Still Here

Hello from beautiful Vero Beach, Florida! Well – they don’t call it Velcro Beach for nothing.  As it turns out, this has been a great place to be as unplanned events unfolded.  In our last update we mentioned that Lisa’s brother was to join us for our trip to the Bahamas. We were excited to be coaching him on his sailing skills, while he taught us more about fishing and the single sideband radio. Dave was retired Army/Special Forces, with a wealth of diving experience and use of the SSB radio.  Our entire family was shocked and deeply saddened by his sudden death in Colorado on Jan. 26, a week after that last post. He had a seizure and two heart attacks and, despite immediate EMT assistance, didn’t make it to the hospital.  Another harsh reminder to live life to the fullest every day because this ain’t no dress rehearsal. 

Because of our proximity to Orlando, Lisa was able to catch a direct flight to Denver, meet daughter Lauren who flew there from Seattle, and be with her niece and nephew and their children for the memorial service in Colorado Springs.  The service was outdoors with full military honors, and it was so heartwarming to see the turnout from the community.  Thank goodness we had packed some cold weather clothing, since it was 9 degrees in Colorado those first few days. Fred stayed in FL to keep the boat going and tend to the cats, as well as deliver Lisa to and from the airport, 2 hours away.

Fred had also planned a return trip to Michigan the first week of March, and we had prepared for flights from the Bahamas, but it seemed crazy to rush over there just to put him on a plane. Plus, the flight alone from Georgetown to Miami (1 hour) was $500 bucks!  Plan B was to get to Miami, but that would leave Lisa in new surroundings, alone on anchor.  You know the saying – “A bird in hand…”, so once again we opted to stay put, where we are secure on a mooring, know our way around, have access to great services and transportation, and know many of the cruisers around us.

Mid-February brought visits from friends!  Barb and Steve were visiting friends in Stuart, about an hour south of us, and drove up for a day.  And Doug and Sara (our world-cruising mentors) came all the way over from Sarasota.  Our previous buddy boat MT Pockets also spent a day here as they transited to their new permanent boat home in Stuart. It was wonderful to share time with dear friends.  It certainly helped blunt the next bout of sad news as Lisa’s youngest brother, who had been suffering through a very aggressive cancer, died in Virginia on Feb. 23. It was a bit of a sucker punch to lose the two youngest of five siblings within a month. Being “grounded” in a familiar spot was helpful.

At the end of February, Fred flew out of Melbourne, just 45 minutes north of here, into Traverse City to stay with friends while he completed some appointments. There is a great little airport there, similar to TC’s, and so much easier to access than big, busy Orlando. Again, warm clothes came in handy as he adjusted to 20 degrees and snow. Business meetings – check, physical and prescriptions – check, eye doctor – check.  Lisa sadly missed the friends gathering as she stayed to keep the boat going and kitties content.

Life here in the anchorage is great. There are many things to love about this spot. Numerous boats stay here all winter and the weekly dinner and cruisers social makes it easy to meet others. Lima Bravo, a trawler from Harbor Springs, left 2 days ago, and a sailboat from Charlevoix (Sunshine) arrived yesterday. Lisa has been helping with the morning cruiser’s radio net. We enjoy our beach walks and are hoping to see some sea turtles come ashore since their nesting season has begun.  With the warming weather the manatees have returned to the mangroves, and Lisa had her first sighting at the dinghy dock. Public art is everywhere, from the painted sea turtles around town, to sidewalk mosaics, to tiled posts at the park depicting various environments at different times of the day.  We can get just about anywhere on the free bus, and restaurants and services are abundant.  We are, however, wanting to continue our journey!

Since Fred’s return, we have discovered an issue with our charging system.  The electrician has been aboard, and we will know later this week if we are up for a new bank of house batteries. Once that is resolved, we STILL hope to head for the Bahamas.  Cruising friends keep assuring us that April and May are the best months to visit, so we shall see!

Fair winds, Fred and Lisa

PS – we are on the Atlantic Ocean, so that photo is a sunRISE, believe it or not!