November 6-12, 2022
I’m on week two of ‘boat life’ in Fort Pierce, Florida, though ‘boat life’ is a bit of a misnomer since we are still in the marina with all the amenities we need nearby. However, we *are* living on a boat, so I feel it’s a legitimate use of the phrase.
I spent the first week just taking it all in– the warmth, sunshine and water, but this second week has been a period of exploration. The ADD/Gemini in me meant that everything I explored was a quick ‘peek’- I popped into the library, which is right across the street from the marina, just to see what it was like, but stayed less than 5 minutes. I could tell right away that it was a wonderful space, though. It has a second floor with big windows that look across the street to the Marina Square, (and beyond that to the water). One corner of the square has a lovely little fountain in it, and benches are scattered throughout the square. During the day, I see all sorts of people walking around the square, relaxing on the benches, talking, or eating. The marina gift shop sells ‘fish food’ (dog kibble) that I often see little kids tossing into the water, much to the delight of the fish (and children). In the late evenings and early mornings, I see a few of the homeless sleeping on the benches.
There’s a small-town feel to Fort Pierce and it still has the feeling of unexploited innocence. Fort Pierce hasn’t experienced the rapid growth of other areas further north (like Dayton Beach and Vero Beach) and south (Port St. Lucie, Stuart and Jensen Beach).
Every community generally has a disreputable area, and Fort Pierce is no exception. As I’ve explored various places and stopped into different stores, friendly clerks have cautioned me to stay out of certain nearby areas. I’b gone street by street through much fo downtown and the surrounding areas, and while I’ve seen signs of poverty and some boarded up buildings and homes in disrepair, I haven’t had any problems.
I feel comfortable and safe.
On a more personal level, I’ve been checking out a few of the local churches so that I can attend ‘in-person’ worship services each Sunday that were here. (I still watch Transformation Church services online each week and participate in my two online women’s bible study groups (Tuesdays & Thursdays)), but wanted to connect on a more personal, face to face level.
I had done a bit of online research before I arrived here, seeking a church that was walking distance from the marina. I found several good possibilities, so I narrowed it down by searching for their website or Facebook page to learn more about their church, ministry and values.
The first church I looked into was First Church of Fort Pierce. Google Maps showed that it was estimated to take less than 15 minutes to walk from the marina to the church. After looking at the map more closely, I was confident that it would be a straight shot to walk to and be easy to find.
The church had a great website with a link that allowed you to sign up as a visiting guest- it even had you specify which date and service you would be attending. This was still a few weeks before I was heading to Florida, so I had signed up to attend a traditional service on November 6th at 9:30 a.m. Within 24 hours, I got a nice text message welcoming me to services the following Sunday.(Two weeks earlier than I had committed to online… oops-technical glitch on their end!)
A few days later, I received an email welcoming to me to services that Sunday. I responded with a polite note letting them know I was not yet in the state, but was looking forward to attending service on 11/6. I appreciated the efforts to welcome me in advance, but was disappointed by the continuous misunderstanding about the date of my visit.
Nonetheless, November 6th came quickly as my first week in Fort Pierce ended and my second week began. It was a quick and easy walk to the church in warm sunshine, and I was pleased with how quickly I arrived. I was greeted when I arrived, and a gentleman was kind enough to point me to where worship service took place (Apparently, traditional services occur in one area and contemporary worship services occur in a different area of the church). The traditional service was familiar, but I left feeling discontent and unsettled, but not really sure why.
I think my last few years of watching the online services of Transformation Church (a non-denominational church in Tulsa, OK), coupled with the various other non-denominational churches experiences I’ve had in the last couple years, has created a sharp contrast in my worship experience, leaving me dissatisfied with the ritualistic formality of a traditional service. The people were cordial and the service was fine, however it wasn’t a good fit for me.
Nevertheless, I was happy to have attended ‘in-person’ worship and vowed to find a church in Ft. Pierce that fed my spirit and provided me with a strong faith community while I was there. There’s always next week!
