Stuart Florida Cruising

nika44 · #1 08-13-2009

We are deciding on Stuart FL for a winter cruising ground.

I used to live in Jupiter years ago and liked the are and we have found a marina in Stuart that can accommodate our sailboat. The bridge has a 65' limit so the mast on our 40' Beneteau will fit. We are looking to take one week per month off so we aren't looking for a ton of sailing. I was wondering if the temperatures and weather are nice enough, Dec thru APRIL. can you sail on the St Lucie river and do I need to worry about anything freezing on the boat when we are not there. I see there are some record cold temps every once in a while. Any help with making a decision would be appreciated.

One captain told us that 7 days from our Mystic CT home base to Stuart would be the base trip, we are looking to wait after hurricane season and leave 12/1 or so.

RealityCheck · #2 08-13-2009

I lived below you in Palm Beach County (Palm Beach and West Palm Beach) and above you in Brevard County ( Melbourne and Cocoa Beach). You may get a few hours of the air temps near freezing in Jan/ Feb of the year but if you on the water the water temps will still be warm enough to keep the boat well above freezing even if you didn't operate anything that would generate heat. If you used the Beneteau in Mystic in the early spring or late fall, you should have NO Problem with the Florida weather in the coldest of times!

JSailer · #3 08-13-2009

I live and sail in Stuart. It's a quiet and enjoyable place to spend the winter.
The St Lucie river offers some nice daysailing as long as you don't draw too much. Depending where your marina is, a quick trip out of the the inlet is a fun getaway

December through February, we do get cold fronts that bring in nice breezes for a few days (20+ knots) and it's a bit chilly on the water but it usually warms up a day later back to highs 70s low 80s.
Like previous posts said, freezing won't be an issue.

CaptainForce · #4 08-13-2009

All the minimal temperature you hear about in Florida are not the temperatures present on vessels that are immersed in the water. There might be a three day wave of below ferezzing lows, but that never brings the water temperature anywhere near freezing! 'take care and joy, Aythya crew