VERO BEACH, FL

We left Manatee Pocket at a leisurely hour and headed for the ICW.  Passing just west of the St Lucie Inlet where we got a glimps of the Atlantic Ocean.  The wind was NE around 10-15 knots and kicked up a light chop on the water just about off our bow.  The temperature required a jacket on the fly bridge otherwise it was a beautiful day for boating.  Actually, this is the third day in a row we operated exclusively from the upper deck.

This section of the ICW is the Indian River which has large surface areas and a very few outlets. Hutchinson Island (on our right as we headed north) provided the ICW barrier from the Atlantic Ocean in this area. The WX conditions I described above remained with us until we passed through the Ft Pierce area. The sea flattened out by we encountered a very strong current against us as the water went through the Fort Pierce Inlet to the ocean. The wind and sea conditions earlier in the day and the current later, kept our SOG reduced most of the day.

There were quite a few dolphins in the ICW north of Ft Pierce.  One of them stayed in or bow wave for fifteen minutes.  Sue spent the entire time on the bow watching this creature perform by rolling over on it's back and seeming performing for Sue. These are amazing creatures.
 
We picked up a mooring ball in the Vero Beach Municipal Marina.  What a bargain - $13.95 per night. We took our dinghy to the dinghy dock and caught a free shuttle bus to a shopping center.  Sue went to TJ Max and the Publix Market while I went to West Marine. We all have our priorities :-)  The West Marine Store is located next door to Kelly's Bar where some kind of a celebration was going on.  It seemed like everyone was wearing green and consuming alcohol....... must be St Patrick's Day.  It's calm and quite in the mooring field tonight.  Should be a great night for sleeping.
 
We had dinner on the boat and then went for a dinghy ride through the mooring field and up a small stream as the sun set behind tall trees. This is a popular stopping place for boaters traveling the ICW.

An interesting side note: As we were leaving Manatee Pocket we saw another North Pacific 43 at a dock.  When we pulled into Vero Beach there was another NP 43 at a dock.  These boats are becoming more popular.

Y'all stay vertical,

Captain John and First Mate Sue