Sawpit Creek - Click for Chartview

Captain Dickens confirms a number of reports we have received about shoaling south of Nassau Sound where Cruisers’ Net has set a Navigation Alert. See link below.

Cruising News:
I just completed a trip from Ft. Lauderdale to Fernandina Beach on a customer’s new trawler. There was only one 1oo yard stretch of skinny water along the entire route. It is located at marker “49″ just south of Nassau Sound found on chart 11489.
Mike Dickens

Click Here To Read Earlier Reports of Shoaling South of Fernandina

Those who cruise the full length of the St. Johns River, or at least the portion that has depths and widths appropriate for cruising size craft, will eventually end up at the city of Sanford, Florida, perched on the shores of Lake Monroe. Many cruisers who visit here berth at Monroe Harbour Marina, and, if you do, the downtown business district lies within easy walking distance. Below, Captain Mike Rizzo gives us a good recommendation on where to satisfy a healthy appetite here.

While staying at Sanford you may want to try the Willow Tree restaurant, a great German place and on some evenings it can get a bit festive with a band.
Enjoy,
Mike Rizzo

I concur! I live in Jax and anytime I find myself down that way, I got to The Willow Tree. Great food, live German music and a great place for a stroll afterwards.
Jim DeVine

Click Here To View the St. Johns River Cruisers’ Net Marina Directory Listing For Monroe Harbour Marina

Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To the Location of Monroe Harbour Marina

The SSECN published a recent article about the free city dock at the charming St. Johns River village of Welaka, Florida, south of Palatka (see http://cruisersnet.net/?p=108289). Now, in the note below, Captain Mike Rizzo seconds the recommendation for dining at Cafe Bleu, apparently within easy walking distance of the town berths.

Welaka has a town dock that you can tie to and there is a great little cafe for lunch and dinner called Cafe Blue. Everything is freshly made even the bread.
Mike Rizzo

Couldn’t agree more! We stay overnight at the (FREE!) town dock every year, and Café Bleu is right there next door. Their parmesan encrusted grouper was some of the best fish I have ever had. I believe they are only open Thursday through Monday though
Jonathan Graham

Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To the Location of Welaka, FL

The Fort Pierce iteration of Harbortown Marina sits at the entrance to Taylor Creek, north of the Fort Pierce City Marina.

We have been at Harbortown since early December and have loved it. The staff is always friendly, helpful and accomodating. The facilities are nice, clean and are being constantly maintained. The new bathrooms and laundry facilities are very nice. The work area at the pavillion has been very helpful.
The monthly potlucks encourage socializing and gatherings on the dock are common. Harbortown is a great community.
Jeff and Brenda

Click Here To View the Eastern Florida Cruisers’ Net Marina Directory Listing For Harbortown Marina

Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To the Location of Harbortown Marina

Captain Burnham refers to his earlier posting on Gibson Dry Dock, http://cruisersnet.net/?p=68591, and provides insight into the financial state of boat repair/storage yards during this time of economic downturn.

Thank you for allowing me to post on your excellent web service site.
I kept my comments about Gibson Dry Dock brief in order to keep from posting an advertisement. Tom Kight is a good friend I often crew with but the depression is hitting his boat storage yard especially hard this year with fewer Canadians coming down to store their boats for the summer in his Dry Dock. The Florida residents are also feeling the economic pinch and too often are giving up their boat titles for the storage fees they owe. This does not benefit the Dry Dock as these boats are often neglected and bring very little money at auction. The sad effect is that now the Dry Dock has to be selective as to the condition of the boats that are hauled out of the water lest they become the property of the Dry Dock. It is becoming common that an owner will have their boat hauled out, strip it of its engine and valuable parts and abandons the hulk. I have no doubt that this happens at other boat storage facilities also.
Gibson Dry Dock also has the problem of being south of the ill conceived 45 foot high clearance of the Shands Bridge at Green Cove Springs which limits the size of sailboats cruising south on the St Johns River. The boats that can make it under the Shands Bridge barrier are enthuiastic about finding Gibson’s and spead the word about what a great place this is to keep your boat and get it ready to sail again.
David Burnham

Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To the Location of Gibson Dry Dock

We are very pleased to pass along a report just received this morning, from SALTY SOUTHEAST CRUISERS’ NET SPONSOR, Fort Pierce City Marina, that all dredging on their entrance channel has now been completed, and all dredging equipment removed. Cruisers can now confidently expect a good 7 1/2 feet of depth at Mean Low Water.
The best just keep getting better!!!!

