Monday, December 1, 2008

Last Days in Vero Beach to First Days in Stuart

Blue Heaven Rendezvous #17
Vero Beach Completed


Saturday, November 29, 2008

Another free bus ride to the Publix grocery store to purchase the things we could not carry on the last trip on Tuesday. Worked on the blog, went down to the exclusive shops along the beach for some window shopping while Al stayed back and watched a football game in the cruiser’s lounge.

Sunday, November 30, 2008

We did a first today. We rode our bikes to church. They even had a bike rack for the cruisers. The wind was blowing quite a bit, so we got a work out going against it. Coming back to the marina was a cinch.

After lunch we were going to go to shore but the clouds rolled in and it rained. When it stopped, we took our chances and went in to get our bikes which we have had t the bike rack since arriving. We needed to break them down and pack them since we are leaving for Stuart tomorrow. After one load of laundry and packing the bikes, back to the boat we went before the worst storm hit. Wind and rain in buckets came while we were safe and sound on Blue Heaven. So it does rain in paradise. Look at the streaks of rain being blown across the water!

Now there is something I have been meaning to write about since North Carolina, but kept forgetting. We are thankful that Jeannie on Estelle mentioned it the night before we heard our first weird sounds in the boat. Otherwise, I think we would have thought we had a rodent or cockroaches on board. Usually at night you can hear a very distinct snap and crackle sound. Sort of like Rice Krispies without the pop! If you put your ear near the floor it is even louder. We were told it is krill or shrimp feeding off the growth on the bottom of the boat. It is something helpful, while I know I would have thought our boat was infested if we had not been told. It is so loud at times in Vero Beach, I thought it might keep me awake, but the fresh air just seems to knock me out.







Monday, December 1, 2008

We motored all the way to Stuart, FL where we will be staying for December and January. Somewhere along the way, we were not even sure when, but the water changed to a pretty shade of blue. We got into our slip at Harborage Yacht Club and Marina around 1:30pm. Luckily, the winds were not blowing but the dockhand had to encourage a manatee out of slip until we could pull in. Luke and Jeannie McLaughlin from our sailing club were there to greet us.

Later that evening we celebrated our arrival going with three couples to a restaurant that serves the most delicious ribs. One of the couples was Trudy and Dave whom we met back on the street in the Solomon Islands in October!

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Luke and Jeannie who rented a car showed us all around the area to give us our bearings of where things are. There are the typical stores such as Target, Kohls, CVS, Home Depot, Wall Mart, and Kmart which are out on the highway for anything you might need. The actual town of Stuart across the bridge from the marina has a lot of quaint stores and interesting restaurants.

Al and I biked over to the town and did the river walk and stopped at the Chamber of Commerce for information about the area and the maps we will need.

Wednesday, December 03, 2008

Once again Luke helped by taking us to get our propane tanks filled. Later Al and I biked about 3 miles to a hardware store to get coaxial cable for our TV since the marina has cable available at each slip. Now we will be able to have 97 channels. I don’t feel we are quite in paradise anymore! We are definitely back to civilization for a while.




This will be my last blog entry for awhile. Once we get back (we are going home to Lancaster for the holidays) and start moving south again, probably around the end of January, I will start again. Hope you have a wonderful and healthy holiday.

Arleen