Pendarvis Cove to Vero Beach City Marina, Vero Beach, FL (moored)
June 5, 2022
It was an early, foggy start today but the water was really calm and there was very little wind this morning. Vero Beach is about 41 miles from Pendarvis Cove and we wanted to get fuel along the way.
There were only two on-demand bridges, including one that was very close to this morning’s anchorage.
A big reason that our anchor held so well was that it was sitting in some thick, heavy mud. That mud not only added to the weight of the chain and anchor, it also got all over Lailia’s deck. John has developed an anchor hauling system where he attaches a line to the chain with a chain hook and uses the winch to hail the anchor over the bow roller. Today every link was coated with mud – adding even more weight.
Although our washdown hose is working, one of the scuppers is clogged so we have some of that mud still encrusted on the deck. We’ll have to work on unclogging the scupper soon.
Throughout the day the Coast Guard broadcasting weather reports about Tropical Storm Alex, including information that ocean waves very high with a short frequency between them. The ICW remained really calm, though.
That calm and the sun coming out enticed a bunch of boaters to enjoy the day. As we are moving away from south Florida, most of the folks were pretty respectful – they slowed down and reduced their wakes as they passed us.
This marina is very sheltered with mangroves on one side. We saw a dolphin as we dinghied over to the marina office to register.
Our friends on SV Wild have been here for a few days and know where stuff is, which is incredibly helpful.
There’s a lot of familiar green here – live oaks with Spanish moss, ibis, dolphins – plus a lot of lush plants growing in gorgeous yards.
Dinner was with friends from SV Wild and another boating couple they knew from their travels.
Our new boat buddies are planning on heading out very soon but they have lived and worked in Vero Beach for several years. They took us through some really cool places, including the grounds of the art museum, on our way back to the marina.
The balance of a protected harbor is this: in return for a really calm anchorage with very little movement we often have to give up a lot of breeze. It’s really warm on Lailia tonight!
We’ll stick around here for at least another day. There’s a free bus from the marina to the shopping area (including a grocery store) plus laundry and showers. There is also a brewery in walking distance that will be open tomorrow that we want to check out.
Life on Lailia 