Though
we were set to leave Vero Beach on Saturday, word
of a free concert kept us on the mooring ball for an extra night. I am a sucker for live
music, and we have caught some pretty good bands in these last couple
of years. Alas, the one in Vero was not one of them. It may have been
that they were just having an off night. It may have been that is was
just too cold for anyone to get in the mood. (The keyboard player
took every chance he had to rub his hands in front of the heat lamp
set up near his spot on the stage.) Maybe a drummer with wooden
hands, a back-up singer who didn't really have the voice for it, and
the aforementioned key board player were just doing the best they
could, though the lead singer / guitar player was better than
average. I think I'll stick with them just having an off night. Come
to think of it, I was having an off night of my own; distracted,
pensive, and feeling the bruises of these last couple of days. Maybe
it wasn't the band at all?
We
headed back to the boat after the first set, with a stop at the
marina for a long, hot shower. We also took a few minutes to chat
with friends staying in Vero until spring, and muse over the news. It
isn't every day that a Supreme Court judge as controversial as
Antonin Scalia departs this life unexpectedly, and in the midst of a
Presidential Campaign as weird as the current circus. Me thinks the land
dwellers are going to add another ring. Barnum & Bailey would be proud.
The
plan was to stop at the fuel dock in Vero for diesel, water, and a
pump-out before leaving this morning. But the dock has been mostly
blocked since yesterday by a big sport fishing boat. A call to the
marina office right at 0800 revealed that he was a seriously
malfunctioning big sport fishing boat and would not be going anywhere
soon. Hmm, happens to them too?
Instead
of testing the wind and current (and my boating skills) trying to
shoehorn Kintala into the bit of space that was left, we elected to
head south and stop at the Harbortown Marina in Ft. Pierce. It turned
out to be a good choice with easy access. With barely a half hour
lost, Kintala was back on the ICW, sailing (yes sailing) south once
again. We haven't found the Ditch to be very accommodating when it
comes to moving under canvas, but east winds had Kintala romping
along at 7 knots under just the jib for much of the day. Her crew is
still wearing multiple layers with hats, hoods, and gloves, but there
is a forecast of near 80 degrees in the not too distant distance.
But
not yet. Rain fell upon the deck monkey as the hook was prepped to go
into the mud along the east side of the St. Lucie river. Though we
have been sitting secure for nearly two and a half hours, with dinner
done and the dishes washed and put away, my fingers and toes are
still tingling a bit as they warm up.
South.
Must go south.
A couple interesting power boats seen on the ICW this afternoon
