Hanging Out in Vero Beach Waiting for the Weather

We were up before sunrise in Port Canaveral yesterday. It is a very busy place. We watched a number of cruise ships depart on Friday evening. An NCL ship had quietly slipped into the harbor overnight and another one came in as the sun was rising in the background. It's amazing to watch these behemoths stealthily enter and leave the harbor.

We travelled about 64 miles to get from Cape Canaveral to Vero Beach and have now moved more than 200 miles south of Jacksonville. After going through the Cape Canaveral Lock and a couple of drawbridges that we had to have opened, we joined the Indian River and were back on the ICW. The Indian River is a long body of water that passes by Cocoa Village, Eau Gallie, Melbourne and Merritt Island on the east side. It was nice and quiet in the morning. Once we got to Melbourne the Saturday afternoon boat traffic made an appearance and the waterway became really busy. Boats darting all around, fishermen everywhere, pontoon boats out enjoying the beautiful day. We were constantly changing speed to keep from swamping all of the smaller boats. The jet skiers loved to see us coming as they enjoyed jumping the huge wake our boat produces. A lot of cruisers avoid being out on the water on the weekends. I can understand why and may take that attitude next time.

We arrived at the Vero Beach Marina around 2:15pm and got our mooring ball assignment, lucky 13. This is a very well known mooring field among the cruising crowd. It is protected and calm on all sides. This is especially important considering the rain and winds expected over the next few days. We think we may just stay here until it all passes over.

The Vero Beach Marina does something unique, rafting as many as 3 boats on a single mooring ball. Most places only have one boat per ball. We are rafted up with a couple from New Hampshire that have been here for a month on their catamaran. They are planning to go to the Bahamas as well. I was very curious as to how this would all work, but so far it is very nice. The catamaran had all of their fenders out and we were tied up in no time. Sometimes you feel a little isolated when anchored out or on a mooring ball, so it is nice to have neighbors. They are very friendly and very helpful. We had them over at cocktail hour to sit on the flybridge and socialize. The weather was perfect! Comfortable temperature and no bugs. We are enjoying the boat the way it was meant to be enjoyed.

The fuses that I ordered from Defender were here when we arrived. Defender provides excellent service and carries a huge inventory. I installed the fuse and now our bow thruster is back in operation. I learned a few years ago that when you replace an item, buy a couple (or a few) so that you have spares for the next time. I'm hoping we can get some service on the Seakeeper this week, and then we will have everything working...................until the next thing breaks.