We left Indiantown Marina at 7:45 and got back out on the
canal and the Okeechobee Waterway. It was a cloudy and overcast morning.
We reached the St. Lucie lock at 9:25. We were there for
a ½ hour or more on account of the large
amount of water needed to fill up the lock before we could enter. We were
dropping from lake level to sea level. Again we were the only boat in the lock.
We were lowered over 13 feet. When we exited were 9 miles to Stuart and 15
miles to the ICW (Intracoastal Waterway).
The sign shows all the locks we have been through on the Okeechobee waterway.
At 10:55 we were at Stuart and needed the drawbridge opened.
It was still gray skies and breezy.
Near an hour later we picked up the ICW. We had reached
the east coast and were heading north on the Indian River. The water was rough. The wind was strong and the open bimini top on the fly bridge acted as a sail, enough to increase our speed by 1 1/2 knots. We arrived at the Fort Pierce City Marina at 2:30pm. Our small boat was
nestled in among the big boys.
For the next day our plan was to go 68½ miles to our next
stop in Cocoa. The weather forecast had a small craft advisory with 15-20 mph
winds and a choppy ICW. We did not want those conditions for a 8 hour trip so
we decide to stay put another day.