Click Here To View the Eastern Florida Cruisers’ Net Marina Directory Listing For Fort Pierce City Marina

Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To the Location of Fort Pierce City Marina

Many AICW cruising veterans stop year after year in Titusville, just to sample the bill of fare at Dixie Crossroads Restaurant. It doesn’t hurt to mention them anew, however. So, if you have never satisfied a healthy appetite here, do you and your taste buds a BIG favor, and remedy that oversight SOON!
Many will find this dining attraction to be an easy walk from SALTY SOUTHEAST CRUISERS’ NET SPONSOR, Westland Marina, or the city docks.

Dixie Crossroads, Titusville, FL – Excellent seafood; about a mile from the Titusville Municipal Marina on US-1; taxi, or arrange a ride locally.
Peg and Jim Healy aboard Sanctuary

Click Here To View the Eastern Florida Cruisers’ Net Marina Directory Listing For Westland Marina

Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To the Location of Westland Marina

Click Here To View the Eastern Florida Cruisers’ Net Marina Directory Listing For Titusville City Marina

Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To the Location of Titusville City Marina

A1A Ale House is located directly across the street from the St. Augustine City Marina. I’ve not dined (or imbibed) here in several years, but after reading the reviews below, that has clearly been a gross oversight on my part. May you be wiser and more fortunate!

Give the A1A ale house a try they have very good food and some fantastic home brews. It’s located directly across the street from the St Augustine marinia.
SweetPea

A1A Ale House, St. Augustine, FL – Across the street from the Municipal Marina; excellent Brew Pub fare.
Peg and Jim Healy aboard Sanctuary

And the Strange Stout is yummy!
Donovan

Click Here To View the Eastern Florida Cruisers’ Net Marina Directory Listing For the St. Augustine City Marina

Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To the Location of the St. Augustine City Marina

Recently, the Salty Southeast Cruisers’ Net published an article about the free city dock at Welaka, Florida, and other nearby attractions in this delightful river village (see http://cruisersnet.net/?p=108289). Unfortunately, Captain Carolyn reports below that the old Mariner’s Museum in Welaka has now been auctioned off, after being closed for some time.
So, there’s still plenty of reason to coil your lines at the free city dock in Welaka, but don’t do it for a visit to the Mariner’s Museum.

Good Morning, Claiborne
I thought you might find this information useful for posting to Cruiser’s Net. The Maritime Museum in Welaka, FL, on the St. Johns River, has been closed for some time and is now being offered at absolute auction this week. From what I’ve read on Cruiser’s Net, many cruisers have enjoyed their visit to this attraction. I regret not having done so myself. I have included the link for the article in today’s (March 13th) “Palatka Daily News”.
http://www.palatkadailynews.com/articles/2013/03/13/news/news01.txt
Good thoughts are being sent your way for both you and your wife.
Carolyn Frazier
1975 Gulf Star Mark II “Double Dragon”
currently at our dock on Cedar Creek, north of Palatka

Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To the Location of Welaka, FL

North Palm Beach Marina - Click for Chartview

North Palm Beach Marina – A SALTY SOUTHEAST CRUISERS’ NET SPONSOR! – lies on the southwestern banks of the ICW shortly after you pass under the restricted North Palm Beach/Parker bridge.
Last weekend, we received a report from Captain Young that she had been overcharged for overnight dockage at North Palm Beach Marina. We passed these comments along to the management here, and within 24 hours, they were in touch with Captain Claudia, and a refund had been issued. Now, that’s what I call GOOD customer service.
Mistakes can and do happen to all of us (I made a mistake just last year). The real mark of a quality operation is how well and how swiftly oversights are handled when they do happen. North Palm Beach Marina has passed that test with proverbial flying colors in our book!

Spent the night on 3/13/13. Good place to stop for transients. They had some computer issues and the final bill turned out to be wrong. We were slightly overcharged. Chris, the marina manager got in touch with us the day after and refunded the difference. We will be back.
Claudia Young

Click Here To View the Eastern Florida Cruisers’ Net Marina Directory Listing For North Palm Beach Marina

Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To the Location of North Palm Beach Marina

Mariner's Cay Marina - Click for Chartview

Mariner’s Cay Marina is located on the western shores of Manatee Pocket, near its northerly entrance. The recently dredged entrance to the pocket itself lies just west of the AICW/Okeechobee Waterway/St. Lucie River/St. Lucie Inlet intersection, known locally as “the crossroads.”
In addition to Mariner’s Cay (see below), there are a host of of other marinas and repair facilities along the shores of Manatee Pocket. Captain DeFoor gives some GOOD ideas below about shoreside dining attractions, within walking distance of all the pocket marinas.

