Today is a bit depressing with grey clouds and the potential for heavy rainstorms and things don't look as if they are going to brighten up.

Our journey continues down the Indian River through mangrove country. Mangroves are everywhere but on this stretch of the river they are particularly lush and green. The red mangrove, which typically grows along the water's edge, has a tangle of reddish roots called 'prop roots' which have earned it the title of the 'walking tree' as the plant appears to be standing or walking on the surface of the water..

They thrive in salty environments because they are able to obtain fresh water from saltwater. Some secrete the excess salt through their leaves and on a recent shore based tour we visited an eco site where we were able to sample the salty residue by licking the leaves of the red mangrove .......delicious!

They also help to stabilize shorelines with their special root systems and their filtering of the salt water assists in maintaining water quality and clarity.

Amazingly, they border more than half of Florida's shoreline (more than 2000 miles) and it is now a criminal offence to interfere in any way with this plant whether by its removal to develop waterfront properties or trimming the ones at the bottom of your garden to get a better view of the water!

We reach Vero Beach Municipal Mooring field - a terribly unattractive name for such a pretty place to stop. Many areas on the east coast have now installed mooring fields to help preserve delicate areas where heavy anchors would otherwise tear up river beds. It works.

Here we are in what looks like a Scottish Loch - it's quiet with high tree lined banks all around but ashore are all the facilities you might need for everything else in life including a free shuttle service to a mega town just a few miles away. We did not hear any bagpipes...........