They call it Velcro Beach, because so many cruisers stop over but then just stick around.
It’s a very cruiser-friendly spot, a well-protected anchorage and nice clean marina with an accommodating staff. Lots of cruisers travel with dogs, and Vero is a popular spot with its nearby dog park. We dropped in at the dog park when we returned Sunday afternoon, and there were lots of visitors there, we counted 25 dogs!
They’re all off-lead, and it’s amusing to see all the dogs of every imaginable variety and size romping with each other. There is rarely any altercation, and if there is, it’s typically the result of an up-tight owner whose dog telegraphs that attitude toward the pack. That behavior is simply not tolerated in the dog community, and the offender is promptly issued a correcting notice! Molly is the social butterfly, she always quickly finds a younger friend and they are quick to make a dash for the river, charging into the water through the brush lining the banks, and shortly bursting back out a short distance away, water flying in every direction as they shake off, usually next to an unsuspecting victim! Great fun!
Monday morning I began the 2000 hour service on the Cummins. It involved changing the injectors, adjusting the valves, and changing the air filter. Once the injectors were removed and the valves adjusted, I took the old injectors and dinked in to the marina to look up Allen for a ride into town to Helseth Marine to pick up the replacement parts they had ordered for me last week. We met Allen & Mary aboard NOMAD in New Jersey on our New York trip, and spent some time with them at Sunset Lake waiting for the winds to quit! They’re wintering in Vero, so they have a car! A few stops for Allen, and I was back on board installing the reconditioned injectors and putting everything back together. The effort was well worth it, once everything was back together and running, I gained about 200 rpm on WOT unloaded, a significant improvement! The engine runs smoother, quieter, and no longer produces any blue smoke on startup. I’m anxious to see how the improvements shake out while actually cruising.
We’ll likely be leaving Vero Wednesday, maybe for a stop off in Stuart, not sure where we’ll head from there, but our long-range destination is Marathon or the Keys in a week or so. We plan a stop in Ft. Lauderdale, Barb’s mom’s cousin is there and we’ll stop by to say hello. We also have some embroidery prizes from the Rendezvous we’ll be redeeming.
Check back, I’ll be updating more frequently now that the holidays are behind us!
