Stuart (St. Lucie River) - General Info
Description:
This is a popular fishing and sailing resort area approximately 30 miles north of West Palm Beach on Florida’s Atlantic coast. It is a large inlet and navigation is relatively straightforward.
Many cruisers prefer this inlet to Jupiter Inlet. Even so, all inlets on the Atlantic coast of Florida should be respected as potentially dangerous and care should be taken in order to transmit them safely.
Tidal currents in the St. Lucie Inlet are occasionally extreme: 4-6 knots is not uncommon at peak flow. Currents continue to flow 2 hours after high and low tides. Entrance to the St. Lucie Inlet is best at the flood side of the slack water.
The St. Lucie River and the greater Stuart/St. Lucie area is an important access point for the Okeechobee Waterway. The Okeechobee Waterway cuts directly across Florida from Stuart to Ft. Myers, significantly shortening passage times to the Gulf of Mexico as long as the mast height does not exceed 54ft. The inland waterway also bypasses the busiest areas (Miami or Ft. Lauderdale) and the navigationally complex Florida Keys.
Hurricane Matthew (Oct. 2016) damaged some floating buoys and channel markers in this area. Seek local knowledge in advance of approach or read the US Coast Guard “Notice to Mariners” for the most recent buoy positions and shoaling alerts
Position:
27° 09.90’N, 80° 09.00’W (inlet entrance)
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Related to following destinations: Florida, Stuart / St. Lucie, USA
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We stayed 5 weeks at the Sunset Bay Marina and Anchorage in April and May 2017 before we crossed the Atlantic back to Germany. We cleared in West Palm Beach and motored the ICW to Stuart. We reserved a berth some weeks before because the marina has been recommended to us from other American sailors. We did not regret it. The marina is nicely located on the St. Lucie River, close to the small town of Stuart, accessible via a nice “River Walk”.
We liked the nice atmosphere of the place. The marina is beautifully designed and offers everything a sailor needs: Good docks with power and water, excellent and clean showers and toilets, laundry, air conditioned “Captains Lounge” etc. etc. checkwww.sunsetbaymarinaandanchorage.com. The marina office is well organized and the staff very friendly. We made use of the courtesy bicycles every day in order to get to the grocery stores or the beaches. The dockage fees are reasonable. Stuart offers everything you might need for your boat: West Marine store, DIY stores, various workshops, etc. The St. Lucie River is shallow but with 1,8 meters (6 feet) draft accessible. Options for provisioning for the Atlantic crossing are excellent, the best in 4 years cruising.