Our route down from Titusville to Vero Beach looked like this.

Suntex Marina

We booked a slip in VB’s Suntex Marina for a week. The plan was to install the watermaker and fans for the Bahamas. The install was taking me longer than expected so when we went to add a second week, we learned that a two-week stay cost the same as a month. When the month ended and I was making probably my 6th Uber ride to Lowe’s to buy more needed plumbing & wiring parts, we added another two weeks, oh wait … make that another month! That’s why we like to call it “Velcro Beach”!

Friends

During our time in Vero Beach we enjoyed visiting friends and making new ones.

Watermaker Install

The watermaker is a nice addition if you plan on spending lots of time in the Bahamas where water can cost upwards of $0.50 / gallon. More than the cost is the convenience of being able to fill our 440 gallon water tanks while on anchor. Now how do we install a diesel maker onboard?

Watermaker high pressure pump is an actual pressure washer that uses the water to cool the electric motor

20 micron then 5 micron filters incoming seawater. Carbon removes chlorine when flushing system with municipal water

Product water flow meter, total dissolved solids meter. High pressure gauge and pressure vessel end-cap.

Check valves keep saltwater and fresh from mixing

Product water manifold to send fresh water to either tank or the swim platform for filling water jugs for other boaters

Components mounted using starboard brackets onto pressure vessel

High pressure gauge with pressure adjustment knob

Other Purchases & Install Projects

Electric Receptacles with built-in USB charger ports

Cabin fans – 4 in Master, 2 in guest, one in head, 2 saloon

Satellite communication device to text while out of cell rage as well as track our location

Kelly is Baking Bread

Bread bowl

Home-made pizza

Well we made it to Vero Beach just in time for Christmas.

We had not decorated for the holidays and with it being almost 80 degrees and sunny it was not feeling quite like the Christmas for us Northerners. What to do? Put up a Christmas tree. OK, the boat is not that big so we settled on a small Xmas display instead.

We are staying in a Suntex Marina (formerly Loggerhead Marina). Suntex’s HQ is in Texas and they recently purchased 11 Loggerhead marinas in Florida. The marina here is surrounded by high-end condos in a gated community. They have a beautiful pool and waterfall as well as a captain’s lounge where the captains enjoy coffee together each morning.

The trip South down the Indian River from Melbourne Beach to Vero Beach started with a beautiful sunrise.

Followed by large homes and the occasional trawler passing by.

The highlight of our stay was getting to spend time with Kelly’s Auntie Lori and her husband Jim who have an amazing home here in Vero Beach. Thanks Auntie Lori & Jim for being such great hosts! Here is a selfie from happy hour with our waitress Savannah (whose personality matched that beautiful smile).

The weather has been warm and sunny but Chief Martin Brody and Happy don’t seem to mind.

PS. Don’t tell them it’s not real grass in the cockpit.

We have been hearing about the 8 degree weather back home so we hope all our friends back home are staying warm.

Tag: Lori

Vero “Velcro” Beach