Three is not a crowd!

Not on a cold, blustery day in the ICW, anyway! After a couple of days at Westland Marine in Titusville, where we enjoyed spending time with Cliff and Judy, and appreciated them taking us to Winn Dixie and Walmart, we invited Cliff to join us for the next leg of the journey. We were glad he decided to join us (Judy said, "Are you sure you want to go today? It is 39 degrees!). We rolled out some jib, and made quick progress, 8 mph much of the way. But it was cold! And winds gusted to 25 mph, making for a rather bone-chilling day. It was nice to have the extra set of experienced hands on the boat that day. Cliff's son Russell picked him up at Eau Gallie, just north of Melbourne. This was a very nice overnight stop, in a well-protectd basin.

Colby had been experiencing some digestive difficulties for a couple of days, so upon arrival at Eau Gallie, we called our vet in Queensbury. He phoned in a prescription to a nearby Walgreen's, which we picked up that evening. We were very happy to get some help for our good friend.

The next day, we traveled on to Vero Beach. It was a very nice day, warmer, and a bit less wind. We motor sailed again, and still made good time. Vero Beach is well known for its "friendly to cruisers" services. Many people pick up a mooring ball here, but Dick was coming down with a cold, and temps were forecast to be in the 30's overnight. As our diesel heater still isn't cooperating fully, we decided to go for dock space so we could plug in the electric heater. The Municipal Marina is a great spot, with excellent facilities. Also, the free city bus stops right at the marina, making trips to the grocery store, West Marine, etc. very easy. We learned the Vero Beach is also called "Velcro Beach" for good reason!

Our friends Ed and Linda on "Seasmoke" had traveled down to Vero Beach a few days ago. (We had visited them at their home in Daytona Beach last week.) They are on a mooring, and with no heat on their boat, they were cold, so we invited them over for dinner the night we arrived. We were happy to offer them a hot dinner and a warm place to relax for a while!

The next morning, we called our friends Bill and Ellie Meyer, friends from our church in Northville. They have a condo on Hutchinson Island, just a short ways from Vero Beach. (Bill and Ellie were the high bidders on the two day cruise on Trefoil at our church auction last summer!) After a short conversation, and agreeing to call them when we reached Stuart, Karen took the bus into town to get some cold medecine for Dick and a few groceries. When I returned, Bill and Ellie were conversing on the boat with Dick! They invited us to go to their house for dinner that evening. We enjoyed our time with them in their comfortable home, right across the street from the ocean. We certainly are eating well these days!