Moving Up the Florida Coast

. . . ON THE WAY TO "VELCRO" BEACH

As long as the weather, our groceries and clean clothes hold out, we continue to move up the coast. We passed more huge, beautiful mansions and more monster yachts near Palm Beach. Our first marina stop in four months was at an Active Captain four-star facility -- Old Port Cove Marina at North Palm Beach. It lived up to every bit of its rating. After two days of provisioning, laundry, and cleaning the boat, we sailed north to the mooring ball field at Stuart, Florida. 

Fiu and Carina sailed through a railroad bridge and the Roosevelt Bridge leading to Stuart.

We decided to stay at Stuart just one night, leaving Bonnie and Sid on Fiu to explore the town the next day. We pushed on north to Vero Beach to meet our friends Bob and Trish who have a condo there. Bob and Trish sailed Pogopelli with us down the Tenn-Tom Waterway.

Forecasters Were Right For Once!

Before any trip, we constantly check the weather forecasts. On Sunday morning, forecasts were for winds from the south, building to 20-25 with gusts to 35 mph later in the day. At first light, we left Stuart and turned north onto the ICW. Wind and waves were both moderate. Because the wind was coming from the south and we were heading north, it was a downwind sail. We rolled out the jib, soon finding we were motor sailing at 7+ knots. That's a high rate of speed for Carina.

Sunrise near Stuart, Florida, on our way to the Intercoastal Waterway.

By 9, forecasters' predictions started coming true. Winds began building, blowing 25+ with strong gusts. We reefed the jib three times in an hour, finally rolling it up entirely. The waves were building with the winds. Even with the sails down, the wind against the bimini over the cockpit and against Carina's hull was sailing the boat, creating weather helm. We were motoring at 7+ knots with no sails up.

Despite the wind and waves, other boats had places to go as well. Tall boats like this cruiser
rocked and rolled more than the sailboats, making the ride uncomfortable.

By 11:30, as we approached the North Ft. Pierce Bridge, winds, waves, and current pushed us through the bridge at 9.9 knots -- with no sails up!

After the North Ft. Pierce Bridge, we were passed by Doug and Charlotte, Abbotsford III,
friends we'd met months ago at the Little Shark River. Their catamaran trawler
gave them a more comfortable ride than others in rough weather.

After the bridge, the ICW channel moved closer to shore, reducing the "fetch" or distance the wind and waves have to build. Although the winds were still strong and gusty, the waves flattened. We rolled out a reefed jib again and sailed to Vero Beach. 

45 Miles in Six Hours

We were so happy to see Bob and Trish on the dock and to get their help since the winds chose to build again as we were entering our slip. Altogether, the 45-mile trip took us six hours. Typically, a 45-mile trip might take eight or nine hours. We don't recommend sailing in 35-knot gale force winds as a way to speed up your trip, but it worked for us this time.

Carina was tucked into a slip at the Vero Beach City Marina for a couple
of days while we visited Bob and Trish. Vero Beach is known as "Velcro Beach" 
because people who plan a short stay get attached to the town and end up staying
for a long time.