Tonight we are at the city marina in Fort Pierce. This is the view from the back of our boat. It looks like each power boat gets two palm trees.
We stopped here because it is a convenient spot to access the airport and go to the U.S. Customs and Boarder Patrol office. We were told by other cruisers that if we went to CBP, we could enroll in the Small Vessel Reporting Program which would allow us to check in with Customs by phone when we return to the States and not have to go to a CBP office. We scheduled an appointment at the airport and arranged for a cab to take us there for our "individual interviews." The cab ride took longer than the "interview," which consisted of handing our passports to an officer and then waiting until he checked his computer to make sure we were not terrorists. When he was satisfied that we were "okay," he returned our passports and told us we could go. Now, when we return from the Bahamas, we can call CBP and not show up in person. It seems like a strange process, but if it somehow makes the country safer, we can put up with the inconvenience, and the $35 cab ride.
Since we left St. Augustine on November 14th, we have enjoyed a leisurely trip down the ICW. We anchored out the first two nights before arriving at Cocoa and the home of our friends, Bob and Donna.
This is the view from their condo, with Glory Days tied to their dock. While we were there, we were treated to incredible hospitality, great food and conversation. They loaned us their car to go to the grocery store and to Sam's Club to do our major provisioning in preparation for the Bahamas. We filled the back of their SUV and then loaded everything onto the boat.
While we were with Bob and Donna, went to dinner at Port Canaveral and watched three cruise ships leave the port. From our table we could see the passengers on the railings waving goodbye.
We left Cocoa on November 18th, which is the day the MAVEN was scheduled to be launched from Cape Canaveral. The MAVEN is an unmanned mission to Mars which will orbit the planet and collect data.
As we motored down the ICW we heard the Coast Guard on the radio directing boats away from the "restricted area" and we heard the countdown, but were too far away to really appreciate the launch.
This is a picture we took from the boat as the rocket was launched. Not too spectacular.
Next we stopped at Vero Beach. Many cruisers congregate at Vero as they migrate south. It is often referred to as Velcro Beach because it is hard to pull away from. We don't have the same fondness for Vero as others seem to and after three nights, we were ready to push on south.
We have had lots of discussions about where we want to spend Thanksgiving, and right now it looks like Stuart may be the place. For now, we continue to enjoy the relaxed cruising life and try not to plan too far ahead.
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Location:Fort Pierce, Florida
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