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| View from Mooring 57 - Vero Beach City Marina - Prior to Christmas |
In prior cruising seasons
we have moved fairly quickly south from Brunswick, Ga. in order to prep for a
crossing to the Bahamas. This year we are simply taking our time and enjoying
many new anchorages and spending time in places we have previously bypassed.
Coco Village was one of our
longer stops so far this year. This village has two good anchorages, over 50
unique shops, restaurants and has a good public transportation system. The
village is home of the S.F. Travis Company (the mother of all hardware stores)
which has been in business for over 125 years. This is not a Lowe's or Home
Depot, no, it’s a bona fide get the job, any job, done hardware store. On the
top shelves of this store are items that could be as old as the store itself. I
have never seen tools the size these guys sell.
This hardware store is a must stop if you are anywhere close to Cocoa
Village.
An easy dinghy ride
to the River Front Park and short walk gets you to the bus stop. The bus route
runs along the Merritt Island Causeway to Cocoa Beach and passes every kind of
shopping known to man. The Kennedy Space Center is close by and very accessible
via the transit system. We found this stop to be very boater friendly.
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| Tranquility Base - A Very Still Vero Beach Morning. |
From Cocoa Village we headed
down to Eau Gallie and stopped by the Telemar Bay Marina in the Banana River
for fuel and water. This is a cool little stop and I think we may spend a few
days here on our way north.
From Eau Gallie we moved on
to Vero Beach City Marina one of our most favorite stops. We were very lucky
that our favorite mooring #57 was available and we were glad to have it for the
Christmas Holidays. As you can see from the picture there were a lot of
cruising sailboats in the harbor for Christmas. From our vantage point we enjoyed
nature, all of the Dolphins parading
past our boat multiple times a day, the Blue Herons fishing within a few yards
of our boat, the Pelicans dive bombing the fish and the constant movement yachts
and dinghies in and out of the harbor.
On Christmas Day we enjoyed
a 5 lb standing rib roast with our friend Bill on s/v “Memento Mori”. Man was
it good, but we hurt ourselves by eating
too much. What a beef overload. Can’t wait to the next time.
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| Look Close - The reflection of the Aqua Atlantic Ocean Can be seen just above and below the horizon as the sunsets over our shoulder. |
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One of those Red Fire Sunsets at Vero Beach.
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| Two Pots of Gold - I need to get over there quick. |
After Christmas we turned
the bow south and headed for Ft. Lauderdale. One night in Jensen Beach (not recommended
for deep draft vessels), a couple of nights in Lake Worth North anchorage and
finally Ft. Lauderdale, Las Olas mooring field for New Years Eve. Ft.
Lauderdale is known as the Venice of America for good reason. Miles and miles
of canals lined with Mega homes and Mega yachts is truly amazing. From the
vantage point of the mooring field the Parade of Yachts was truly something to
see. Yachts from every type and size can be seen passing by just yards away on
New Years Eve.
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| The Beach at Las Olas - Fish made of Recycled Plastic Bottles |
We saw a very interesting
ride while in Ft Lauderdale. It’s called the Zaino-Jet. At first we thought it
was a jet pac that uses compressed air. As the guy approached it became
apparent that water flow is used to elevate the pilot out of the water. Pretty
cool stuff. Check out some of the Youtube videos.
I think Ginny wants one of
these for her birthday.
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| Zaino-Jet Flying High |
After New Years we headed
south to a anchorage in Hollywood Beach named Maule Lake. Maule Lake is a
hidden anchorage about a half mile west of the ICW and south of Adventura Mall.
It’s a large, deep anchorage that’s not used much by cruisers. It’s surrounded
by High-rise Buildings, three upscale restaurants and a nature park. The trip south through Dania Beach, and
Hollywood Beach along the ICW is well worth the time. Lots of beautiful homes,
high rise buildings and dockside restaurants line the waterway.
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| View from Maule Lake Anchorage |
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| View from the Maule Lake Anchorage |
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| ICW along Hollywood Beach |
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| Hollywood Beach |
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| Ever Wonder What Grandma and Grandpa are doing. Well. Line Dancing at Hollywood. |
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| And Creating Funny Tee Shirts. |
After 5 days in Maule Lake we back tracked north to Ft. Lauderdale and Las Olas for a few more days.
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| No Beach is Complete without the Tight Rope walking Juggler |
Miami Beach Time
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