Good News and Many Improvements at Fort Pierce City Marina (Statute Mile 966.5)
Latest NOAA Chart 11472 Showing New Marina Entrance Channel
Fort Pierce City Marina (a SALTY SOUTHEAST CRUISERS’ NET SPONSOR) has been undergoing a massive improvement project for many months now. In an interview conducted by the Salty Southeast Cruisers’ Net with our good friend, and Fort Pierce City Harbormaster, Captain Dean Kubitschek, on 10/1/13, we learned this undertaking is almost finished. While there are still a few “punch list” tasks to perform, the many construction barges and cranes have largely departed the scene, and all will be gone, and the artificial island building project fully complete, within a week.
Among many other improvements, a series of artificial barrier islands have been constructed east of the marina dockage complex (see photo below). These isles will act as a wave break during foul weather, and will be a huge improvement over the old, open to wind and wave, arrangement.
Next, the Fort Pierce entrance channel has now been dredged to a minimum MLW depth of 7.5 feet, with typical MLW soundings of 8.75 feet. That’s really GOOD news for skippers who pilot vessels drawing 6 to 6 1/2 feet. And, the channel is now newly marked and FINALLY correctly charted, providing much easier access to this first-class facility!
Throughout this entire renovation project, transient wet slip space has been available, and THAT IS STILL VERY MUCH THE CASE! Fort Pierce City Marina is looking to welcome a host of visiting cruisers as the fall, 2013 transient season progresses!
New Fort Pierce City Marina Barrier Islands
Two other improvements well worth noting are upgraded Wi-Fi internet access throughout the harbor, and seriously upgraded men’s bathrooms, complete with NEW, climate controlled showers. The women’s facilities, which were in much better shape originally, will be improved within the next several months!
Next up, construction of new floating docks will begin in February, 2014, with construction being complete in approximately 14 months.This will allow Fort Pierce City Marina to accommodate any size vessel.
About the only less than positive news is that the marina’s fuel tanks are in the process of being replaced, and neither gasoline nor diesel fuel is currently available. This situation will be resolved within the next six weeks, and skippers can once again fill their hungry tanks at the Fort Pierce City Marina fuel dock.
The renovations and improvements at Fort Pierce City Marina are a clear case of the best just getting better. Going back to the days when I wrote my paper, “Cruising Guide to Eastern Florida,” we have noted time and time again that never will you find a better managed municipal marina that the Fort Pierce operation.
May we be so bold as to strongly suggest that all cruisers heading south for this fall and winter cruising season give their highest priority to a Fort Pierce City Marina visit! You won’t be sorry!
Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To the Location of Fort Pierce City Marina
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