The Nostalgia Tour

We are settling into daily life in Marathon.  Boot Key Harbor has over 200 boats on mooring balls and many more at surrounding marinas or at anchor in the shallows.  The harbor is protected from all directions, and, although we are as far away from the community dinghy dock and facilities as one could be, due to our deep draft, it is still a relatively short ride in to the lounge, laundry, bike racks, and showers. Within a mile are a number of restaurants, some accessible by dinghy, West Marine, and a great grocery store. In Marathon, life is easy.

Morning coffee in the hammock chair

In Marathon, life is also busy, and the days fly by.  We get our new bikes via UPS and have them serviced at a local bike shop, so now we have wheels again.  A favorite ride is heading west along a busy US Route 1 on a bike trail to the beginning of the famed Seven Mile Bridge. 

At the end of the Old Seven Mile Bridge with our friend Sally - breakfast at the Stuffed Pig was to follow

Here traffic flies by on the new bridge while a two mile section of the old bridge remains available to walkers and bikers.  We pedal along enjoying vistas in all directions of the milky green waters of the Keys with a multitude of mangrove islands dotting the northern exposures.  If you stop and patiently look into the clear waters below, one can see much aquatic life.  We find tarpon, turtles, nurse sharks, a bonnet head shark (a small relative of the hammerhead shark), and needle fish. The old bridge stops at Pigeon Key, now an historical landmark.  At one time it was a headquarters for Henry Flagler’s construction company which built the original railroad through the Keys.

We take dinghy excursions through Old Woman’s Creek, exploring the canal front neighborhoods and heading out to the ocean side of Marathon and Sombrero Beach, a city public park.  Sitting under a palm tree with our toes in sand is a delightful way to spend an afternoon.

We tour the nearby Turtle Hospital. After a talk on the endangered species of turtles that inhabit these waters, we visit behind the scenes of the hospital.  The operating suites are first class, and we see one turtle in the recovery room.  Medical issues effecting turtles include ensnarement in fishing nets and lines, unfortunate encounters with props and speeding boat hulls, and a peculiar type of tumor. This is one of the few facilities in North American licensed to do surgery on endangered turtles. Outside, at this one time bayside motel is a large salt water swimming pool, now a holding tank for recovering turtles and those turtles that will never be able to be released to the wild. Visitors can feed the turtles, attracting them to the side where we observe the sizable green and loggerhead turtles. Nearby are smaller tanks with turtles isolated and healing from surgery, diseases, or injuries.

This Loggerhead Turtle seemed especially attracted to the visitors

We visit Crane Point Nature Center, a secluded tract of bayside land, right in the middle of Marathon. 

View over Florida Bay from Crane Point

We walk through dense tropical hammock, enjoy vista over Florida Bay, and see the restored home of Bahamian immigrant George Adderley, the oldest home in the Keys outside of Key West. 

Over 100 years old, the Adderley house is similar to ones we still see in the Bahamas

Also in the property is a wild bird rescue center where injured birds are rehabilitated. On display are osprey, hawks, cormorants, and a hoard of pelicans.  We get to pet a pelican and touch its gullet, the thin baggy skin along its neck. 

Pelicans aren't too bright, so there are plenty that get themselves in trouble and need a helping hand.

As a non-profit, Crane Point is struggling financially, and its directors have recently decided to install a zip line through the hammock to generate revenue, causing considerable controversy in Marathon.  

We head out in the boat to Sombrero Reef, about three miles south of Boot Key Harbor. It is an unusually calm day, but we still have a swell coming over the reef which rocks the boat after we tie to one of the sanctuary mooring balls.  Here at the reef we discover two other boats we know that happen to be docked at a nearby marina.  We have a pleasant snorkel on the reef although the clarity of the water does not come close to what we had seen in the Bahamas. With wet suits on, we are sufficiently comfortable to spend almost a half an hour just floating in the water and visiting with our friends.

And, we spend time socializing. Happy hours include rendezvousing with friends we have made along the way and making new friends with a number of mooring neighbors. We venture to the marina Tiki Hut for evening jam sessions with local musicians, and head over to a nearby restaurant for weekly luncheons with the Seven Seas Cruising Association group. 

