Aboard MV Tortuga

Thursday – May 14

Vero Beach – Melbourne (Telamar Bay Marina) 

34.94 NM – Underway from 8:21 – 15:58

We couldn’t have asked for a more perfect start to our Loop.

A partly cloudy sky and a high of 83 degrees with winds out of the east at 5 knots set the tone for the day—windows and doors open, and *Tortuga* settled into an easy, steady rhythm at 6 knots.

Our morning began at Vero Beach City Marina, where we topped off fuel and took on water. What we expected to be a quick stop turned into a bit of a longer-than-planned process, nudging our departure later into the day than we’d hoped. The fuel was splashing back -perhaps caused by a clogged vent – which made for a very slow process – and resulted in unbalanced fuel tanks and a bit of a list. But the dockhands were helpful and patient. As we finally finished the fueling, the boat wouldn’t start. Thinking it was a battery issue, we deployed shore power – still nothing. Thankfully, it didn’t take us too long to realize the boat wasn’t in neutral and we were underway! Rookie mistake – but everything is a learning experience.

Nevertheless, the ICW on a Thursday means easy cruising with light traffic and minimal wakes

With Kevin at the helm, Heather spent the better part of the day doing what every boater knows all too well after a stint at the dock: putting the boat back together. We had imagined easing into life aboard—organizing, settling, and finding our groove before departure—but, as usual, boat projects had other ideas. In the end, the desire to get moving won out.

We chose to dock at Telamar instead of Manatee Cove, shaving off a few hours while giving us the chance to say our “see you laters” to the crew who helped get us here.

Manolo, Tom, and Tomas met us at the dock, bringing extra seasoned hands. Then, in true boating fashion, Manolo hosted docktails aboard *Vámonos*. Dave and Angel joined in, cheers and hugs all around for a great send off. It was a reminder that this journey is more than the miles ahead, but the people who helped get you here.

A pretty perfect beginning to our adventure – and even Wimbi is settling in to boat life!!