Merry Christmas!!

Well, two weeks have gone by and we are still in Vero Beach!!  We have officially been 'velcroed'!!  In fact, we have really enjoyed being here and decided to stay soon after our arrival, as we had packages to put together and mail, re-provisioning for our stay in the Bahamas, planning for the sail over to the Bahamas, and we felt it was time to stop and enjoy the good weather here and the convenience of the marina and it's ammenities! Staying has also given us the opportunity to meet other sailors and create some new friendships, particularly with Wendy and Warwick on Belum, and Alva and Per on Hug.

I have divided the town in two for my own convenience.....'beach' side and 'work' side!  Both are easily accessible by the bus, so groceries (on the 'work' side) are just as easy as play and 'fun' shopping on the 'beach' side!

We have really enjoyed the chance to wander to the beach side and go out for lunch, or enjoy an ice cream cone after walking along the beach.  George and Warwick even managed to get in to the Atlantic and had some fun diving in to the waves a couple of days ago! And then the distance back to the marina is one that we can choose to either walk or take the bus back again.  The neighbourhood that we walk through is very pleasant, and so as long as George's hip is not bothering him too much, the walk is very 'do-able'!  Also on this side there is the Vero Beach Museum of Art, which we wandered through one day with  Wendy and Warwick.  Nice to infuse a little 'culture' in to the trip!!

Date Palm?

Live Oaks and Spanish Moss

amazing vine on this tree!

Streetscapes on the beach side!

sunny and warm on the Atlantic!!

Christmas Carolling Kayakers!

On the 'work' side of town, our main shopping needs are met all in one general area, so it has been nice to easily pick up groceries, check out the marine store, and re-stock the liquor supply all at one bus stop!!

Given all this convenience, and intermittent cold fronts, we elected to stay at Vero Beach for Christmas, and then look for the next weather window to cross the Gulf Stream and be in the Bahamas for the New Year!  We feel so close, and yet so far!!  To cross over to the Bahama Islands we are really only looking at about 27 hours, so only one night, but the trick is to try and cross the Gulf Stream, which flows strongly northward when the winds are such that they won't kick up the waves too badly for the crossing.  That means ideally, we would want a wind with some south in it so it is moving with the current, instead of kicking up waves against the current!  At this point, the weather looks like it will be co-operating over the weekend, so as long as things stay as predicted, we hope to be on our way by Saturday or Sunday!

Meanwhile, I want to take this opportunity to wish all our wonderful friends and family a peaceful and joyous holiday season and a healthy and happy New Year!  We enjoyed a quiet night together on Christmas Eve, listening to the Christmas programming on NPR and dining on Seafood Newburg with a salad and wine!!   Christmas Day we joined a number of the other boaters here for a delicious and generous pot luck Christmas dinner in the afternoon, and then joined Per and Alva for a Christmas cocktail on Hug, so we had a pleasant couple of days, however we have missed being with the family and enjoying the various Christmas family traditions!!

Christmas Eve appetizers

Christmas Eve Seafood Newburg

Christmas Morning Coffee!

Merry Christmas!!