A portion of the accurate depiction of Ocean Blvd. in Miami Beach made completely from Legos - a quirky feature at the restaurant hosting the SSCA lunch

Some of the more experienced cruisers and local marine service contractors present seminars on technical issues including alternative energy, battery usage, and ham radio, along with several other talks on cruising destinations.  

Over 75 people attending this excellent seminar on cruising the Exumas

It is safe to assume, no one is bored here.

But, in keeping with our title of “The Nostalgia Tour”, we take a week and sail further west to Key West. In protected Hawk’s Channel, the water is a spectacular assortment of greens, with the tones modulated from above by clouds and sunshine, and below by the either sand or sea grass bottom. 

Burt enjoys the sail down to Key West

Tour boats greet us at the entrance to the Key West Channel

Again, this is a destination we have visited many times in the past.  We take a mooring ball in the distant mooring field after transiting a narrow and shallow channel. The dinghy ride into the dinghy dock takes about 15 minutes, but the weather is mild and we stay relatively dry. Once in town, our bicycles prove invaluable. There is a wide concrete bike trail that runs along the entire circumference of the coast, and we enjoy several rides beside the sparkling waters, sandy beaches, and mangrove estuaries. 

Egrets and one of the infamous roosters beg for treats along the beachside bike trail

We spend a day at the beach at Fort Zachary Taylor State Park, lounging under the Australians pines that rim the waterfront. 

The beach at Fort Zachery Taylor State Park

One afternoon we take a tour of the Truman White House, the restored home on what was once a naval base, that President Truman used during his administration for retreats, vacations, and visits with foreign dignitaries. 

Exterior of the Truman White House - we weren't allowed to take pictures inside

Several evenings, we venture into Mallory Square to watch the chaos.  Large crowds of tourists watch the assorted street performers and musicians against a backdrop of various schooners and the setting sun. Sunset is indeed a full scale production here. 

Just another Key West sunset

Juggler/unicycle rider at Mallory Square

Defying description, the Crazy Cat man is one of the biggest attractions - suffice it to say an article on him in the Wall Street Journal mentioned that he put his four children through Ivy League schools on the tips.

Jugglers, unicycle riders, and the crazy cat man draw most of the attention, but we gravitate to a quieter end and enjoy the reggae/ Caribbean guitar music of Mustafa. 

Mustafa give a concert on Mallory Square - he was ranked by PBS's All Things Considered at the top street musician in the country.

And, naturally, we spend some time at the haunts on Duval Street. People watching used to be sport here, but these days the population is more conventional, especially as huge cruise ships discharge their passengers on an almost daily basis.  The music is still good, though, and we enjoy several wonderful meals out at some of our favorite restaurants.

Finally, we happen to arrive in Key West just prior to Key West Race Week, one of the premier race series in North America. High tech racing boats arrive daily, and we visit the area and converse with some of the crews assembling these boats. We’re not talking low budget efforts – the Melges 32’s arrive with impressive chase boats and sizable trailers for supplies while the TP 52’s have one or two air conditioned regulation sized containers apiece full of sails, rigging, and repair shops.  

One of the TP52's sitting along the quay

These boat hail from all over the world, but we are pleased to see two from Lake Erie and enjoy chatting with one crew out of Edgewater Yacht Club in Cleveland.

We leave Key West on a day with mild south winds, something that is unusual during winter when strong easterly are generally a given.  We arrive back in Marathon after a pleasant motor sail of almost 50 miles and pick up our mooring in the protected harbor – a good thing as later that night a strong cold front comes through leaving us with brisk north winds and temperatures in the 60’s, something we haven’t seen in several months. It’s good to be back in Marathon as the mooring field at Key West is exposed to the north and would be fairly uncomfortable.  We spend the following days as before, but are also now preparing to head to the Bahamas.  We await one last mail delivery, finish stocking the boat, make final repairs while supplies are available, and wait for an appropriate weather window to head either to Bimini or straight to Nassau if possible. Our time in the Keys has been easy and relaxing, and we now feel up to the challenge of a Gulf Stream crossing and travels through foreign waters. If only the weather gods will give us the weather we will need for the crossing….

