Friday, January 23, 2009

Ciao Vero, Hello Memory Rock

Vero Beach Municipal Marina Club House

Freezing temperatures once again stalk the innocent boaters on the Florida ICW. Time to move south. This year the trip has been akin to living a Cormack McCarthy novel.

Meredith, travelling with 3 other boats, decided to move out of the safe haven of Vero Beach and make for Bahamas. Today our goal is Peck Lake, a waypoint and tomorrow Lake Worth from which we shall jump to the Bahamas.

This year we are going to enter the Bahamas at the North End, aiming for Memory Rock. Actually we hope to miss Memory Rock and sail 50 feet either side of it. This trip of 55 nm will take us across the gulf stream and in the process we will be moved some 10 miles northward.

From Memory Rock we make our way to Mangrove Cay and Great Sales Key We have not decided where to clear customs and immigration yet.

All in we are set to sail a good 100 to 130 miles. Departure is set for 9 p.m. to midnight tonight with the slower boats leaving a bit earlier so as to be in the pack when things get interesting, say mid gulf stream.

Next post is from the Bahamas and may be delayed due to lack of internet facilities.

Bob
Our Neighbour Doug from Murex helps Meredith unraft and get underway

At Vero all boats are expected to raft up on the mooring balls, up to 3 per ball. We spent two weeks in company with Murex and its single hand captain, Doug. It has taken Doug two years to bring Murex this far south from Baltimore. He keeps finding all this interesting female company along the way and, well, he just can't leave. My kind of dog.

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