Water

29 November - 1 December - The watermaker worked less than a week, but we were hooked. 5 days after losing the source, we had to find water. The laundry had piled up, and our luxury of having a washer/dryer means a sacrifice of 12-20 gallons a load. We were on vapor, and that means it's time for a marina. We called in early to Vero Beach municipal who could accomodate us only on the fuel dock, and only if we arrived after 4:30. That fit our schedule if we motored on one engine, so we booked it. We tried to stop at the old Jones Fruit Dock, but were told the water is not good for tanks. I think the fruit dock may have been fun. Evidently, Mr. Jones entertains visitors with his recollections of old Florida. Next time. Vero Beach is cruiser central, with many of the St Marys crowd attached to the many mooring balls. Actually, there aren't enough mooring balls, and a lot of boats were rafted up in pairs or even three to a ball.

Next morning, we made a short trip to Riviera marina, as they advertise themselves as Suzuki outboard repair specialists. We still haven't gotten the outboard kill switch to work, so this looked like an opportunity. They had a cheap dock for $35 a night, so we figured we could hang out a day or two and finally get the thing fixed. Dan thought it was the kill switch, so he ordered one..... 2-3 days to arrive. Sigh. .... We didn't want to commit that time, so we asked them to forward it to us. On the south dock, folks there catch bait fish for local fishermen, and in return are paid in fish. One of the fishermen came back with a 2.5 ft King mackerel and gave it to one of the locals. He said he had enough, but needed some smokes. I took it off his hands for two packs worth. The next evening, Lora grilled the best fish we've had on the boat. She soaked it in milk overnight, and then marinated it in a mix of soy sauce, olive oil, and Montreal seasoning (recipe thanks to Rick from IATO). It was fabulous.

We departed at dawn in the rain and fueled at Ft. Pierce Port Petroleum for $3.149/gal. 40.5 gallons since Fernandina. This equates to about 6.3 statute miles/gallon or .77 gals per engine hour since entering Florida. Not bad.

The numerous bascule bridges to pass were a chore, but we enjoyed marvelling at the fabulous homes in Hobe sound, including the emerging compound of Lora's hero, Tiger. We dropped the hook in downtown Palm Beach next to our friends Rick and Linda from sistership IATO, a Manta 40. This is where we were sent to get the watermaker fixed, so we'll probably be here for a while. We don't mind so much. The weather is sweet, and it is very nice indeed to be down south in December!