Christmas in Miami

As promised, on Tuesday our solar panels arrive in Stuart, albeit, a few hours later than expected.  At 10:30 am they are at the boat, and by noon they are fastened on the framework and we are casting off docklines.  We are off to an anchorage at the mouth of the Lake Worth Inlet, a mere 35 miles away.  The ICW passes through picturesque Hobe Sound with many lovely homes situated between the waterway and the coastal beaches.  

Notice the trellis on the chimney of this house - very attractive

Another beautiful house along the ICW

It seems leisurely until we realize that the bridges that must open for our passage are all timed which causes us to wait for openings at several points.  Sunset threatens as our pace slows down. After all, this is December 18, and our days are painfully short. We have never been through this area before, and it is ill advised to ply the ICW after dark.  It is 6 pm and the last glow of sunset faintly illuminates us as we drop anchor at our planned destination. On shore are the huge mansions of Palm Beach, many spectacularly decorated with Christmas lights. 

The alarm goes off at 2 am. We pull anchor and head out the well buoyed inlet to the Atlantic Ocean.   

What's the attraction of  blue water sailing - how about this sunrise?

We are timing our arrival in Miami to coincide with a favorable tidal current and in this case, our calculations are right on.  

Entering the Port of Miami

 We come into the harbor, make the turn to go through some very shallow water at high tide, and drop anchor in a lagoon between man-made residential islands.  Looking east we can see the buildings of South Beach and to the west is the skyline of Miami proper.  To the south over a causeway are the many huge cruise ships that come and go into the Port of Miami. We have been told there is much to do and see here.  We take the dinghy into a canal that almost bisects Miami Beach.  What we see are graffiti decorated bridges, floating trash, and, to our surprise, three iguanas in a tree overhanging the canal.  

Check out the three iguanas - we thought they were plastic at first and then  one blinked

It leaves us with mixed feelings.  The next day we take our bikes into South Beach to have a better look around.  Traffic is insane, and twice I am almost hit by cars. Latino machismo is decidedly on display. The famous Lincoln Rd., a pedestrian thoroughfare, is packed with people gawking at the exclusive shops and chic sidewalk cafes.  It seems almost everyone is on a cell phone and unaware of other walkers or bicyclers in the congestion.  We hear a variety of foreign languages. It looks like it could be a very interesting place for people watching from an open air restaurant, but something is a little unsettling about the populace, and I keep my purse well protected. There is a lovely bike trail through the dunes that form the Atlantic coast. On one side is a beautiful beach crammed with rows of rental umbrellas and chaises.  On the other side are swank hotels with lush landscaped pool areas. The southern most tip consists of park land (again with visible graffiti) backed by huge high rise condos. 

The view north from the southern tip of South Beach

It is indeed a dramatic contrast of wealth and poverty, tourists and shady looking characters.  

The next day we decide to head back to South Beach and take an audio tour of the Art Deco district.  South Beach is famous for its collection of Art Deco hotels and other buildings.  Since Miami is a relatively young city, much of its growth occurred between the late 20’s and World War II. Architects chose to use different varieties of Art Deco design as it reflected the era’s interest in burgeoning technology and was also an inexpensive way to construct buildings that had a distinctively artistic flavor. 

A private home in the Spanish Art Deco style

A hotel facade that suggests rocket ships of the1930's vintage

An Ocean Blvd. hotel sporting colors popular in the Art Deco era

The interesting and informative tour takes us almost two hours, and when we return to the starting point, the Art Deco Information Center, we find our bikes, which were secured with a sturdy lock in a very open area, are gone.  We rush into the Center, and the receptionist is quite shocked and sends us to the nearby police station.  Within a block we come upon a policeman on bicycle and tell him what has happened.  He puts out an immediate APB and points us in the direction of the station.  When we report the theft, the officer is sympathetic, but his body language tells us it is hopeless – our bikes are gone for good. His parting words are “Stay safe out there”, repeated three times.  We beat a hasty retreat to the safety of our boat.

