Ready, Set, Wait!

The Vero Beach City mooring field is full.  Boats raft two or three on a single mooring ball.  Many boaters stop for a night before heading to Lake Worth or Miami, both popular launching spots to cross the gulfstream for the Bahamas.  A few stay for weeks. The anchorages south of Vero fill quickly as mariners wait for the next weather window to cross. 

A two-day window ready opened earlier in the week. Boaters restocked with fresh fruits, vegetables and meats. The fleet was ready to go to the Bahamas… but wait!  Once the sailing vessels and motorboats crossed, 25 to 30 knot winds out of the north and east would keep them pinned in place for several days.  A few sailors left. Many more elected to wait for the next window.

So why wait?  It’s less expensive to layover in the States.  Many Bahamian ports of entry now require boaters to check in from a marina. Like in the States, boats are charged the by foot.  In addition, Bahamian marinas might charge up to $.45 a gallon for water and $10 (or more) a day electric. 

Sitting at anchor waiting to move to another location uses provisions and can be uncomfortable in heavy winds.  Groceries are more expensive in the Bahamas as is gas and diesel.  Depending on location, Internet and phone service may not be available.  Like many other boaters, Imagine’s crew waits for the next window that might come as early as five days… or not. 

It took Imagine 25 days of snaking south; out on the Atlantic Ocean and along the Intracoastal Waterway before morning temperatures rose above 42 degrees.  Imagine and crew dodged two heavy storm periods by staying at marinas in Coinjock, N.C. and Georgetown, S.C.  By the time the crew of Imagine reached Vero Beach City Marina, the sun decided to make a statement.   The bibbed foul weather pants were shed, the gloves, the hats and finally the jackets. 

It took no time to hook the mooring ball pennant, untie the dinghy from the foredeck, inflate the flattened boat and launch it overboard.  As Captain Ed guided the Honda outboard with a line, I lowered it with a halyard. After two pulls the engine started. The water taxi was ready. 

It appears that Imagine will swing on the mooring ball for a while as we wile away the hours waiting for the next weather window to cross to Port Lucaya, Grand Bahama.  While we wait there is a lot to do.  We catch up on the laundry, washing the winter clothing that warmed us on the way down. 

In the boat world the laundry building is the place to hang out.   Friendships blossom.  Old friendships pick where they left off last season.  Boaters get together for happy hours.  They finish boat projects started before heading headed.

The marina lounge fills with electronic devices each morning as boaters charge computers, tablets and phones.   E-mail is checked.  Websites flash across screens.   NOAA Weather, Passage Weather and Weather Underground marine forecasts get a lot of traffic as boaters confirm wind predictions, wave heights and sea status.

We continue to wait and listen to tales about Cuba.  Our Canadian friends on Pioneer, Ron and Judy, spent two seasons there. Canadian, Tom on Polar Pacer, also has spent a time there.  Both stress that Cuba is changing.  It is becoming modern.  They talk about the classic American cars, the cigars, farming and the beauty of the countryside.  

There are yoga classes nearby and photo workshops offered by professional photographer Jim Austin who resides on the sailing catamaran Salty Paws.  I took a walking workshop that Austin offered and learned some really neat tips on how to get better pictures on my small digital camera.   “Don’t be afraid to use the macro.  Get up close. Use the flash,” he advised.  

Adventurous boaters paddleboard across the harbor.  We first witnessed this balancing act four years ago in Key West.  It is a sport that has grown. Paddleboards now glide across the water nearly everywhere we go.  Fishing kayaks seem to be the flavor of the week.   In Florida it isn’t unusual to watch boaters balance precariously as they cast and fish from colorful kayaks. 

Vero Beach City Marina and Mooring Field is a great place to stay if one has to sit and wait for favorable crossing conditions.  There Go-Line bus service takes boaters from the marina to the grocery store, a big box store, or the Indian River Mall.   The bus stops at a marine store, electronic store, home improvements store and even a liquor store.   The lounge also offers a lending library where boaters can exchange books, trading books read for new titles.

While Imagine waits, company stopped in.   Ed’s cousin came up from West Palm Beach for an overnight visit.  Another friend from Delaware drove down for the day, from where she was vacationing in Daytona Beach.  We visited the beach in Vero, a short walk away.  Eating lunch at beachside restaurant, we watched the waves gently lap the sand one afternoon and pound it the next.  Another night we invited boating friends for dinner on Imagine as they passed through Vero to points south.

The waiting continues as Imagine marks off its first week on the mooring ball.  The stay is nearly over.  It appears that the weather window has opened wide.  If the weather forecast remains stable, Imagine and crew will leave Vero Beach for Fort Pierce in about 48 hours.   From there it is a 120-mile southeasterly sail to our next destination.  If all goes as planned, this time next week, Imagine will be cruising turquoise Bahamian waters.