ICW #8

Our next stop was Vero Beach. Because this place enjoys such a favoured reputation as a cruising destination in itself, it deserves it own separate entry. Many sailors who arrive here enroute to someplace else, often decide never to leave, and once we had a chance to explore the town ourselves, we could understand why. Vero Beach not only “has it all,” but for a couple living on a boat, it’s also a very inexpensive place to spend the winter.

The municipal marina, located just off the ICW, is sheltered from all directions and can accommodate many dozens of boats. The facilities here are unsurpassed. A small lounge boasts a lending library, internet access, microwave, vending machines and two TV’s. There are more than a dozen showers and laundering facilities with at least ten washers and dryers. Most of the boats are tied to mooring balls on offer at $10/night. But because this marina is such a popular place, up to three boats are allocated to the same ball and rafted together! Initially we thought this would be a disadvantage, but it proved to be anything but. Such close proximity to ones neighbour promotes instant friendships and a feeling of comraderie permeates the whole anchorage. People tend to loiter in the vicinity of the lounge, waiting for laundry, showers or the bus, making it easy to strike up conversations and make new friends.

But the absolute best thing about Vero Beach, which sets it apart from anyplace else we’ve seen, is its incredible FREE transit system. Every hour a comfortable bus stops at the marina to pick up passengers wanting to go downtown or off to the beach. It then threads its way through every part of this upscale community, stopping at many places along the way. We were driven to bustling malls, fully stocked grocery stores, pharmacies, tasteful boutiques and a variety of trendy restaurants. We passed professional complexes housing the offices of doctors and dentists and a lovely park which led to miles of beautiful beach where residents could stroll on sugar white sand. During the ride back to the marina, passengers joked with the driver and each other, exchanging stories and offering advice on the best places to eat and things to see and do. And on the bulletin board outside the lounge, notices announced communal breakfasts, sporting activities, cultural events etc. encouraging newcomers to join in and get involved. As well as catering to the transient community, this place also seemed to be a popular “final destination” for old sailing friends to retire to after giving up an active cruising lifestyle.

At Vero we met up once again with Stewart from “Overdraught”, who we hadn’t seen since he hosted that wonderful “going south” party the night before we all left the Solomons for Norfolk in late October. We caught up on his news, promised to keep in touch and to look for him when we reached the Exumas. Ed and Eva aboard “Makai” decided to stay on at Vero to install some new equipment and enjoy the beach. Before we bade them good-bye we introduced them to David and Sharon aboard “Sojourn,” a couple of liveaboards on a boat having the same deep draft of “Makai” and who we though they would have much in common with.

Early the next morning we set off alone. But we knew that Howard and Debra aboard “Salty Goose” had stopped in Lake Worth, just a few days further on, and we looked forward to discussing Gulf Stream crossing possibilities with them when we eventually arrived there.