Unfortunately, Finz Restaurant has closed. We miss their great pear salad with the home made vanilla bean dressing. There is a new restaurant there now (can’t remember the name). Also about a block away is the [King] Neptune (772-287-9630) which has great food but small (a local hangout for sure). Try their grouper Rubin. Across the street from there on the Pocket inlet is Manatee Island [Bar and Grill (772-872-7176). Have had good food there also. Down the street (A1A) to the left is the Whistle Stop (772-220-1020). Very good food. I personally suggest the Philly CheeseSteak.
Fred DeFoor

Click Here To View the Eastern Florida Cruisers’ Net Marina Directory Listing For Mariner’s Cay Marina

Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To the Location of Mariner’s Cay Marina

The Main Street Bridge in downtown Jacksonville with a closed vertical clearance of 35ft will be closed for recreational activities on March 24th from 1:45Pm to 4:00 PM.

The Main Street (US 1) Bridge across the St. Johns River mile 24.7, Jacksonville, Duval County, Florida will be closed to navigation from 1:45 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. on March 24, 2013 to facilitate the Blessing of the Fleet event. Vessels that may pass through the bridge without an opening may do so at any time. Chart 11491

Click Here To View the Cruisers’ Net’s Eastern Florida Bridge Directory Listing For Main Street Bridge

Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To the Location of Main Street Bridge

I’ve often said, but it’s worth repeating, recommendations by fellow cruisers of good service personnel, are worth their weight in GOLD. Here is a good one for the greater Miami region.

Early on we crossed paths with Ivy and Bob Neubauer on Karma. They are just about done and on the last leg to crossing their wake in Cocoanut Grove, Miami, FL. Very nice and friendly people. Bob has come to our assistance a number of times with mechanical issues that were scary puzzlements to we rusty boaters and novice loopers. Bob is an expert boat mechanic with a very wide range of talents – engine,
transmission, electrical, electronic, water, leaks, unidentifiable things, etc. Also, he is neat and leaves behind a clean boat. He runs a marine service and salvage company in Miami called Odd Job Marine (305 331 1670).
One of his specialties is refitting large boats but he works for we small boat types also. We recommend him highly and will be getting a list of work done by him in Miami when we get there in a couple of weeks or whenever – depending on the weather.
Marcia and Russ Barron
Paper Moon
Grand Banks 42 MY

Here’s a very quick look at SALTY SOUTHEAST CRUISERS’ NET SPONSOR, New Smyrna Beach City Marina. Brief as they are, Captain Peter’s words are right on the mark!

New Smyrna Beach municipal marina is very reasonable. Great town to visit.
Peter

Click Here To View the Eastern Florida Cruisers’ Net Marina Directory Listing For New Smyrna Beach City Marina

Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To the Location of New Smyrna Beach City Marina

Huge Halifax Harbor is certainly “the” place to coil your lines in Daytona Beach. Its two dockage basins are well sheltered, and the staff’s performance, in our experience, has always been exemplary.
If you want something a little quieter, with superb on-site dining, you might also consider SALTY SOUTHEAST CRUISERS’ NET SPONSOR, Adventure Yacht Harbor, a touch farther to the south at Statute Mile 837.

Daytona Beach Municipal, Halifax Harbor, is a great place to stay. Fixed piers are more inexpensive, floating piers very nice. A well maintained facility it has 24 hr security, it is one block from Downtown with about 4 or 5 blocks of businesses, restaurants, city library, post office, 1 mi walk from the beach, easy access to the bus, and airport (2.5 mi). It’s a well protected harbor.
Roman Donald

Click Here To View the Eastern Florida Cruisers’ Net Marina Directory Listing For Halifax Harbor Marina

Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To the Location of Halifax Harbor Marina

Click Here To View the Eastern Florida Cruisers’ Net Marina Directory Listing For Adventure Yacht Harbor

Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To the Location of Adventure Yacht Harbor

Click for Chartview

The entrance channel leading to Fort Pierce City Marina, a SALTY SOUTHEAST CRUISERS’ NET SPONSOR, runs to the west, just south of the Fort Pierce high-rise bridge, and well north of unlighted daybeacon #188.

TURN YOUR CLOCKS BACK ON SATURDAY NIGHT!!!
BRRRRRRRRRRR … I know I am in Florida but what the Heck is going on?? Not to worry though, each day our temperatures are rising, but our lows are staying in the 50′s. (Makes me feel like I am back in southern California with the cool nights) We will have winds from the north all weekend at 10 to 15 knots and the seas will be getting up to 10 feet as the weekend progresses. Probably not a wise idea to be crossing to the Bahamas this weekend. Hang out at the Marina instead.
In last weeks newsletter I told you what I learned about using pin fish as bait. This week I am sure the fish were hiding under anything they could to keep warm. I did have a great weekend though. For all you golfing enthusiasts; I went to the Honda Classic in West Palm. As much as I enjoy golfing I had never been to a real tournament. They make it look so easy, step up to the ball, plant your feet, keep your eye on the ball, relax those hips and swing… piece of cake it goes 300 yards. Just like fishing; bait your hook, cast your line and reel in your catch. Maybe I should go back to softball… This is actually my favorite time of year, here in Florida. The weather is perfect (usually) lots of visitors, events, and spring breakers. The boats are moving again which means they are stopping here at the Marina for a night, and all is well in beautiful Fort Pierce. Have a great week.

