Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Vero Beach - At the last mooring

The Peck Lake anchorage this morning, I hope they all enjoy close company
We prefer our anchorage at Hobe Sound over the one at Peck Lake due to less crowding. As we went by, I counted 12 boats crowded in the anchorage. I like more room for swinging plus the beach is off-limits to dogs. If you don't have a dog and like to walk the nearby beach and don't mind being close to your neighbor at night, you could like it I guess.

At Vero, it was one boat to a mooring unless the other boat was unoccupied
We were making good time until we came to the North Ft Pierce bridge which now opens only on the hour and 1/2 hour. It used to be on demand. We missed the opening by 5 minutes. To add insult to injury, the bridge tender's watch was 3 minutes fast. I had an outside chance to make the opening but no chance at all when he opened 3 minutes early. If only his watch was 3 minutes slow!

Have you ever seen the dinghy dock so empty? You must show a blue plastic tie handed out
by the office to prove you have a mooring or paid for the dinghy dock use.
After losing 1/2 hour doing circles at the bridge, we were on our way again and called ahead to Vero to see what was available. There was one mooring left and another boat was coming too. Oh well, we could always anchor I guess. We trudged on and found that the mooring was still unclaimed so we had a mooring for the next two days. Vero has a mandatory pump out you must do before going to your mooring. I think it has something to do with the local residents who fervently believe that all boaters without exception just dump overboard, all the time, every time.

High winds tomorrow!
A front is coming through tonight and the winds tomorrow are out of the north in the 15 to 20 kt range. That would put the winds on the nose for us in moving north so we're going to make tomorrow a layover day and leave for Titusville on Friday. We will continue to move every day as weather permits.


2 comments:

SV Puffin said...

Glad you are making progress. I commentted to the state for the Fort Pierce bridge to keep it opening on demand. I guess I lost. It's a tough place to hang out for 30 minutes with the current. Lots of boat traffic in Titusville last weekend. There was excitement as someone drowned off of marina park on Saturday. :(
Take care!

Bob423 said...

Puffin, we plan on reaching Titusville Friday on a face dock but only for one day.