on fuel, even before the staff arrives at 0730. Gypsy Wind of Swarm co-leader Wally Moran was the first on, his island dog, Arunda, announcing their arrival. As one peels off, another moves in, until Steadfast has her turn to top-off, pump-out and get underway.
It’s another easy day, Steadfast making good time with the help of a fair current almost as far as Jensen Beach. The only trick is to keep to the channel that seems narrower than ever. It is amazing that as broad as the water is, the waterway in many places has enough room for two boats to pass but not much else. There’s 12’ in the middle, 9’ at the edges and then—oopsie—you’re calling TowBoat.
A pelican keeps watch at the entrance to Manatee Pocket in Port Salerno, next to Stuart.
But Steadfast stays where she’s supposed to, with a helping hand from Ray Marine, the self-styled “Smart Pilot.” This is good. A slip awaits tonight at the Hinckley yard in Port Salerno where a tech tomorrow will take a look at what has become a bothersome leak in the drive train. This on the recommendation of our friends at Zimmerman Marine in Deltaville. Like Zimmerman, Hinckley has a well-deserved reputation for quality work (as seen in the beautiful yachts built at its shops in Maine and Rhode Island).
So Steadfast will slip in there among the mega-yachts and “picnic” boats and get the attention she deserves before turning west and heading to the Okeechobee Waterway, the gateway to Fort Myers and the Gulf Coast. The St. Lucie Inlet and River mark the so-called “Crossroads,” the point at which sailors decide – take the short-cut to Fort Myers, continue south on the ICW or hang a left and head for the Bahamas (the latter a decision which, in truth, might be made at any point from here to Miami).
A 100′ motor yacht lies just up the pier from Steadfast.
It turns out there is much more to Stuart—and adjacent Port Salerno—than just boatyards and being a decision-point. Like Vero, numbers of sailors stop here and don’t leave for a long time, if ever.
It is hoped the visit for Steadfast is brief. As the saying goes, “time is money.”
No where is that more true than at a boat yard.
Also true this day is the thermometer ready – 75 degrees – with a forecast for more of the same the next several days. Yes, friend, warm at last.
Suh-weet!
Steadfast out.
At Sea with Steadfast 
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