Well, actually the warmest! Today the high in Vero Beach is forecasted to reach 86 DEGREES!! While our friends and family at home are experiencing what I like to call "Winter," we are experiencing what we know as "Summer," even though every music station is blasting "Winter Wonderland!" The lead shot is the mooring field at Vero Beach welcoming us to the party. We rafted up to another boat "El Rio." The couple aboard were French Canadian and very friendly, catching our lines as we exchanged greetings. Merci Beaucoup!

To rewind a bit and tell you how we got here, lets go back to our last anchorage: Fenandina Beach, FL. What a cute town despite the industrial presence from two huge paper factories. The historic area has been well preserved and is a great place for walking. Whether we were just admiring the architecture or searching for a quaint coffee shop, the offerings never failed to surprise us. Unfortunately, after this great first day in Florida, we learned of my Grandmother's passing and on Tuesday, I flew home via Jacksonville airport to be with my family. Maxwell and Anastasia stayed in Fernandina for four days toughing out some nasty weather while I was in Virginia. During this quality time together, he was able to focus on some projects that had been put on the back burner. Friday, I returned, and we spent two more nights before heading offshore, bound for Cape Canaveral.

Sunday: We awoke around 2AM to get underway. The tides are so strong through the inlet at St. Mary's, that it required an unconventional departure time. We caught an outgoing tide that made for a fast exit out of the inlet and found ourselves once again in the Atlantic. This time it was SO cold! I think Maxwell said it was 39 degrees when we left. This meant layers, lots of them. What we had been told was that when you are around the latitude of Daytona Beach, FL the temperature would begin to change. And it did!

The conditions offshore for the trip were pretty consistent with 15-20 knot winds and 3-5 foot seas. We were able to sail most of the way, beginning with a broad reach and eventually ended up close hauled as the wind veered from NE to E to SE. Check out our video, "St. Mary's Inlet to Cape Canaveral, FL," that Maxwell took at sunrise Monday morning.

I mentioned before about how nice it is to be offshore but not being alone. Throughout the passage we were in constant radio contact with other sailing vessels: Passport, Galena, Daphne, Elizabeth & Clear Day. Even if we are separated by as much as 25 miles, we still are reporting to each other our positions and observed weather.

We arrived in Cape Canaveral around 9AM to find cruise and casino ships lining the entrance. After passing through the 401 bridge opening and Cape Canaveral locks, where we saw manatees floating about everywhere, we found ourselves once again on the ICW. Our anchorage for the morning and night was Cocoa Beach, another cute town. After a long nap to catch up on much needed sleep we ventured ashore with our friends aboard Daphne & Elizabeth to explore. The temperature warranted short sleeves and sandals, worn by all! We are getting closer!

Tuedsay morning we were off again departing around sunrise into the thick fog, accompanied by Daphne & Elizabeth for the trip. We motored using our radar as a guide for the first 4 hours until the fog burned off. This is a tool we have found to be invaluable for sailing at night and in fog. Maxwell really enjoys the added challenge of navigating where we cannot see farther than ¼ mi ahead of us. For me it is unnerving.

After a full day of motor sailing we entered sunny Vero Beach around 4PM. It is a well protected mooring field surrounded by beautiful green mangroves. We went out to dinner, what a treat! The restaurant had happy hour and a live band, which was great. Vero Beach is also known as "Velcro" Beach. After venturing out today on the free city bus, we can see why. This town caters to cruisers and looks a lot like paradise. Palm trees everywhere, warm temperatures, and great cruising perks are calling us to tighten our lines in preparation for a few day's stay.

From here, we plan to go into Ft. Pierce via the ICW and then offshore to Miami. And after Miami, it is across the Gulf Stream to the BAHAMAS!