Find all of our logs for While One here.
- Stuart, FL
Due to While One’s air draft of 75′, we’re unable to pass most fixed bridges on the ICW. When we first arrived at the St. Lucie Inlet, we wanted to get close to downtown Stuart so that we’d be close enough to get there via a dinghy. We motored all the way up to the fixed bridge, Evan Cray (SR A1A) but, unfortunately, we didn’t see a suitable anchorage. Well, perhaps there were some places we could have anchored but I was uneasy about where we were at and whether or not it would be frowned upon.
Anyways, we turned back to head to Manatee Packet Inlet as we read there were a few anchorages up there. We ended up anchoring just north of the Pirates Cove Resort & Marina. It was a calm anchorage but very tight.
We ended up spending two nights anchored near Port Salerno. First night we had Mahi-Mahi tacos…holy cow. Second night we decided to go into Port Salerno and eat at the Twisted Tuna. The place was packed but overall, it was a pretty decent ambiance and meal.
We would have stayed another night in Stuart but looking at the weather reports, a cold front was forecasted and 30 kt winds and hale for Titusville on Friday, March 11. We need to get going, I don’t want to get caught in that.
- Mahi-Mahi
On the way to Fort Pierce we were trolling. Sam got a fish on around noon that day. We were sailing so we head into the wind to slow the boat. It was a beautiful fish. We cleaned it on the spot and put the filets in a bag for dinner. We weren’t due into Fort Pierce until the evening and already had plans for dinner.
We anchored about 50 yards from South Causeway Park. It was still light, Shawn and I jumped in and swam to shore to walk the park up towards Museum Point Park.
Upon returning and after a shower, I looked to the North and noticed the sky was looking very dark. Wind was starting to pick up. Another boat had come while were were walking the park about 20 yards North of us…they were too close for me, but I’ve always had anxiety about anchoring. Winds continued to pick up and it it started to get alarming. What was the quality of the bottom for our anchor? We’re close enough to shore we can’t afford to drag so I started both the engines to take some of the force off the anchor. We saw about 42 knots of wind as that front blew through. Definitely the strongest winds I’ve been on a boat in.
- Where’s the Closest Emergency Room?
We weighed anchor early and started to retrace our tracks out of Marine Stadium. Destination: Palm Beach and Fort Worth.
We got to Fort Worth early evening, ate dinner and everybody started to chill for the evening. Sam & Shawn decided to fish and caught a few cat fish.
After a handful of fish, Sam pulled an unknown fish out. Shawn jumped into action to help Sam take the fish off…and, while Shawn was gripping it, it started to puff-up. Yikes! The fish was ultimately removed and thrown back, but then we began to remember. Aren’t blow/puffer fish poisonous?
Well, after about 30 minutes of surfing the web, we determined that yes, many species are poisonous…in fact, some are significantly more poisonous than arsenic! So, which fish did he touch? Shawn was saying that he could feel where he had touched the blowfish’s spikes but wasn’t in significant pain…what to do.
Fortunately, we were close to an emergency room. Since some websites suggested that even touching the skin of a blowfish could be fatal, I decided to go with Sam and Shawn to the emergency room. Ken took us over and we climbed over a concrete lookout near Lake Worth, only to find a person sleeping on the ground next to his motorcycle. Carefully stepping around him, we walked a few blocks to the Emergency room.
Shawn asked the receptionist whether she felt they should be seen…but had no ideas. “Do you want to see a Doctor?” Since death from this poison can happen 1-4 hours after being stung (so we read) and can result in respiratory paralysis, we decided to hang out for an hour outside the Emergency room before calling Ken to pick us back up. What a night.
- Virginia Key & the Marine Stadium
My son, Sam, was flying in from Tucson Saturday afternoon. We awoke Saturday morning, weighed anchor…well, we tried to. The anchor was wrapped around a braided line attached to a crab or lobster pot. After some cutter, we were finally free and proceeded to head east through buoy #3 and #4.
The sea state was quite rough, especially heading east through #3 & #4 and ultimately #1 and #2 before heading north. We took at least one wave over the starboard beam of the boat and Shawn, lying on the bench, got completely soaked.
My broker had suggested that both No Name Harbor and Marine Stadium have poor holding. Perhaps they do and the lobster pot line held us. In any case, when I was planning for this trip, I was looking for interesting places to anchor.
We head into the Port of Miami and took the Fisherman’s Channel to port when the channel split. The Port of Miami is quite busy and kept Lummus Island and Dodge Island to starboard and through #16 and #17 before we turned to port to head south. The channel heading south is quite narrow. We turned south west around #67 towards Marine Stadium.
When we arrived, it was close to 1pm in the afternoon and the anchorage was as busy as I’ve seen any anchorage….and loud, with lots of boats and yachts, high-wattage sound systems and folks dancing on the decks.
We ultimately found a place to anchor. Sam was taking an Uber from Miami International airport to Virginia Key. On the other side of Atlantica Seafood Restaurant and Market there’s a parking lot and then a small dinghy beach.
We had dinner at Atlantica and it was meh.
We were going to head out on March 6 up to Palm Beach but looking at the sea state forecasts, we decided to stay another night and head out on the 7th.
Glad we stopped by Marine Stadium but I’d be surprised if I find my way back there. It was glad to see and experience but it was far from calm, especially with all of the people on personal water craft ignoring the no wake signage. Fortunately, the Coast Guard was out patrolling. We saw many people get stopped but never did we see anybody get a ticket as they were just spoken to from a-far.
A Great view of Miami 
The Beach near Atlantica Seafood Restaurant 
- A Few Days at the Office
All three of us worked Thursday and Friday from the boat. I can really get used that this!
Cellular coverage was good enough for my Webex meetings and for even accessing my cloud-located documents. The most difficult thing was dealing with the three hour difference than San Jose. By 5pm Friday, we’re ready for Happy Hour but California is practically just getting back from lunch.
We used a lot of power. While One doesn’t have solar (yet) and that generator was running quite a bit between the computers, electronics, refrigeration and watermaker.