March 30, Day 278 – Vero Beach to Eau Gallie/Melbourne

We woke up early this morning, but took our time over coffee and breakfast and finally unhooked from the mooring ball and headed out around 9:30. It was quite windy, but the weather forecast was for diminishing winds by noon. We had a pleasant run and, for the most part, everyone was very polite on the waterway today – no boats going fast and no wakes. We planned on anchoring right after the Eau Gallie Bridge, but the winds were still quite strong when we arrived and we weren’t sure what kind of protection we would have. Second Star went in first to check it out and found that close to shore the waters were reasonably calm, so we followed them in and dropped anchor.

After settling in, we took the dinghy down and went in to town. There was a dinghy dock right at the town library. We walked the streets, stopping at the local hardware store and West Marine. Gerry was able to get a new reel for one of his poles. The town was very quaint with lots of artsy-crafty places. We finally ended up at a restaurant right on the water named Squid Lips. We had happy hour and then, because the view and weather were so nice, we stayed for dinner. Gerry moved the dinghy from the dock at the library to the shore of the restaurant so we could make our exit easily. By the time we left, the winds had decreased to nothing and we had a quiet evening on the hook.


Morning in the mooring field -- a couple of sailing cats off our starboard side
Another of the boats in the mooring field -- Grand Ole Gal

Underway today we saw lots of little islands along the Intercoastal. These are actually "spoil islands" and are made from the debris removed by dredging the Intercoastal. Over time, trees and shrubs have grown on them and they have become a popular place for boaters to hang out. Here you can see people walking from one island to the next.

Looking back at our wake and several of the "spoil islands" in the distance

Second Star approaching the Melbourne Bridge with the Eau Gallie Bridge in the distance

As we passed under the Eau Gallie Bridge it was still very windy and these pelicans were hunkered down to keep out of the breeze

The dinghy dock by the local library. It was a very short distance from our boat.

The town had several different unique bike racks -- this was one of them.

The entrance to Squid Lips. That's Gerry you see behind the door, plus Linda's reflection taking the picture.

Gerry, Michael and Jana at Squid Lips

Squid Lips was pretty good sized with lots of different seating areas, including tables on the beach

Gerry bringing the dinghy from the dock to the beach at the restaurant

A shot just before sunset. You can see Second Star and Monk's Vineyard on the right-hand side

A shot of the Eau Gallie Bridge from the restaurant