2026 April: Vero Beach FL adventures

 7 April 2026

The big news for the last few days regarding boating has been focused on the wet and windy weather. Gale force winds were predicted, and more often than not, they appeared especially, it seemed, at night. The sky in Vero Beach has been a perpetual shade of gray with the sun losing the battle to appear. 

Given the forecast, we decided to "hunker down" for a few days here with our friends and make the most of it. We contacted our friends, Sandy and Bill, whom we know from Faro Blanco days when they boated on L'Attitude Adjustment, and they drove to Vero Beach from their home about an hour north of here to go out for the day in their car. Such good friends we have!

Sandy and Bill were scheduled to arrive around 11:00, so Clark got involved in a puzzling problem with our host Don. Given the weather thus far and the forecast indicated on the radar snapshot below ...

it seemed prudent for Don to have a pool cover pump operating for his pool. The pool cover was rapidly gaining inches of water on top of it, thus the necessity for the pump.

pool cover pump

The pump has a hose attached to it, and when it runs, water comes out the hose to go down a nearby drain. 

At least that is what is supposed to happen. However, the pump Don had in place stopped working, so he went and bought another one.

Unfortunately, this one died instantly upon being switched on. Sometimes electrical items have "infant mortality" if quality control let it get through. However, Don ended up trying multiple new pumps, and they all failed. Clark and Don worked together to find a solution. 

Take it out of the pool

Carry it into the garage

Put it in a bucket

Plug it in 

and watch it smoke! I watched as they tried two of these pumps. In the past when Clark said, "I smoked it!" I had no idea it quite literally smoked. I thought it was a figure of speech, but when these guys plugged in each of these two pumps, a huge cloud of smoke came out of the bucket! The wire quickly got pulled from the plug. 

The question of the day was "Why would so many pumps be failing?" They thought it might be the extension cord(s) they were using. One of them went in the trash. Perhaps the other extension cord was too thin? Meanwhile, the water on top of the pool cover was getting deeper and deeper. 

The pump puzzle was not solved today but, a couple of days later, when they decided to check the outlet itself. All testing apparently had been done using the same outlet. Unfortunately, the outlet was putting out 240 volts instead of the 110 expected. Some incorrect rewiring of the electrical panel had been done over a year ago. Clark said it was an easy fix. He just looked down the panel until he found the breaker with a white wire attached as it did not belong there. He found it and rewired the breaker correctly, and voila, no more smoking pumps.  

Interestingly, the pump that failed, that started this whole "adventure", had been working on the 240 power for the past year. One of the pumps bought during this exercise ran for a while, stopped working when the temperature sensor became hot, and then restarted. How is it that some smoked immediately and some, real troopers, fought on?

As noted above, the pump problem was not fixed on day one. We had plans to go out with Sandy and Bill, so Clark stepped away from the pump for our outing. Our normal outings with Sandy usually include some activity as well as lunch. However, given the uncooperative weather, Sandy suggested a leisurely lunch including plans for dessert afterwards. 

Sandy likes to take us places we have never been before. Today she decided to have us try some out-of-the-ordinary cuisine.

River Twist
Creative Cuisine

The food I ordered, Chicken Salad with Potato Chips, was a bit too zesty for my taste. They overdid the Bermuda Onion in the salad and the chips were coated in Cayenne Pepper. The whole grain toast was the best part of the sandwich. Clark had a burger with a mayo-based salad on the side. His salad had a tang to it also. 

After lunch, Sandy took us to a place called "A Slice of Paris" for dessert. 

A Slice of Paris patisserie 

The display case was packed full of yummy-looking treats. 

I decided to go for the Palmiers. Sandy and Bill shared a layered chocolate torte. 

Bill, a physicist, and Clark, an engineer, got into a heavy discussion on something way over my head. Sandy, also a physicist, understood their conversation but offered that the two of us should go next door to browse in the consignment shop and leave the two guys deep in conversation. That sounded like a great idea. I doubt the guys even noticed we were gone!