As much as I want to get out of Miami, we decide to stay through Christmas.  We host a happy hour on our boat for the two other nearby anchored boats, a catamaran with a British couple and a trimaran from Michigan whose owners know some of our past friends from the multihull community.  On Christmas Day friends we sailed with last winter and spring in the Bahamas come over from another anchorage for a full fledged Christmas dinner. This year they will only cruise in southern Florida as they just purchased a home in Vero and will be settling there after seven years as full time liveaboards, selling their beloved boat.  It is a bittersweet moment for them.

The day after Christmas we make a short trip down to Biscayne Bay and No Name Harbor in Bill Beggs State Park, passing by the dramatic Miami skyline. The stylish buildings have a Latin twist making them more interesting than most in big cities.  

Interesting Miami building

Miami skyline looking up the Miami River

Our destination is a place where many people stage for crossing over to the Bahamas, and since this morning the window for making the crossing is ideal, the harbor is empty and we are able to anchor in its protection.  The dinghy is launched, and we spent a delightful and relaxing day on the Atlantic beach.  Something here just feels safer and more comfortable, and the views can’t be beat.

Leaving No Name Harbor we motor past Stiltsville and out of Biscayne Bay.  

Several of the remaining Stiltsville homes

Stiltsville is an historic area in the Bay where people built small homes above the protected waters of the bay.  Many have been torn down or destroyed by hurricanes, but a few remain and are occupied occasionally. There is much ongoing debate over the future preservation of the Stiltsville area. Thus, we begin our “nostalgia tour” into the Keys, anchoring off Rodriguiz Key near Key Largo

Sunset at the Rodriguez Key anchorage we shared with two other boats.

and then making the rest of the trip to Marathon the following day in beautiful sailing conditions. It is blowing 12-15 knots on our beam, the water is flat, and we give our recently re-cut sails a test.  The boat performs as desired, and we are making over seven knots of speed.  This is what Keys sailing is all about, skimming over translucent smooth water, and we have the best sail we have had since leaving the Bahamas. The downside to the Keys for our deep draft boat is the depth.  We arrive at Marathon right at low tide and anchor off the entrance to Boot Key Harbor until the tide begins to rise and other boats passing though the entrance report sufficient depth for us. We get a mooring ball in the deepest part of the harbor and settle down to stay at least until the new bikes we have ordered arrive, as this is a reasonable place to have mail and packages shipped.  And, we call this our “nostalgia tour” as we have spent many wonderful weeks down here over the years, windsurfing and later cruising our trimaran.  We feel like we have arrived at home.

Grinding to a Halt

Thanksgiving Day in Vero dawns with blue skies, mild temperatures, and a pleasant breeze.  This is the day we have been long anticipating.  A record number of cruisers and some land based retired cruisers gather at a first class park pavilion near the marina.  We come bearing an amazing array of potluck dishes to accompany the many donated turkeys and hams – it is going to be a memorable feast. We grab the last available table, joined by our Australian friends, Claire and Andrew, another couple we met at the Annapolis Gam in 2011 and see occasionally along the way, and a couple new to cruising.  

Site of our Thanksgiving dinner on the porch overlooking the water

It proves to be an amicable group as we enjoy the feast and chat about all our sailing experiences.  After dinner we are entertained by musicians on the deck and a raffle of items donated to the cruisers’ Thanksgiving by local merchants.  Claire and Andrew are the big winners, with Andrew receiving a gift certificate for a local seafood shop and Claire claiming a harmonica, complete with neck holder.  Now, Claire has never played a harmonica and perhaps never even seen one before.  We laugh to think of their fellow Australians’ reaction – so, American Thanksgiving includes the distribution of harmonicas?!?  But Claire is a diligent student and within a day she has almost mastered When the Saints Go Marching In. 

The happy winners - cover your ears!

At the conclusion of the day, I am “awarded” a plaque emblazoned with “Regulation Basket Weaving” by retiring cruiser and friend Sue Scheidt.  For years Sue has overseen the basketmaking group in Georgetown, Exumas, and she is now passing on that responsibility to me.  I have to question her judgment, though, as all the baskets I made last year resembled modern art since none were the least bit symmetrical. Woe be it to the poor souls I instruct this year, but I’ll give it my best shot. 

