D35: Port Canaveral to Ft. Pierce - 12/5/2019

We left Port Canaveral at 05:55 to be sure we could make it to Ft. Pierce before dark.  At 5:55 am, it was still dark in Port Canaveral.  Once out of the slip, Cathy took the helm and I worked on the bow, cleaning up dock lines and fenders and watching the course ahead.  I put my head down for a split second and suddenly there was an unlit green mark in front of the boat.  Fortunately, we were wearing our headsets and Cathy followed my avoidance instructions to a T and we dodged a huge bullet.  The mark was not on the chart.  Lesson learned.  Maintain proper watch, especially at night.  This could have been calamitous.  

After avoiding an incoming cruise ship, we made it out to sea and turned south.  The sun started to rise as shown in the photo above.  We motor sailed with the Genoa and made an average of 8 knots to Ft. Pierce, arriving earlier than expected.  

We anchored on the south side of the main channel after the inlet near the coast guard station.  We were warned about strong currents, but they really were not bad.  It was beautiful and relaxing anchorage.  

See photos below of Ft. Pierce anchorage. Click on any to see larger image.