So we have recently heard from a few friends that they are wondering what the heck we are up to and how come we haven't been in touch.  Therefore, here is an update.

We have spent the last six weeks, getting to know Vero Beach and traveling around the state of Florida.  Here are some highlights:

We spent Dec 30th with our friends Marilyn and Bob from Massachusetts.  They own a condo in Vero Beach and we shared the evening and a yummy dinner at their home.  It was great to see them and catch up on life, plus we got to see the Kennedy Center Honors on their big TV.  Marilyn stopped to see us again late January when she was in town with her BFF's.

Sharon picked strawberries in early January at U-Pick Hornbuckle Family Farms.  What a treat!  Fresh berries in January!!  (not anything like the ones they pick in California and ship across country)

We visited McKee Botanical Gardens in Vero Beach.  This has been here since the early 1930's and was a wonderful way to spend a sunny afternoon.  It helped us begin to learn some of the many varieties of palm trees.  There was a special Lego exhibit that was fun to see.

Lego Rose

Sharon's high school friends Peg and Allene visited during January.  It was great fun to share time together catching up.  Sharon also traveled to Ocala to visit Allene's home.  It was delightful to drive through central Florida, seeing all the orange groves, cattle farms and open land.  Very different terrain from the Northeast.  And seeing Allene and Kent's home and sharing time with them was a treat.

Garden Fest is an annual event in Vero Beach, where the local businesses in landscaping and gardening display their wares.  It is two days to enjoy all the natural and unique foliage and plants of the area.  We were sort of wishing we had some land to plant!

GardenFest 2015

We watched the Super Bowl at a really cool pool bar at the Vero Beach Hotel and Spa.  They made a special night of it and we were able to enjoy being by the sea.  It was a nail biter for sure and there was an even split of Seattle and New England fans.  It was great to be able to yell and scream when required!  Both of us are now sporting Super Bowl Championship t-shirts!

Super Bowl

We have also spent a lot of time (and money!) upgrading or replacing outdated equipment on Dream Catcher.  We have five new batteries - four house and one new start battery, giving us 500 amp hours. This pretty much guarantees us a few days of using our LED lights, the frig/freezer and keeping our phones, iPads and computers charged up before we need to recharge.  Thanks to Mike at Hartge Yacht Yard, we have a new and more powerful alternator, a cool new LinkPro monitor that tells us how our batteries are performing, and a new battery switch and combiner that allows charging to combine between house and start batteries without us doing anything.  We have had a wash down pump for our anchor so that when we bring it back up from the bottom of these muddy creeks, we can wash all the muck off of it, so that it doesn't go into our bilge.  Since we are heading for the Bahamas, and water is at a bit of a premium there, Greg switched that pump to salt water, leaving more fresh water for us.

Old Batteries

New Batteries

We hit the Miami Boat Show this past weekend.  It is something we always wanted to do and it was fun for Sharon to see Miami.  Greg was excited to be back to the area where he once spent a year as a young man.  We also got to see our friends Lori and Tom, who were vacationing in Boca Raton, and share Lori's birthday with her.

We spent one morning walking the "boardwalk" at Hollywood Beach.  (reminded us a bit of Ocean City, Maryland, except for the blue water and palm trees)

Later this week, we head south about 10 miles where a rigger will pull the mast in order to upgrade some wiring, install a cellular booster antennae and run new cable for new instruments.  Our wind, speed, depth and auto pilot instruments are original to the boat - 20 years old.  We got a deal at the Boat Show and are hoping to replace all of this within the next week.  Since the connections went out on us a few times on our way south, this will be a welcome comfort to us as we head offshore.

Next week, Greg's mom and sister will be visiting.  They are looking forward to some time away from the cold and snow in New England.  We have planned a full agenda for them while here.

The best part of being in Vero Beach has been our proximity to our friends John and Grace.  We met them while in a marina in Wickford, RI some years ago.  They are the ones who introduced us to Vero and convinced us to spend time here.  They spend four winter months here and we have loved sharing time with them.  John is trying to teach Sharon how to fish.  So far, she hasn't given it enough time and attention, so she has not been a very good pupil.  Though we have all been busy, we have spent as much time together as we can and have loved it.  We will miss being so close to them once we head offshore, but know that we will remain in touch and hopefully see each other this summer in Rhode Island.

We have also met tons of people who are living the cruising life.  Our neighbors here at the Vero Beach City Marina, Kay and Rick, are from Maine.  They live aboard a lovely trawler and we have been trading back and forth each time one of us prepares some special food item.  There are people from all over the east coast who are here or are passing through.  It is so cool to hear of their travels and destinations.  It has truly been a great experience living this way.

We will be back in touch as we head south to Miami in preparation for our crossing to the Bahamas.  Stay tuned!