We walked next door to the consignment shop that Sandy likes. I was amazed at the size of the store packed with inexpensive offerings. 

Elizabeth's Fine Consignments shop

Sandy is great at coming up with ideas of things to do together. Today her suggestion was a simple one - "Let's go back to your boat to relax and chat!" Perfect! Bill and Clark sat next to each other and continued to discuss topics I had no interest in. They sat on the back deck of the boat (it had stopped raining at least for a while), and to avoid contending with their discussion, Sandy and I sat in our salon to talk. 

With an hour-long drive back home, Sandy and Bill left about 4:00. This worked perfectly for us as well since our hostess in Vero Beach, Anna, was preparing dinner for us at the house. Around 5:00 we walked up to sit on their patio overlooking Bethel Creek for "Martini Time" where Clark and I indulge in a glass of water each! Dinner at 6:00 included a multi-course meal from salad to dessert. 

Today seemed to revolve heavily around food. I was stuffed and glad that Wednesday I would have a day to recover from restaurants and expansive meals.

While we were still seeing nothing but off-and-on rain with gray skies, friends from Marlin Bay were posting gorgeous sunset pictures!

Sunset in Marlin Bay tonight

Sunset near Miami, FL

Our sunset ... see photo at beginning of blog!

8 April 2026

My friend, Cathy, offered, as she always does, to take me shopping wherever I needed to go. We agreed yesterday to meet today at 10:00 for a trip to Publix and Fresh Market for a few groceries. From a weather point of view, we could not have picked a worse time! 

When I walked up to the house to meet Cathy, we had a slight drizzle and, foolishly, I did not wear a raincoat. By the time we had driven the short distance to Publix from the house, we had entered Monsoon season! Torrential rain came down sideways with the wind. The first thing I put in my shopping cart at Publix was an umbrella strategically placed at the front of the store to lure in buyers. It certainly lured me in, and I detest umbrellas. 

I just needed a few basics to supplement my boat stores - bread and fresh veggies specifically. In the bread aisle, I found something unusual I haven't seen in a Publix before.

Acacia Wood Rocking Chair

This was high up on a shelf way over my head with a bunch of beach chairs for sale. Too bad I had no place for it on the boat!

At Fresh Market, I was looking for orange-cranberry scones. I had to hunt for a while but I eventually found a barrel with several packages on top! I bought 3 packs - one for now and two to freeze! Yum! Cathy took home a very happy, but wet, shopper!

Meanwhile, "back at the ranch", Clark was up to his eyebrows in yet another project for our host, Don. Don bought a Hinkley yacht. And, guess what?! It has a "trips GFI" problem. This is becoming Clark's pastime - digging into the wiring of other folks' boats to find the root problem. He would rather admire the boats from the outside, but somehow he finds himself buried in the inside!

Clark traced the problem down to the galvanic isolator of which Don apparently has two. Both needed to be replaced / rewired. These were ordered and would be delivered separately with one scheduled to be delivered on Wednesday night and one on Thursday night. Given that, Clark adjusted our departure date from Vero Beach to be Saturday to allow him time to work on the Hinkley on Friday. 

Although we took a day off from fine dining today, we could not pass up time with our hosts at "Martini Time" i.e. 5:00 p.m.  I, yet again, hoped for an interesting sunset to no avail. The sky was still a bleak gray.

After "Martini Time" Clark and I retired to the boat for the evening. Since regular network television is a vast wasteland on Wednesday nights, we turned to Netflix to find a movie. As he scrolled past, I noticed "Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle". Having never seen this movie, I requested that we pick this one for tonight. It was like "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" but for kids. I enjoyed it very much. Clark - not so much!

2026 April: West Palm to Vero Beach FL

 6 April 2026 - Monday
Depart: Palm Beach FL anchorage 8:00
Arrive: Vero Beach Private Dock 3:45
Distance: ~ 63 nm
Conditions: SE Wind; < 2 foot seas; clear skies over the ocean

Clark said we needed an early start today for a long trip on the ocean, so I got a sunrise picture!

