DOUBLE DOCKING in FORT PIERCE!

FRIDAY- The past nine days in Vero Beach have been very pleasant. Besides much fun with Betty and John Rhodes, we've enjoyed meeting other boaters, mild weather and that “beachy” feeling. We've stayed much longer than planned, validating Vero's nickname among boaters, “Velcro” Beach.

This afternoon at Vero's City Marina, we topped off with 413 gallons of diesel and pumped out, our first fuel purchase since Swansboro, NC, last Fall. This evening Larry and Susie MacDonald, of www.frugal-mariner.com fame, friends we met in Elizabeth City, NC, came aboard for drinks, food and fun. We had a great time catching up and discussing mutual interests. For many years they owned a camera store in Pennsylvania and their son is a photopro in California. Their website is a valuable mariner's resource!

SATURDAY- Today was ideal for the Fort Pierce run, with virtually no wind & clear skies, although patchy fog delayed us until 8:30 AM. We docked SeaDream in Fort Pierce about 10:30 where she'll remain while we drive home for three weeks; I'll fly to Seattle to visit my daughter and Mike will be working. We expect to return to Sea Dream the last week of March and prepare for our Bahamas crossing.

Our assigned slip here at HarborTown Marina has a short, single finger and tall pilings for the lines, an unfamiliar setup for us. With all docklines ready, we entered bow first, slowly and well, then sighed with relief. But . . . the finger dock for exiting SeaDream was six feet too short and useless and, egress over the bow was nearly impossible plus dangerous! I wasn't ready to re-dock but, considering our dilemma, we simply had to leave and re-enter backwards (stern to). With two seasoned Dutch sailors from a neighboring boat (3 Atlantic crossings) on board to help with lines, we left the safety of our slip and spun her around in the narrow fairway. The wind was still light but building; Mike slowly and smoothly made a good stern-to docking so SeaDream's aft gate meets the finger dock, for easy access. With relief and thanks to our impromptu crew for their great help, we relaxed and napped. The evening brought a delicious BBQ pot luck and music for everyone. Our emotional scale had been fully exercised today. Captain Mike always says, “This will be fun!” and, against all odds, it sometimes, usually, always is.

SUNDAY- Today Susie and Larry brought our car down from Vero Beach and lunched with us. This evening our new Dutch friends, Adrienne, Gerard, Dede and Tony came over for drinks, snacks and absolutely enthralling conversation. They're so much fun and their custom designed 53' aluminum sloop is beautiful! They've truly traveled the world, with three Atlantic crossings, Caribbean and North Sea experience.

MONDAY- Mike was engrossed in “admin” work all day, organizing for the Bahamas as well as home. I repacked cupboards and closets, reorganizing too. SeaDream is a continual reorganization project! We also had another delightful evening with the Dutchmen. Their family fishing and chandelier businesses are very traditional. We'd love to visit Holland someday. The next few days will be busy, preparing to leave.

Plans for docking.

Linda drives dinghy.

Sea Dream docked at Fort Pierce.