Sue, Prue, and the handover of the awesome responsibility

With Thanksgiving over, everyone is busy preparing to leave Vero.  I beg our musician friends, Bentley and Jim from Salty Paws, to play at one more happy hour at the marina on Friday evening.  Despite the last minute arrangements, we have a huge turnout and people stay well beyond dark.  

Bentley, Jim, and friends provide music for happy hour

Tomorrow most will be heading further south, and it will be a long time before a group of cruisers this size will congregate again.

The next morning we grab Claire and Andrew and dinghy over to our favorite breakfast place on the shore.  We have a leisurely meal, take a walk along the boardwalk, and bid them farewell.   

Claire and Andrew on their way to breakfast in their Australian flagged dinghy

They will leave in the afternoon, heading to the Bahamas and then Cuba as soon as possible as their six month visa for the States is about to expire. After sailing with them off and on during the summer and fall, it is likely we will not see them again as their long range plans are to head across the Pacific to Australia.  That is the downside to cruising – the friendships can be wonderful and intense, but they often come to an abrupt end when boats permanently head in different directions.

So, a day later we head down to Stuart, an easy 30 mile motor on the ICW.   After a night on a mooring ball, we pull into a dock at a boatyard that Mack Sails uses for their rigging customers.  We are excited to get started, but they are a bit short handed, and all that is accomplished before we leave for Ohio is measuring the rig.  We hope to return to find the new rigging installed, but what could we have been thinking??  We’re dealing with the marine industry, and rule number one is to allow double the amount of time necessary to complete a project.  And, what else could we have been thinking? Just like Murphy, if anything can go wrong, it will.  Once we return to Stuart, all the rigging goes up easily except for the forestay and furler.  There is some galling between a cover and an interior piece of metal.  That portion of the furler is taken to a machine shop and repaired. When it comes time to reassemble the furler, it doesn’t go together properly.  Of course it is Friday evening and nothing more will be done until Monday morning.  We move from the expensive dock and anchor about a mile away.   

Rainbow while at anchor in Stuart - did I mention it rains at least a little everyday here?

Monday we return to the dock to find out if we had requested a monthly rate, it would have been much cheaper.  They take pity on us and refund us a goodly sum, and now we can stay at the dock for the rest of the month – fine if your plan is to be in Stuart for a month. Somehow Monday the gods are smiling on us and the furler miraculously goes together.  Loose ends are completed and the job with Mack Sails is done and is quite satisfactory. 

But, we’re not done.  Do refer back to rules number one and two. Burt orders a piece of bent stainless to support the solar panels from another source.  It takes over a week for someone to come out to the boat to take measurements.  Once that is complete we wait several more days for the material to arrive, a few more days for someone to get around to bending it, and an extra day before delivery as the owner (who, incidentally, had worked for many years with Micky Rupp of Mansfield renown) has decided to go duck hunting.  When it finally arrives it is three inches too short, so it goes back to the shop for welding and several days later it show up and is installed.  Now that we have a place to put the solar panels, we are ready to order them from a source in Fort Lauderdale.  It will take a day for them to ship to Stuart, we are told. Friday we anxiously wait the arrival of the panels but nothing shows up, and late in the day we give them a call to find out that their computer crashed and all the orders were lost.  Back to square one, and with a weekend intervening, it will take four more days to get the panels. 

Negotiating the monthly dockage plan now seems like a good idea as we will be in Stuart for almost a month. Now, Stuart is not a bad place.  We are at a nice dock with water and power, although it is a boatyard right next to a very active, noisy railroad line. There are no other amenities at the yard, and it is a bit lonely here as virtually all the other boats are uninhabited.  We can bike just about everywhere, including a huge mall area with all the standard stores, an excellent grocery store, a laundromat that is a bit far, and all the attractive shops and restaurants in the restored downtown portion of Stuart.  We long to get back underway, though, and look forward to spending Christmas in Miami if all goes well. We are decked out with solar powered LED lights around the cockpit and a small artificial Christmas tree (with LED lights, also, as power conservation on a sail boat is a big consideration) below decks. But, it just won’t seem like Christmas until we can rejoin our friends in the cruising community. Thus, we have ground to a halt.

