Ahhhhh Back in Velcro Beach

We had a nice night in Hobe Sound near Jupiter Florida last night. That big ol wind just died away and it was very pleasant.

Today we wanted to make Vero Beach Marina and latch onto a mooring ball for a few days. We have shopper's withdrawal and grocery store envy. We pushed hard to make the last bus from the marina to the Publix. I just had to have a fine shrimp cocktail tonight plus one of those ubiquitous rotisserie chickens. Ohh I was drooling coming up the waterway today.

The trip was pretty uneventful. Certainly less boat traffic than yesterday and most pretty well behaved. We left the anchorage around 7:45am and made the Marina about 3pm. They assigned us to a mooring just across from the Gas dock and we are to raft to one boat already there. Well naturally the wind picked up and the current was running strong through here. I hailed the boat 'Cherie' on 16 and got no response. There was a dinghy trailing off the back so I hailed him on the hailer - Karen didn't like it but it seemed the thing to do.

Well I should trust first impressions and ask for a different mooring. The boat was a bit disheveled and so was the captain. I sailed near by and shouted my instructions - he just kept cupping his ear like he couldn't understand and had a dumb look about him. We got the fenders in order and the lines ready and pulled up next to him and Karen gave him the bow line. He just held it and didn't cleat it. Thus the strong current started to pull us back and he kept letting out more line. I grabbed a stern line and then reached over into his cockpit and tied one end to his winch and that stopped our reverse motion. He then weakly pulls on the bow line. I tell him to cleat it and I pull us over. I give him a spring line and he doesn't know how to attach or where.

Looking at his lines going to the mooring ring it is obvious that he has been here quite awhile and since he left no fenders out - he didn't really want to share. As a group cruisers are a great bunch but still there is a curmudgeon in every flock.

Once all was secured we dashed for the bus and caught the 3:45pm which actually goes to the beach, then back to the marina, then on to the grocery. What the hell - the bus is clean and great air-conditioning so we took the long trip to cool off.

We picked up some favorite foods - not too much - then back to the boat to munch on a shrimp cocktail and that fine rotisserie chicken. The Bahamas are great but something to be said for relatively cheap food.

Excuse me while I stuff my face again.