We had a lovely crossing from the Bahamas on Thursday, March 14. We got up well before dawn and quietly slid out of the marina into the ocean. It was just a little rolly at first and then smoothed out as the wind died down to less than 5 knots and the sun came out. Dan set out his fishing rods. We got a bite at the edge of the Gulf Stream, as we neared Florida. It was a big one, a fighter. Dan let it tire itself out for good half hour. But when we hauled it in, we saw the teeth. Another barracuda.
We passed up our intended destination at Stuart and entered Florida at Fort Pierce, about 5 pm. Check was a breeze - no glitches or need to apply multiple times on the Roam app like last year. We spent a very quiet night in Faber Cove, though we were disappointed to see that the town is discouraging anchoring there now by placing moorings randomly about. We were the only anchored vessel this year.
Friday we took our time setting off, and only cruised 14 miles to Vero Beach. We found a dubious dinghy access to the local Publix - Dan tied up to a hole in the seawall of a small shoreside park - and stocked up on fresh produce. It's always a trip to see a giant grocery store after the tiny places in the Bahamas. Back at the boat, Dan realized there was a space launch that evening and we made sure to be outside when it was happening. I'm sure this is no big deal to the people who live here, but we are always thrilled to see a launching. 
We spent the weekend in Palm Bay. We anchored near the mouth of Turkey Creek and took the dinghy up the creek to the home of our longtime friends. It's always a pleasure to spend time with them and catch up on each other's lives. Dave and Dianne cruised with us twice a summer back when we owned and ran the Maine windjammer Schooner Lewis R French. We've remained good friends ever since. Dave is now in assisted living; we had a good visit with him and the bonus of seeing his son Scott there. We took Dianne and other local friends Ed and Joyce out for dinner, and on Sunday had a St. Patrick's Day lunch of corned beef and cabbage with Dianne at her favorite neighborhood restaurant.
Monday (March 18) we moved on, again, not going very far. We've never explored the Banana River, and we found a nice anchorage here. Despite the surrounding shoreside community, there are few boats except for college crews and kayakers. We are the only ones anchored. We hunkered here for yesterday's thunderstorms and today's North wind blow. Tomorrow we'll head up toward Cape Canaveral to be in place for another space launch on Thursday.
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