The anchorage was a little less full by the time we had our anchor up and were underway.

We could see the dredge pipe dividing the waterway a bit more clearly today than yesterday.

A red-hulled boat was advertising fuel as we went by. 

"Pickle Rick" - Marine Diesel fuel

As we approached the inlet, a big freighter appeared from around the corner. Clark thought the ship might be the one we saw anchored out yesterday evening as we came in.

"Tropic Tide" coming in from the ocean

Another boat came from the opposite direction, and from where I was sitting, it looked like the two would collide. Didn't happen!

Then, to make things more interesting, a third boat joined the fray. All was well!

A little further on, we saw a docked cruise ship in West Palm Beach.

Cruise Ship - "Margaritaville"

We made our turn to head out the inlet into the ocean, and we were not alone! A fleet of fishing boats headed out to sea. Clark thought there must be a tournament scheduled. I thought they were just anxious to get out after all the bad-weather days we've had. Given their rush, it was no surprise that we got "waked" big time as the last guy sped by us in a hurry not to miss out on the fish!

Of course our trip out the inlet, due east, first thing in the morning took us directly into the sun!

Fleet of fishing boats heading out

We had to head directly into the sun navigating the channel out into the ocean. Blinding!

Off in the distance we could see the silhouettes of a couple of boats. Clark discerned that it was a tug pulling a barge.

Tugboat "Ruby Coast" towing barge

The 50' + fishing boats weren't the only ones out here. A swarm of little ones were scattered across the ocean as well. I was unable to get a good picture to show the scatter plot of boats!

Small boats on the horizon

On the ocean we had clear blue skies as opposed to onshore where we saw thick, white puffy clouds!

We traveled on the ocean today just beyond the 3-mile line, and in doing so, we appeared to pick up the Gulf Stream. Our normal speed of around 8 knots was boosted to over 9 knots with the help of the Gulf Stream. 

Along the way we passed various populated areas like Jensen Beach where we saw skyscrapers bordering the ocean.

Jensen Beach ocean view around noon time

Other places we saw only small buildings and mostly vegetation.

View of Land - 3+ miles off the coast

Just before 2:00 we entered the Fort Pierce inlet. 

On the southside of the jetty, we saw many people out fishing while enjoying the beautiful calm seas.

Jetty populated with numerous fishermen

A small boat sat on the far side of the jetty to our north.

As we came in the inlet, one boater decided he wanted to "tailgate". We wondered, "Why doesn't he just pass us?"

Too close for comfort at times!

We saw some folks enjoying the beach at the inlet.

Sunbathers

I was capturing a few scenes with my camera upon entering the Fort Pierce area ...

when I heard a strange buzzing noise. I looked around and saw a motorized glider in the sky. It looked like it would be fun, but that sure takes guts. I'd be afraid of engine failure!

Glider sounded like an airboat!

Motorized Glider at Fort Pierce

I am a sucker for tugboats. We passed one on the way in, and of course, here it is in the blog!

Tug "Kathleen" at Fort Pierce

A new bridge is being built here. The height difference is amazing. There will not be a need for a bridge tender when the new bridge is open. I speculate that the old bridge will become a fishing pier like so many others have done.

26' clearance on old bridge
over 60' on the new one

Still under construction

Later, as we passed a less-populated stretch of land, I saw a structure at the end of a spit of land and commented on it to Clark. He said it was a house. I thought it was a billboard. No other structures were anywhere in sight.

What is that?

Well, billboard was closer to the right answer than house, but neither one was the correct answer. Clark finally managed to read the writing on the structure using binoculars.

"Harbor Branch"
"Florida Atlantic University"

We continued to have clear skies and good weather. However, my Weatherbug app notified us of thunderstorms within a 10-mile radius. We saw no signs of it in our travels today.

