Okay, we've been here in Vero Beach several days so surely there's something to report.  For one thing, the transients are all on mooring balls - the town does not allow anchoring.   That's good in this case, because paying the $14/day for a mooring ball entitles us to showers, mail, dingy dock, library and free bus stop that takes us all over the island and onto the mainland for major shopping.  I've done that trip to town three times now, twice with Tom and once alone, hunting and gathering supplies.  Among them, long narrow strapping to use under the V berth mattress to clip the bottom sheet on so it doesn't keep coming off.

Another find was some flat bottomed, short plastic drinking glasses.   We've been using the tall, light-weight wine glasses that came with the boat.   I tipped one over my laptop keyboard and the computer died!    I'm using those short flat glasses for just about everything now.  

Needless to say, I had to buy another computer.  It has Window 8 and is giving me a steep learning curve to figure out how to do anything much besides checking email.

We're hanging out here because we've ordered some folding bicycles that come with bags so we can keep them in the dinghy.  The streets are so flat, shaded and serene here that we realized that we really would use bikes if we had them.  Plus Tom stubbed his toe so badly about a week ago that it hurts to walk.   Bikes would have been the ticket!   They should be here at least by Wednesday (Today it's Saturday.)

Another good thing about being in the marina is that we have the opportunity to socialize.  Last Tuesday, one of the guys here dinghyed around, inviting us all to meet in the marina park to visit with each other.  About 25 people showed up.  We got to talk with them all and got lots of advice about places to stop/stay and when.  Everybody gave us "boat cards" - business cards that have the boat names, pictures of boats and owners, and contact info. 
Many of them told us to call them when we're in their home port so they can take us around as needed.  We'll be ordering some, too, when we have the time to plan one.

One couple, Ed and Cheryl, have been sailing for 40 years and like only Florida, the Bahamas and Mexico.  They don't see the point in our going north.

We've visited with them a little since then and plan to play dominos or cards with them in the next evening or two.  

And on the bus the other day, I met Krina from Holland.  She and her husband Lutz have lived on a 36' sailboat for 40 years and have sailed all over Europe and the Atlantic side of north America.   They invited us aboard their 42' boat for drinks that evening.  They were leaving to go back across that Atlantic the next day.    They will be sailing to Bermuda,  the Azores, then to Portugal.  They said it would take about 8 days to get to Bermuda and then 15 days to the Azores.  Krina said that after about a week out, you get used to it as being home and  just settle in for the sail.   Of course, it is all by sail - they save motoring for when there is no wind.  They said they carefully watch to start when the weather is just right.  In fact, some friends of theirs had started across two days earlier and had headed back because a weather system had developed that they didn't want to deal with.

Lutz said that even though others may be sailing across at the same time, there's no physical use in going with others. Boats sail at different speeds and even if they were near each other, people couldn't board each other's boat at sea to help each other.  So once started, it's every boat for itself.   Sailors communicate by sideband or ham radio when at sea.

For fun today, we hope to dinghy over to near the beach and hang out there some.  Tonight there's an outdoor concert here on the island that we may attend. 

Oh, Tom and I have been trying to activate the "Comment" section of our blog.  We think we're got it right, now.   So we'd love to hear from you.   Thanks to those of you have tried to post comments before and weren't able to.  Now you can!

Today we plan to put the furling foresail back on today.  A man, Tony, sewed the leech stitching all back in place and did a little reinforcement of spots he saw.  He said that the sail is in good condition and should last many years.   Tom and I will be putting it back up today so at least the boat could sail if she needed to.

During the evenings, while we're sitting on deck, we often see a few dolphins swimming by and they get close enough that we can hear them blowing, clearing their breathing holes.

 

 

Here's another picture of the marina mooring area taken a couple of evenings ago.

I won't bore you with details of other concerns we're trying to figure out , related to engine transmission, dinghy choke, bilge cleaning.    It's good being here where there are people that know a lot about these things that are willing to offer advice and help.