In other news, we spent the early part of the week bracing for Hurricane Nicole to make landfall in or around the Treasure Coast area, which includes where we are in Fort Pierce. Every day leading up the actual hurricane’s landfall found us preparing Kya Anne for a potential direct hit. The marina is sheltered with some barrier islands, but Paul is very safety conscious, so we erred on the side of caution. We had just put up the Genoa earlier in the week, however, after watching the hurricane forecast, Paul decided it was wisest to bring the Genoa down and store it. Sails are expensive (as in, thousands of dollars to replace), so we erred on the side of caution. It was an interesting experience bringing the Genoa down because it was a bit windy.
Fortunately, the boating community around here is very friendly and helpful, so plenty of folks (Erica, Anita, Jason, Monica, & Scott – all neighbors on other nearby boats) were wiling to help us out. Once the Genoa was down, stowed safely and Kya Anne was fully secured, we ventured over to another dock in the marina to help a young couple who had just purchased their first catamaran. It was their first-time prepping their boat for a hurricane, so Paul generously offered to help them get ready. We helped them bring down their Genoa and fold it so they could store it until the storm passed. Paul went over the importance of securely tying any lines so they wouldn’t come loose, answered his questions and made suggestions and recommendations.
As the storm came closer and closer to land, businesses shuttered early and closed, and the streets slowly emptied. Boaters in the marina hunkered down, many electing to going inland and check into hotels to ride out the storm.
Paul and I had signed up with the Fort Pierce Yacht Club to take a class (5 Steps to Jump from the Dock to Cruising) that was scheduled for the 9th, but with the hurricane coming in, the instructor offered a ‘make-up’ class on Saturday the 12th. As a cruiser herself, she understood that hurricane preparations were higher priority for mariners.
As evening fell, the marina came by to notify us that they were shutting off power and internet to the docks ahead of Nicole making landfall. With no power or internet, I figured there was no point in staying up, so I went to bed. Paul stayed up the whole night, monitoring weather and the storm’s progress.
Hurricane Nicole made landfall about 15 miles north of Fort Pierce on Thursday morning.
I slept through the whole thing. 😴 🤷🏽♀️
Fortunately, Fort Pierce escaped with only minimal damage. In fact, the storm seemed so mild that Paul & I made light of it. We had no idea the level of devastation, some of which was mere miles away.
It wasn’t until we sat down for drinks and appetizers at the bar at Cobb’s Landing (the nearby watering hole) a couple days later that we understood the magnitude of the storm’s impact.
Jetty Park, on the edge of South Hutchinson Island and the Fort Pierce Inlet, was hit hard, closing the park until further notice.
The Central Coast of Florida fared even worse, with some structures crumbling completely. Severe beach erosion in Daytona Beach left several waterfront homes in peril of being completely lost. Flooding up and down the coast left parts of Saint Augustine in waist-deep water. Five people died as result of Hurricane Nicole.
Once again, the magnitude and power of Mother Nature left us humbled. We were grateful to have escaped unscathed.
We wrapped up our week by finally taking the 5 Steps to Jump from the Dock to Cruising course. It was all old news to Paul, who has spent months cruising around the Atlantic (Eastern coast of Florida, Caribbean, Bahamas, Dominican Republic, Aruba, Caracaos, the Dutch Islands, the ABC’s, and more). It was all new information to me, and there was A LOT of it. I’m counting on Paul to help me make sense of it.
Every day, I notice something different and new. I’m taking a lot of pictures, but haven’t organized them well enough to share.
I appreciate the sunshine, the warmth, and this amazing opportunity in a beautiful place to find my way to wherever and whatever God planned next for me.
I am thankful to have Paul’s wisdom, mentorship, friendship and support, as well as a place to stay while I figure things out. And I’m learning how to sail and crew on a boat! Yippee! 🎉
I am grateful for Marcia (and Randy and Lauren), who are storing all of my belongings (and my vehicle) securely at their home in Washington. Because of their kindness and generosity, I know I have their home to return to, as well as open hearts waiting to welcome me back.
As I reflect on the past week, I need no other reminder to be grateful for every day.
