Weather Permitting

Hello all,
The sun has come out for two days in a row.  It is up to 60 degrees already and it isn't even 10 AM.  This has been an awful two week stretch of horrible weather.  It has gotten down to 38 degrees at least twice - inside Harmony.  But everyone in the country seems to have had a rough time with the freezing weather.  I hope we all have survived.
 
When the weather is nice, Vero Beach and its City Marina are absolutely lovely.  Yesterday my friend Kathy, on "Puff", identified why it is so inviting here.  Of all the marinas we've been to over the years, this is the most relaxing.  We are situated within a residential community, not out in the williwacks where there is nothing but the marina, or in some overly stimulating place like Atlantic City.  It is an easy mile-walk to the Atlantic Ocean, along streets  lined with 200 year old live oaks and enormous palms.  The free bus takes us anywhere we might need to go: shopping, movies, West Marine and much, much more.  The moorings are strong and the marina is well protected.  The birds are wonderful to see: egrets, great blue herons, little blue herons, lots of pelicans, terns and even an owl in the very early morning.  The social life is as abundant as you might want.  And we're are only about 1/2 mile from one of the best little Museums I've seen.  No wonder it is called "Velcro Beach" by many boaters.
 
Unfortunately the weather has been so cold that there has been a fish kill.  Hundreds of fish have gone belly up and now line the shore at low tide.  Some are being havested by local boaters for crab bait.  Even the lizards have been falling out of the trees, frozen stiff.  That is sad to see (for those of us that like the little creatures).

Lew & I are hoping to get off this mooring on Monday morning and travel with "Puff" down to Lake Worth.  On Tuesday, very early, we hope to cross the Gulf Stream (FINALLY!) to get to West End on Grand Bahama Island.  So,after Monday night, we will be out of any kind of regular contact for awhile.  We have been happily spoiled by the accessible email and easy cell phone service here.  No more cell phones in the Bahamas though we will try to call via Baltelco once we are in Treasure Cay.
 
We listen to Chris Parker every morning to find out about safe travel and then we check in with the Cruiseheimer's Net on the USB (SSB) to let them know where we are.  We expect to meander among the smaller islands of the North Bahamas for a few days before getting to Green Turtle and then to Treasure Cay.  Later we'll go to Marsh Harbour and some of our other favorite places.  We might even get to Eleuthera this winter, weather permitting.
 
Stay warm y'all.  We'll see you againn the spring.
Florrie
&
Lew
S/V Harmony

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