Day 195: January 29: Having crossed Lake Okeechobee we were now in the Saint Lucie Canal. We released ourselves from the dolphins and about 8:30 a.m and left Port Mayaca. With mild winds, the canal was calm and travels were pleasant.
The St. Lucie River is 35 miles long and has two major forks, the North and the South. In the 1880's, the system was basically a freshwater stream flowing into the Indian River Lagoon. In 1892, local residents dug an inlet to provide direct access to the Atlantic Ocean, changing the St. Lucie from a river into an estuary.
The first thing we came to was the Port Mayaca Railway lift bridge, located at Mile 38. Resembling a guillotine, it is an unusual sort of bridge in that the center section lifts straight up. With gears and weights on either side, it looked a bit ominous, especially with clouds hovering overhead. The bridge was built in 1925, spans a 56 foot wide canal and provides 48 feet of vertical clearance. Folks on sailboats with tall masts, often avoid this section of the Okeechobee; for them it is impassable.
As we motored along the St. Lucie, we enjoyed the scenery. Numerous egrets and osprey perched on trees; at one time an entire flock of egrets surrounded the boat, soaring past to join others already nestled among the vegetation. On either side, the banks were green, lined with mangroves and palm trees and other sea birds, including Great Blue Heron, so still, watching for a non-suspecting prey. We were on the lookout for alligator and manatees but did not see any.
Approaching the Florida East Coast Railroad bridge, we tried to call the bridge tender on VHF 9 to no avail. With binoculars I was able to make out a phone number on the sign posted on the bridge. John called and discovered the bridge was controlled remotely by someone in Tampa! Within minutes of the phone call, the bridge swung open and we cruised through.
Once again we passed some incredible boats and houses; also a working tug named Big John, before we arrived at the St. Lucie Lock. Built in 1941 for navigation and flood control purposes, the lock is 50 feet wide and 250 long.
Frank on Summer Fling (a 42' GB) told us about a Grand Banks Marina and store located just off the St. Lucie River right at the town of Stuart. Since we were traveling right by, we decided to check it out, hoping to be able to purchase some GB paraphernalia. We turned off the river into the South Fork of the river, motoring slowly and carefully into the narrow waterway, not sure about depth. Gradually, twisting and turning along the inlet's bends and forks surrounded by mangroves and to our surprise houses and huge boats. We could not picture there being a GB marina somewhere at the end of this circuitous, remote, route but were delighted when we spotted it!
As we tied up to the dock in front of the building, a worker greeted us. We chatted for a bit, telling him we were looking to purchase some GB swag, not a new boat! 😁😀😃. At least not the $4,000,000 one docked right next to ours!
We meandered over to the office area looking for the "showroom" and were disappointed to find out there wasn't one. John told the man we were hoping to purchase some items; shirts, sweatshirts, hats! The man said he only had hats. He disappeared only to reappear with not 1 or 2, but 6 different GB hats! All for free! Although not what we expected, the side trip around a beautiful inlet and 6 new hats was worth the time.
Back on the river, we approached the Old Roosevelt (Dixie Highway) Bridge & the Florida East Coast Railroad bridge. We heard another boat hail the bridge-tender so we didn't bother calling ourselves. Three boats idled for awhile waiting for the bridge to open. It seemed to be taking quite awhile and then we realized the two bridges open at the same time so vessels can pass right through and not get stuck in between.
We pulled off the river and into Indian River Lagoon in Fort Pierce to drop the hook for the night. There were several boats already anchored but there was plenty of room. Another gorgeous sunrise; benefits of being on the hook.
We pulled off the Indian River on the ICW and motored into the Fort Pierce inlet to anchor for the night. There was a slight chop
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