Velcro Beach

Mile 952.7~ Vero Beach, FL - We made it ! Our first destination and it was 76 degrees when we arrived. How easily we forget the cold until we were doing laundry with other cruisers who were all saying the same thing - they came from Canada or the Chesapeake and have been freezing ! These dolphins swam with us in the Indian River on our way south today. They are awesome and we never tire of them. I was on the bowsprit trying to get their photo and Tiller was 2 front feet over and oohing and aweing himself. Theylove to swim in the bow wake.

Velcro Beach so called because cruisers get stuck here. After travelling without daily shower, easy access groceriesVero sort of has it all . We have a free bus to take us to Publix grocery, walmart – the fantastic and beautiful large library. The municipal marina is in a nice residential neighborhood with tree lined shady streets. ¾ mile walk east gets us to the ocean beach as well as a bit of a shopping area. We have a bath house and laundry facilities though at $3.50 per load – no bargain. But what we are in is a very safe, relatively small lagoon rafted to another boat – they sometimes raft us 3 abreast. A bit like a floating motorhome park? A commune? I don’t know – there are about 150 boats here so competition for tieing up at the dingy dock, getting a washer/dryer and shower is a bit stiff at times. Living with a next door neighbor literally inches away takes some getting used to but we know many a boater who have become long time friends after being rafted and getting to know each other. Myself – I will miss the quiet of our solo anchorages while I too enjoy the amenities. Going to put my bike on shore this afternoon and ride to the beach.(sunday) ...