Skipping Southward

We are trying to leave Savannah and the Thunderbolt Marina but the weather gods just aren’t on our side.  Hurricane Sandy is long past, but we are left with strong northerly winds and disturbed seas.  We are in contact with an Australian boat docked in Savannah proper and plan to do the next passage in the company of this skipper who is on his second circumnavigation.  By email, we communicate our concerns with the weather and postpone our departures enough times that we move to an anchorage in a nearby creek to await the window we want, avoiding additional dockage charges.  This is an area of 8 – 9 foot tides, and we feel we are riding an elevator up and down in the marsh grasses.  

Near high tide along the Wilmington River with the Savannah Yacht Club in the distance

Low tide from the same vantage point - where did everything go?

 Finally, we get what seems to be a decent forecast and exit the Wassau Inlet in a wandering and shallow pathway out to the ocean.  Within an hour, the wind picks up and the short period waves roll us in all different directions.  Thirty unpleasant hours later, we arrive in St. Augustine, negotiating the always shoaling channel with no difficulty. Both our Aussie companion boat and we comment that the passage is the closest we have ever come to getting sea sick, and all of us are happy to be tied up to a mooring at the municipal facility in the shadow of the Bridge of Lions and back on solid ground. 

The beginning of the Bridge of Lions with part of the mooring field in the background

We have been eagerly anticipating our visit to historic St. Augustine, the oldest continually inhabited European settlement in North America.  With the Spanish fort, Castillo de San Marcos (construction started in 1672) dominating the waterfront and narrow winding streets composing the old city, the place oozes charm and quaintness. A group of cruisers are gathering that night at an English pub, and we are invited to join them.  It’s a Saturday and the streets are packed with tourists, but the twinkling white lights, candlelit windows, and live music emanating from patios and balconies, remind us of similar streets in old European cities.  It is totally delightful. We get wind of a free concert the next day and make our way by bicycle to the St. Augustine Amphitheater, an outdoor venue at the south end of Anastasia State Park.  Florida will formally begin a celebration of the 500^th anniversary of Spain’s claim to the peninsula in 2013, and this is one of the opening events.  We are treated to a concert by the Cuban National Symphony Orchestra which is making a goodwill tour of the United States.  From the opening rousing rendition of our National Anthem, to Beethoven’s Fifth, to Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue with a tango/jazz twist to the piano solo, it is outstanding and especially memorable due to the location of the 4000 seat amphitheater in a tropical hammock. It also leaves us thirsting to visit Cuba, something currently illegal for US citizens. 

We save exploration of the tourist sites to the weekdays when things will be less crowded. First stop is a climb of the St. Augustine Lighthouse that we saw upon entering the inlet. At 165 feet high, it is a bit of a hike but worth every inch to see the view from the top. 

St. Augustine Lighthouse

View from top of the lighthouse - notice the breakers outside the inlet? STAY AWAY FROM THOSE!

Nearby, also on Anastasia Island, is Anastasia State Park with its miles of spectacular undeveloped beach.

Beautiful beach at Anastasia Island State Park

 With less traffic on the streets we cruise on bikes through century old neighborhoods, down narrow commercial streets, now sporting tourist shops and restaurants, 

Street in St. Augustine, now just for pedestrians

and through the grounds of Flagler College, housed partly in the large, striking hotel built by Henry Flagler. It was an ancillary to his famous railroad line down the Florida peninsula which signaled the true beginning of the tourist industry in Florida. 

Flagler's hotel, now a building on the campus of Flagler College

Finally, we visit the Castillo de San Marcos, now a part of the National Park System. This huge structure has been totally renovated and houses may displays documenting the Spanish occupation of Florida. 

Interior of the fort

We marvel at the collection of ornate Spanish cannons and enjoy the vistas of the surrounding waters.