Just in case you happen to see a bicycle whip by you and it looks like Craig, Freddie, or Ryan you would be right. The guys are now getting around on bicycles.

This Weekend:
Farmers market from 8 to 12 and the arts and craft vendors will be here until 2pm.

3rd Annual Seafood Festival is scheduled for this Saturday at the St Lucie Civic Center in Port St Lucie. Vendors will sell food and drink but parking and admission is free. This event will include arts and crafts booths, homemade creations and live music throughout the day, including a bounce house for the kids. There will also be a classic car show from noon to 6pm, a chowder contest at 5:30 pm and an oyster contest at 7:30 pm. For more information call 772-807-4488.

Up Coming Events: Make Sure and Mark it on Your Calendar
Saturday March 30th beginning at 3pm is “The Hooked On Music Festival”. The 5th Annual “Hooked on Music Festival will be an all day family-friendly event. Two stages will encompass the Marina with live performances by 8 Florida-based bands. For more information visit http://hookedonmusic.org.

2nd Annual Fort Pierce Oyster Fest is Saturday April 6th. The festival will take place along the Riverwalk in downtown Fort Pierce. Festival attendees will be able to enjoy delicious oysters and contribute to a better ecosystem as shells will be gathered for oyster restoration projects. The family friendly festival will feature music, arts and crafts, educational exhibits, marine items, food and more. So much was learned from the first oyster fest that this year promises to be bigger and better and have a much larger variety of oyster dishes. Sponsors, vendors and volunteers are needed. For more information contact April Price at 772-285-1646 or visit the website at www.FtPierceOysterFest.com.

Sandy Shoes Festival is March 23rd. from 10am until 10pm at Veterans Memorial Park on Indian River Drive in Fort Pierce.

Saturday April 13th – Fish Earth Day in Fort Pierce – This is a Hook Kids on fishing program for youth 6 to 16 who are welcome along with their parents.The first 80 kids registered get a free rod and reel. Registration is mandatory the clinic starts at 8:30am For reservations please call the River Walk Center at 772-489-6473. Volunteers and sponsorships are still needed, if you are interested please call Anglers Conservation at 321-750-3374

4th Annual Regatta at the Fort Pierce Yacht Club will be held March 22 – 24th For more information call 772-429-0082 or visit http://ftpierceyachtclub.homestead.com for a registration form.

Sunday March 24th is the next Jazz and Blues festival in the park, it is a great time to come out and sit in the park and enjoy some great music.

A.E. Backus painting valued at $30,000 is being raffled off. Raffle tickets available for $20.00 each or 3 for $50.00. The winning ticket will be drawn on Sunday March 3rd at the Backus Museum’s annual all you should eat brunch. Brunch tickets are $12.50 in advance and $15.00 at the door. Purchase your tickets by mail, telephone, on-line or at the museum. For more information call 772-465-0630 or visit www.backusmuseum.com.

REMINDERS:
For the remainder of the winter Tiki & Cobb’s will be opening at 10:00 am on Saturdays to accommodate the guests at the Marina who would like to come to the bar for Bloody Mary’s, Mimosas, beer or whatever else they may want.

We have great coffee in the office and fresh fruit complimentary of Al’s Family Farms.

Wednesdays from 2pm to 6pm there is a farmers market in marina square, so you won’t have to wait a week to restock your fresh fruit and veggies.

Our night dock attendant comes on duty at 10 pm. You can reach him at 772-979-4019 if you have any problems or concerns. If it is an emergency situation please call 911. If you see someone on the docks that doesn’t belong call 911.

***Our new web site is up and running. www.Fortpiercecitymarina.com will now have all the links that I have previously posted here on the newsletter. So instead of having to read all the way down on my newsletter you can go to our website and look for exactly the information you are looking for. Please let us know what you think of it.

Sunrise Theatre Performances: For ticket information call the Sunrise Theatre at 772-461-4884
For upcoming shows please visit www.Sunrisetheatre.com

Jazz & Blues Society
Jazz Jams – Sunrise Black Box Theatre
For more information on the Jazz and Blues Society visit their website at www.jazzsociety.org

On-going Events -Visit our website at www.fortpiercecitymarina.com
All information supplied is subject to information acquired from various sources. Marina personnel and the City of Fort Pierce are not responsible for any changes that are made after we have given the information.

Anne Maurer
Fort Pierce City Marina

Click Here To View the Cruisers’ Net’s Eastern Florida Marina Directory Listing For Fort Pierce City Marina

Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To the Location of Fort Pierce City Marina