Dancing to Nature's Beat

Yes, Ed and I have it down, the Noseeum dance. Slap, slap; scratch, scratch, and slap again. I bat the minuscule flying bugs. Not much larger than a dust mote they hit and run quicker than I feel them.  As night falls, the wind dies and the little buggers have a field day on my legs and even my scalp. Screens don’t stop them. Neither does citronella. I surrender when I smear myself with insect spray complete with moisturizers, aloe and DEET. I sit in the dark trying to read with a tiny LED book light. Noseeums love the light. What I wouldn't give for a 20-knot breeze about now.  

Sandhill Cranes Visit Mall

Imagine remains tethered to a mooring ball in Vero Beach. Barnacles grow on the dinghy. We've explored the area for nearly three weeks. When one begins looking at real estate brochures and checking the area job market, its time to sail on. 

Vero Beach makes a great stop for cruising boats. There is free public transportation to the grocery stores, the mall, medical center, post office and the beach. At quarter past the hour the bus heads for downtown and the main hub. At the hub one can transfer to  a different bus bound for the mall or the outlets.  A quarter before the hour bus takes passengers to the beaches and boardwalk.

Because of the amenities, including Internet, laundry and a lending library that allows cruisers to easily explore the area, some visiting here make it a permanent home.  Vero Beach has been called  ‘Velcro Beach.’  Ed and I imagine staying here.  Two major drawbacks to this line of thinking; it is too far away from family and we wouldn't have the sailing options that we have on the Chesapeake Bay.  In Florida one can’t sail very well or far on the narrow InterCoastal Waterway.  From Vero Beach it becomes a 12 mile sojourn to Fort Pierce Inlet and out to the fickle Atlantic Ocean.  When one adds hurricanes into the mix, the Velcro factor loosens its hold a bit. 

Pelican Resting on Nearby Boat

Most boats at the Vero Beach City Marina attach to mooring balls. As the mooring field fills a second and even a third boat will share the ball. They call this rafting.  We had the opportunity to raft with seasoned sailors from Alberta Canada on the S/V Pioneer.  Judy and Ron sail a 38-foot Cabo Rico and were heading south to Cuba where they have spent time before.

Cuba is a favorite cruising ground for the Canadian boaters.   It remains off limits citizens of the United States, who can only legally visit if they can procure a humanitarian or journalistic visa from the government.  Hopefully the United States will begin to allow citizens to travel to Cuba in the near future.   It is so close to the United States. Many U.S. based cruisers would welcome the open door policy.

Pioneer made their escape and headed south to Marathon and then to Cuba.   We remain in limbo as to our next destination.  I ride the buses with cruisers, senior citizens, mothers with small children and workers heading to their jobs along the route.  The Indian River Mall run is usually they most interesting.   The bus fills with teenagers with cell phones that ring with funky music.  I wonder why they are not in school.

Go Line Bus Stop Near Publix

During the last trip, I walked around the back of the mall and across the parking lot. I was gifted to see two tall, stately, grey birds walking slowly ahead of me.  The feathered stopped at a grassy area near a tree and gracefully pecked the ground, munching on tiny lizards. At two feet away I stopped and began taking pictures with my cell phone.  The two sand hill cranes with their red heads began to draw a crowd of people.  Disregarding the gawking Humans, the two birds made their way down the parking lot, stopping traffic and then moving on.

Our stay in the Vero Beach area has been accompanied by wildlife.  At sunup and sundown, two dolphins swim around the mooring field, fishing the tides.  Twice a manatee poked up a lethargic head before disappearing below the surface.  Pelicans hover near the fishing pier looking for a free handout.  Ospreys rest in the mangroves and small lizards scramble on trees, sidewalks and buildings.