Jupiter Inlet - Current Condition

[StoutWench]

Seeking current conditions of the Jupiter Inlet. We will be aboard a 42' sailboat drawing 5'

Thanks

[riptide]

FORGET IT!!!!!!! Very shallow bar-without local day to day knowledge your asking for trouble.Also has very heavy current 5knts.+.Try Lake Worth {palm beach}inlet.By the way St. lucie isn't much better

[NormanMartin]

Lake Worth Inlet is an excellent suggestion. Beware of turning South and running aground just after you think you are in the Lake and all is well.

I tie up at Rivera Beach Marina when transiting the area on deliveries. Water depth is OK for the 6 footers I have taken there. The current is sometimes a problem.

[ka4wja]

Stoutwench,
1) Actually Jupiter Inlet is do-able.....(I have personal experiences), but not necessarily recommended for those who've not experienced it in varied conditions....
It isn't the easiest, as the inlet's channel center does shift, and shoal....but, it isn't the worst inlet either....

I've been thru it myself, many times, on 5' - 6' draft sailboats....
A Tayana 37' was the last one I went thru on, and we "touched" a bit on the way in, with only a 2' swell.....

I do NOT recommend the Jupiter Inlet for the unskilled or unprepared, and even those of us who have run it, don't do it with big east swells, nor a strong "wind against current".....
But, if you have good weather and you go thru at high tide, you should do okay....

A few months ago, a friend of a friend went thru with a "decent sea" (their words, so I'm not sure what that translates to in "feet"), on their 5' draft sailboat, and they "touched" a bit in the sand....but had no trouble getting in.....

And, recently I've read (local newspapers) that dredging operations, soon to be commenced, will help with the navigability of the inlet....

But, if you're coming in from a long passage and haven't been thru there before, I'd recommend either Lake Worth Inlet (to the south), or St. Lucie Inlet (to the North).....


2) As for the St. Lucie Inlet.....
It is very do-able!!!!!

Originally Posted by riptide

By the way St. lucie isn't much better

I'm not sure when the last time "riptide" was thru the St. Lucie Inlet, but I go thru all the time on my 6' 6" draft sailboat and have had no troubles in years.....(In addition to the past 6 years on my current 6' 6" draft sailboat, I've been thru this inlet on many other boats as well over the past 20 years.....and I can tell you bluntly that many years ago it wasn't great, but usually never as bad as some talk about on the internet...)

Yes, years ago (before the major dredging), it was a bit dicey for those with 6' drafts (sort of like Jupiter Inlet), but since the dredging of a few years ago, all is well.....

Because the inlet is a natural inlet / river mouth, the actual channel leading to the jettys does shift, but the USCG DOES move the channel markers whenever necessary......(which is why the markers are not put on the charts....)
Follow the markers and you'll be fine.....
As of a few months ago, the St. Lucie Inlet (all the way to the ICW) had depths of 12' - 16'......

But, if you were to wish to go further west, up the St. Lucie River (not the ICW), you'll find a shoal area near marker #2 (just as you leave the ICW, and are entering the St. Lucie River.....)
This area does get a bit thin at low tide (about 6'), but it is a narrow area, and it gets deeper after that.....

Please remember to differentiate the "St. Lucie Inlet", from the "St. Lucie River"........
The "inlet" is the inlet, going from the Atlantic to the ICW......
The "river" is from the ICW, westward (and northwestward).....
The "inlet" is NO worries for a 5' - 6' draft!!!!
The "river" does have a shoal area, just west of the ICW, and does have some thin water (6' - 7') as you get another few miles northward and northwestward.....

One other note, the St. Lucie River bottom here is very soft slit, and soft mud / soft sand....so even if you're heading up the River to some marinas, etc. and do it at low tide, it's usually just a "swosh" as you touch the bottom.....not a "thud"....


Sorry about all the details, but I thought you might want some info from someone with local knowledge and whose been thru these inlets many times.....


Fair winds...

John

[Ram]

Originally Posted by StoutWench

Seeking current conditions of the Jupiter Inlet. We will be aboard a 42' sailboat drawing 5'

Thanks

Pass on Jupiter inlet unless its only2-3 feet seas, I grew up there and my old man was in the Coast Gaurd, and I can remember a LOT of boats getting rolled and bodies floatin in, so with out local knowlage -- Lake Worth inlets only about 10-12 miles South and is about 50 feet deep, easy in any weather

[riptide]

ka4wja You sound like you have plenty of local knowledge of these inlets.I also do having grown up in the area {since 1964}.I agree that with KNOWLEDGE of the inlets that there's no problem,but without that experince why mess with them when you have Lake Worth inlet which is an easy transit even at night?

[nautical62]

Originally Posted by riptide

...but without that experince why mess with them when you have Lake Worth inlet which is an easy transit even at night?

Riptide, I've used the St. Lucie inlet several times for the following reasons:

1. When coming back from the Bahamas (West End), going to Lake Worth instead of directly to St. Lucie would have added a day, meant dealing with the ICW, it's currents and bridges and not working as much with the gulf stream. I see no reason to add a day to my travels and deal with the ICW, when I have the option to travel directly to a well marked inlet that at least during the day is easy to navigate. I've even sailed through it when I had no engine.

2. When heading south, I will exit through the St. Lucie if there is a north wind so I can sail and avoid all the bridges and current on the ICW. I can't speak to the Jupiter inlet, but while the St. Lucie inlet channel shifts, it has been well marked every time I've used it. (again day marks).

Another reason to exit before the Lake Worth inlet would be to take advantage of a weather window that won't last. That might save you a week of sitting and waiting. This year I crossed on a light northerly that was the only day in two weeks that was not a strong northerly. I was in Lake Worth, but I had been a day behind in Stuart, I would have left from there. (It's been a wonderful winter for cold fronts hasn't it?)

I agree that a nice thing about the Lake Worth inlet is that it is easy to navigate at night.

[countrybimm]

hey guys, im sitting in bimini now trying to decide for st lucie inlet or lake worth.lake worth looks easy, but as stating before would add a day on the ditch.i am heading to indian to put it on the dry for the summer.i draw 4'11''.conditions as of friday are looking like seas 2ft or less with 10kts from the south east.skipper broke his femur and now its up to me to get it back.just wonderin what people think on the st lucie idea.?

[nautical62]

Countrybimm, When I kept my boat in Indiantown I always used the St. Lucie when coming back from West End, but from Bimini or Cat, I went straight to Palm Beach and then out and up to the St. Lucie the next day. Going straight to St. Lucie was too long for a day sail for me.

Obviously one could go up the ditch, but weather permitting I prefer to miss all the bridges and current. One could obviously make this decision from Palm Beach or if the crossing is going really fast, divert and head directly to St. Lucie.

It's been a few years since I've used the St. Lucie, but people I've talked to say it has not changed significantly in recent years.

[countrybimm]

great thats kinda what i wanted to hear...i think im gunna leave around 3am from bimini and try to get a good start at night to give me the window of daylight to get into the channel.and if it doesnt seem like im making the time needed ill divert towards lake worth or such...thx for the info.

[countrybimm]

ran the inlet today with dead winds and hide tide.never saw less then 5 ft under the keel.worse part was all the sport fishers flying in throwing wakes like crazy...no problems at all.i could see this inlet being tough with low tide and high wind though.

[nautical62]

Countrybimm - glad it all went well.