Vero Beach is a very popular stop for transient boaters passing through the area. It also has a well earned nickname of "Velcro Beach" as numerous cruisers arrive here for a sort stay and end up staying a month or longer. The city run marina has limited docking space however, they have a huge well protected mooring field and an anchorage that stretches for over a mile through the mangroves. Of all the towns we have visited that cater to transient boaters Vero Beach has nailed it. Among the many amenities is a free hourly bus service to the beach area and shopping plaza, inexpensive laundry open 24 hrs. a day and a vhf radio net every morning that keeps people informed of daily events. The clubhouse lounge serves as a hangout for cruisers from around the globe to meet and share stories. There is a strong core group who spend the winter here and are sure to include the transients in the numerous organized
activities.

As I mentioned in our last post we were waiting for the new gooseneck toggle to arrive from Rhode Island and we're still waiting, 9 days later! The good news is it's finally on the way and should arrive Thursday afternoon. Covid has certainly turned everyone's world upside down and it always amazes me the trickle down effect on supply chains across the board. Without going into details about our dealings with the supplier, the in stock item was to be shipped the same day it was ordered, but for some unknown reason it took 9 days to get it out the door. The frustration came from having to deal with Miss Congeniality who failed Customer Service 101., luckily I bought an AT&T phone chip with unlimited calling.

However, we made good use of our down time preparing for the Bahamas. We were introduced to new cruising friends who live in Vero Beach and dock their 42' catamaran right in their backyard, my kind of house. Anyways, they took us shopping for what we hope is our last supply run before leaving. Through the net we hooked up with friends we made in 2018 and met new people as we attended a couple of organized happy hours. Luckily the weather has been hot and sunny everyday with only the odd shower. The offshore winds have kept the gulf stream crossing windows closed all week so in reality we haven't missed much by being delayed here. The only downside is Bev got attacked again by No Seeums while visiting friends and has the welts to prove it. For a change of scenery we motored to Ft. Pierce for a day to get the last few items on our shopping list and will return to Vero to install the gooseneck Thursday.

Today's picture is of the mooring field at Vero Beach. Note the boats rafted together, it's part of the deal in peak season. If you don't want to raft you can't stay as frequently it's 3 to a mooring, great way to meet people.