Details of a cannon dating from the 1500"s

 

View from the fort over surrounding waters

 We have been in St. Augustine for five days and would be willing to stay longer, but the cold weather is catching up with us, so we begin the trek further south, this time avoiding the disturbed seas and opting for the ICW instead.  From this point south we do not have to worry as much about depths and shoaling.  The two and a half day trip to Vero Beach combines passing by communities such as Cocoa, New Smyrna, and Melbourne with long stretches through sanctuary land. We see plenty of dolphins and birds along the way and especially enjoy an area of the Merritt Island Wildlife Sanctuary (near Cape Canaveral) where large colonies of birds inhabit the fill islands created by dredging the ICW. 

Near Haulover Canal on the ICW - this island sports white and brown pelicans and roseate spoonbills

Coming into Vero is like coming home as we are familiar with the ins and outs of this cruiser friendly community. The municipal marina has a large protected mooring field where we meet up with many of the cruisers we know from last winter. Since the facility is so popular, you are required to raft with up to three boats at a single mooring ball. Luckily we are assigned a companion boat we know quite well. Tom and Sandy sail with their cat Dory and suddenly we also have a cat.  She easily jumps between the two boats and spends hours exploring the nooks and crannies in Exuberant, taking a special interest in Burt who she basically follows all day long.  In the mornings we are greeted by a pair of beady eyes peering through the porthole and a meow asking won’t we come out and play. We are wondering if we will end up with a stow-away.  

Dory soaks up the sun on our dark hatch and keeps a watchful eye on Burt as he dangles from the top of the mast

We have lots of boat projects to complete and are also provisioning and outfitting our floating home for the next six months.  The free city bus picks us up at the marina and provides access to just about any national chain store imaginable along with several options for grocery stores.  It is a process of purchasing, inventorying, and storing large quantities of necessities.  This is also a place we can easily accept packages so many items are ordered via the internet.  Finally, Burt spends several days installing a new LED anchor/trilight/strobe light on the top of the mast and begins the more challenging project of installing solar panels over our bimini, a job that will be completed further down the road.

But, it is not all work.  Vero is a sociable place. Thursday night is the weekly cruisers’ happy hour with potluck hors d’ouvres and boating musicians providing guitar and banjo tunes under the live oaks and picnic shelter.  Later that evening, we are joined by a friend from Ohio who works as a captain on a trawler and the trawler’s owner for dinner via dinghy at a nearby restaurant, giving us the opportunity to catch up on all the Lake Erie news. We enjoy biking through the nearby neighborhoods and along the ocean beaches.  With the endless days of strong northerly winds, along with Sandy’s initial destruction, the beaches are seriously eroding, and in one day we note that perhaps five feet of sand bank has disappeared.   

The waves have washed away much of the sand along this beach

Sunday we take dinghies with our mooring neighbors to a small, open air oceanside restaurant for breakfast under palm trees overlooking the crashing waves and later take a walk along the boardwalk to work off the indulgence.   

What a great spot for breakfast - and you can get there by dinghy

We visit a large farmer’s market and happily purchase freshly picked Florida oranges and stop by a huge nautical flea market where Burt finds hardware he needs for the solar panel project at greatly reduced prices and I find the perfect windproof straw hat.  We ride our bikes to another beach and a casual restaurant where we sit in Adirondack chairs atop the sand banks, sipping drinks, and listening to guitar music. 

Relaxing by the shore

It’s not a bad life here in Vero!

Our cat owning friends have left and Australian friends we sailed with over the summer are on their way here.  We will stay through Thanksgiving when the marina and community put on a huge Thanksgiving dinner for the cruisers.  Vero merchants make donations and a group of local former cruisers called the C.L.O.D.s (cruisers living on dirt) cook up the turkeys.  The rest of us bring side dishes to a park pavilion where we stuff ourselves and enjoy more music under the swaying palms. A few days later we will leave what is fondly known as Velcro Beach for Stuart, Florida where the 20 year old standing (wire) rigging on our boat will be replaced. And during that time we will make a quick trip home to Mansfield to celebrate Burt’s Mom’s 90^th birthday with our children and grandchildren all in attendance. While we won’t be with family for Thanksgiving, we can hardly wait to see everyone just a few days later.