When we saw the Vero Beach City Marina docks, we knew we were close to our destination. Given that I started to pull out lines and fenders to dock at our friends' house. 

Vero Beach Fuel Dock

However, as it turned out, our friend's boat was not in its slip, so he told us to dock there and use his lines. I quickly had to drop our lines and grab his. Tying up this way was much simpler and quicker than struggling to get ours around poles and such. 

We were greeted at the dock by our hosts, Don and Anna, and our friends, Franklin and Cathy, who also live in the area. Don has added a Hinkley boat to his set of "toys", and Clark was anxious to have a look. No sooner were our lines tied than Don, Franklin, and Clark disappeared to the other boat. 

Meanwhile, Cathy and I caught up while Anna made us all a scrumptious dinner. Somewhat unfortunately, dinner talk consisted mainly of an electrical problem with the Hinkley which Clark was keen to focus on. A few times Anna looked at me and rolled her eyes as if to say, "What can we do with these guys?!"

For dinner we enjoyed a lovely salad and rolls followed by salmon potatoes and broccolini. For dessert, we had our choice of cannolis, apple pie, and ice cream.  Needless to say, we came away "stuffed"!

Weather over the next three days looks pretty darn ugly. Gale force winds and rain are anticipated. Given that, we will stay put until at least Friday. I was wondering how our friends were doing at Marlin Bay when I got a text showing them, at least some of them, having a great time on Mike's fishing boat!

Captain Brian, Jonathan, and Mike
Wow! What a haul!

2026 April: Pompano Beach to West Palm FL

 5 April 2026 - Easter Sunday
Depart: Private Dock in Pompano Beach, FL 10:45
Arrive: Lake Worth / Palm Beach, FL anchorage 3:45
Distance: 35.5 nm
Conditions: 4' - 5' waves on ocean with ~ 5 sec period, i.e. "sporty"

After our trip through Miami and Ft. Lauderdale and ducking under bridges the whole way, Clark decided on traveling the ocean today although it was predicted to be a bit "sporty". He said the longer we waited to leave in the morning, the more the waves would settle down. Thus, we were in no hurry to pull away from the dock this morning and spend a while with our hosts before getting underway. 

We pushed away from our friend's dock just before 10:45 and, therefore, just missed the 10:45 bridge opening at the Hillsboro Inlet. The next opening would be at 11:00, so we had some time to wait at the bridge before it opened. 

Waiting for an opening at 
Hillsboro Inlet bridge

While sitting and watching the bridge, I noticed, for the first time, a statue sitting atop a 20'  pedestal. From the boat I could not quite make out what I was looking at, but it looked like a boy running. I later looked it up on the internet, and found it to be a statue of a "Barefoot Mailman". The legend of the barefoot mailman dates back to the 19th century.

Barefoot Mailman Statue at bridge

I took some pictures as we waited for the bridge to open. 

Looking in a southerly direction 
down the ICW

boat docks near the Hillsboro Inlet bridge

Several of the boats docked here had turned into spots where the pelicans and other birds congregated.

Bow full of birds!

Bridge etiquette says that the boat with the tide goes through the bridge first. Today, it appeared that the tide was coming in, so Clark haled any boats on the far side of the bridge to let them know he would wait for them to come through first. We got no response and decided perhaps there were no boats waiting. Clark later haled a second time to say that since he got no response he would proceed when the bridge opened. Again, no response.

When the bridge started to open and we could see to the other side, we saw a tall fishing boat. Clark tried haling this boat and again got no response. 

I told Clark I could see he was going astern, and we could see he was backing up to the bulkhead. So we proceeded through the bridge. As we came through the bridge, he then haled us with, "You need to watch your tides Sunset!"

Clark replied that he had haled and got no reply. Instead of acknowledging that he says, "You were blocking the bridge so I couldn't come through." 

He seemed to be getting more and more aggressive. It was pretty clear to me that this guy wanted to hassle someone and start a fight. We gave up responding and carried on our way.

