Today was a turning point. Or more specifically, a day we reached Mile ‘0’ on the Okeechobee Waterway (OWW). In doing so, we crossed the state of Florida from west to east and caught our first glimpse of the Atlantic Ocean at Stuart. We are now heading north on the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway (AICW). This part of the USA is known as the Treasure Coast from the many sunken ships from centuries past.

Today was a glorious day for a sail. The only things which marred our passage were Mark’s barking cough and my rotten migraine. We set sail early to catch tides. The St Lucie Canal is a very pretty canal – part of the OWW, complete with jumping fish just begging to be caught or shot. In parts, one side of the canal is untamed, with the other side cattle grazing. 

We did not see any alligators today but we were thrilled to have an aggregation of manatees swimming parallel with us in Stuart. (I know… I had to look up what a group of manatees is called!)

We enjoyed the sailing and scenery during the day but we were pleased to reach Fort Pierce. Dolphins escorted us into the marina. We have decided to stay here for two nights. We want to bestow a little love and attention on Bushranger and also have time to recuperate. We may even do a little sightseeing. Where we are docked is in the revitalized downtown historic section with the Manatee Observation and Education Centre in view. How lucky are we! Tomorrow is Farmers Market day and the boat next to ours, who just happen to be Loopers, have offered their car for going further afield if we want to buy other groceries. The hospitality and generous nature of people, especially Loopers, always impresses me. It is a club where all belong and help is offered freely.

So for now, we shall enjoy a little down time and enjoy the pace of Fort Pierce. It is unreal to think the Bahamas are only 81 miles away!

Such is Life!