Day 8 April 9 On to Vero Beach 37nm Total miles 228

We left the mooring basin at Sunset Bay marina in Stuart and headed east, then southeast about 6 miles on the St Lucie River until we met the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. We then turned north to begin our trip up the Intracoastal Waterway which winds its way up the Atlantic coast to Norfolk, VA - about a 986 mile journey.

This part of the Intracoastal runs through the Indian River, one of Florida’s natural rivers. The river is between 1.5 and 2 miles wide. Hutchinson Island is the barrier island to the east and still has large areas left undeveloped and natural.

On the mainland side we passed Jensen Beach. The wind picked up as we turned north and we were glad to have the fly bridge enclosure. We were sitting in the enclosure with our wind breakers on!

The next town was Fort Pierce which has a large marine research facility, a large power plant with a large manatee hole area where the manatee take advantage of the warm water outflow. The town is also known for its art galleries featuring the Highwaymen artists.

Vero Beach is the town north of Ft Pierce and is a popular cruiser destination. It is so popular that the town is often referred to as Velcro Beach because was you get here you do not want to leave!

We took a mooring at the City Marina and took the dingy ashore to explore the beach and antique and local artists shops.

Bill walked up the nearby bridge and took shots of our boat and the mooring field.

Side trip to the Bahamas- Preparations

As we prepare for our Bahamian Adventure, we are making lists upon lists of things to do and provisions to buy for our upcoming trip to the Bahamas. Bill has spent much time readying the boat for the cruise, checking engines, batteries and all the systems on the boat - electrical, plumbing, navigation, refrigeration and air conditioning. Sure kept Bill busy!!! We took the boat out to check all the systems and to get fuel. We had to re-remember all the navigation and auto pilot workings and surprisingly we did remember!! We have spent the last two days loading the boat with provisions- water, food, tools, clothes, toiletries and cleaning supplies, and our pantry and cabinets are full. We are sitting a bit heavier in the water now that we are fully loaded. Also Bill has finally gotten his TO DO list down to the few remaining items so he sees the light at the end of the tunnel!! We have researched the charts and guide books and have a tentative pla...

On to Allan's-Pensacola Cay. Day 12. April 3. Mile 35.2. Total mile

Day 12 We left our anchorage at sunrise to head out of Great Sale Cay Harbor. Turning west and then north, we will cruise around Great Sale Cay toward Abaco's barrier islands, eventually reaching the eastern edge of the Little Bahama Bank today. As we turn Northeast, we get some spray. Crustacean is quite salty now! Winds are out of the east 10-15 knots with waves at one foot. We cruise past Little Sale Cay we see a steady stream of sailboats going both east and west. I counted 15 total. Nice wind for sailing. Halfway through our trip, you begin to see the outer barrier islands on the horizon to the north. Five miles later you can see Little Abaco Island to our south. Here is a chart of the area we traveled from Great Sale to Allan's-Pensacola Cay today. The further we travel east, the Little Bahama Bank narrows, The winds pick up and seas run 1-2 feet. Crustacean got even saltier! As we approached Allan's-Pensacola the wind and sea...

Day 24-25 April 15-16 On to Hopetown and Lay day in Hopetown. Miles 12.6. Total 460.6

Day 24 We had a change of plans. Our friends who we met cruising the Loop, Trisha and Mike, are traveling north through the Bahamas and are close, so we will join then in Hope Town. We will then back track a bit to visit Man-o-War Cay and Marsh Harbor after visiting with them. It is a bright sunny day with light winds as we weigh anchor to leave Great Guana. There is lots of freight and commercial traffic today- tugs and barges, large freighters and flat bed delivery boats. It takes all these to handle the shipping needs and construction on the islands. We trip today took along the north east side of Great Guana and then past Scotland Cay, which is all privately owned. Next we passed Fowl Cay which is a nature preserve known for its diving. Following Fowl Cay is Man-o-War Channel with its deep water access to the Atlantic and Man-o-War Cay, known for its ship building and maintenance. Sorry, pictures of the passes and islands did not turn out too well...

Crustacean Travels

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