February 8, 2017-February 18, 2017
After leaving St. Augustine we made a quick 3 day trip to Vero Beach stopping in quiet anchorages along the way. Vero Beach is a popular stop for cruisers and I can see why. It is our first sub-tropical stop and has the wonderful weather we have been looking forward to. The nickname for this town with cruisers is "Velcro Beach" because so many people get stuck here. Our neighbors in the marina stopped for a few days and are still here three years later.
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| With sunsets like this every evening you can see why people stay here. |
After taking the dinghy over to the Riverside Cafe for lunch I decided to find the beach. I checked my compass (on my iPhone) and headed east. I stopped to buy a cupcake from an enterprising young boy who had set up a stand and got some more specific directions from his mother. It was about three mile walk (including the return trip), but so worth it to finally see turquoise water lapping a white sand beach. Such a fabulous beach day for walking the beach and playing in the waves. I can see us staying here for an extended stop sometime in the future, but since we lost so much time having the engine replaced we are only here long enough to make some repairs, provision, get the cat's health certificates, and rest up a bit.
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| Can you believe the color of this water? |
On Tuesday we rented a car from Enterprise and started the provisioning process. On Wednesday I drove to Sarasota to check in on my dear friend Claire who has been in a rehabilitation center for the past two weeks after a bout with pneumonia. She looked so much better than when I last saw her in the hospital, but she was still on oxygen. Her care team had a meeting with her while I was there and they discussed her progress and have scheduled her discharge for March 1st, but are doubtful that she will be able to stop using the oxygen. Having to continue the oxygen at home was a big disappointment for her. It's uncomfortable and hampers movement because of the long tubes involved. I left the facility after multiple hugs and "I love you's". It was a difficult parting since it will be at least three months before I see her again.
Checking the long term weather forecast we have determined that the best time to cross the Gulf Stream will be late next Tuesday night (February 20, 2017). We will travel all night in order to reach the Bahamas when the sun is high in the sky so we can see and avoid any coral reefs. We've been planning this trip for three years and have been on our way to the Bahamas since October 4, 2016 so it's almost unbelievable that our crossing is so close. We will leave Vero Beach early in the morning and travel to Lake Worth to wait for the right weather to cross.
I'm excited and a little apprehensive. This will all be totally new to me, anchoring in beautiful clear waters close to uninhabited islands, snorkeling every day, eating the provisions we have put by to compensate for Bahamas lack of provisions (not many stores on uninhabited islands), and being wifi and iPhone free in many areas. I'm looking forward to this dream of ours to finally come true, but leaving the mainland and all its advantages is a big step. I'll happily make the leap!!
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| You can see why it's hard to leave the beauty we have right here in the USA! |
If all goes as we have planned my next blog will be from the Bahamas.
Thank you for reading my blog.