To add to our leaving-Hillsboro fun, no sooner did we enter the inlet than we both got a face full of water as a wave splashed over the bow. Our day on the ocean was starting out just perfectly. Clark's response to getting a "shower" -- he laughed! 

Once we got out into the ocean and started heading north, the stabilizers did their job (for the most part). We were still rocking and rolling and getting down to the head was a challenge. However, on occasion three waves would come in together, and the boat tipped way over to the port side. Other than trips to the head or to the galley, I stayed put on the upper helm as much as possible. At times it was downright boring (unless it wasn't when a threesome would hit us).

Looks calm enough in the picture!

On calm seas, I read or do crossword puzzles or do something to pass the time. With today's wave action that was not an option. We spent the majority of the voyage listening to NPR. 

One thing I did think of as the waves pushed us to and fro ... I was very glad that it was the new autopilot doing the steering and not me! It seemed to be able to hold its own against these 4 - 5 footers. Yay!

As we neared our exit off the ocean at Palm Springs, I was entertained by action in the ocean. Flying fish were jumping out of the ocean and shooting across the waves to reenter the water. As they appeared, birds (seagulls) dove after them. I never saw a bird catch a single fish though they tried hard enough.

As we approached the inlet, we passed what looked to be an odd-shaped boat coming out. It wasn't until we got close enough that we could tell it appeared to be a ferry. A ferry to where would be anyone's guess out in the ocean!

After four hours navigating the ocean, it was time to come inside to drop anchor for the night. As we came in the inlet, the waves carried us forward, and we gained at least 2 knots of speed riding the waves. Clark was no longer on autopilot and was working hard to keep us on course coming in. Up ahead I could see a number of jet skis buzzing around like a swarm of bees, but I noticed two sitting, unmoving in the channel. 

As we got closer, we realized that one jet ski was out of commission, and the other was attempting to assist them. I saw the one with  one person on it hand a line to the other jet ski with 2 passengers. When they tried to tie the line to the jet ski, they both got dumped into the ocean. This was a very dangerous situation. I was relieved to see as I looked back that the two were back on the jet ski.

2 overboard on broken down jet ski

I tried to capture the intensity of the waves as we came in, but pictures do not do it justice. 

Wave action in the inlet

Boat going out the inlet
fighting the waves

I took two videos. 

     1 - us coming in

    2 - a boat going out

When we were approaching the inlet, we heard repeated security calls on the VHF radio from a tow pulling a dredge pipe. Eventually, we found him and his "friends" as there were several vessels involved in the operation. Someone on the radio said it was not right that folks were doing this on Easter Sunday. Whether he was concerned for the workers or concerned with the work interfering with his pleasure boating experience was not at all clear. Clark had one interpretation, and I had the other.

Vessel "Cape Hatteras" 
stringing a pipeline

assisting vessel

Tug part of the operation

Dredge pipe (across center of picture)
divided the waterway 

After passing by this crew, it was time to look for a place to drop anchor. 

Boats anchored to the north of the inlet

Boats anchored to the south of the inlet
where we normally look for a spot

Let's not anchor by the sunken sailboat

Same sunken sailboat from different perspective

Clark found a spot where he had room to drop anchor, and we called an end to today's travels just before 4:00 p.m. I was happy to call it a day early on!

I don't know much about sailboats, but the one shown below caught my eye. I wondered what it would look like with full sails!

Impressively tall, Red Mast on this Sailboat

I have been spoiled the last three nights as we had take-out food two nights, and our host cooked steak and potatoes one of the nights we were in Pompano Beach. Tonight it was back to me cooking a full dinner again!

We plan to go back out onto the ocean tomorrow as we head to Vero Beach. Predictions indicate that the waves will have settled down more than they were today. 

I asked Clark to take pictures at sunset. He did not do it because he said there was no sunset view due to clouds. So ... I went out and took pictures!