On Board The Nina

[Edit] On the Nina with The Vero Beach Power Squadron
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Provided by: Robert Scully

Contributed by: Robert Scully on 4/16/2009

At the Vero Beach Power Squadron General Meeting we discussed among many topics the Tuesday plan to have lunch at Wahoo's restaurant and then meet and greet the Nina and Santa Clara at Harborage Yacht Club and Marina in Stuart.

On Tuesday, Pete picked me up and we headed to Stuart at about 11 arriving at the marina at about 12, just in time for lunch. My plan was to take a few pictures and write a short story about the day. Afew photos are posted here. More photos are posted on flickr at http://www.flickr.com/photos/vbps/

Wahoo's restaurant is in the middle of a new development, which includes a new condominium complex complete with a fabulous 3-story clubhouse overlooking the water. It is bordered by the railroad tracks, the water and the intracostal bridge which links US1 over the waterway. After we finished with the boats we took a short tour of the Harborage development, which included the clubhouse and a few 2 and 3 bedroom condominiums for sale. That's part of another story "Harborage in Stuart".

There were lots of people at Wahoo's having lunch waiting for the arrival of the 2 vintage replicas. While eating lunch the vessels arrived and docked and the restaurant crowd started to head out onto the pier. Our timing was just about perfect, as we had just finished eating when they docked so we paid our tab and ventured forth to take in the treat.

The Niña is a replica of the ship on which Columbus sailed across the Atlantic on his three voyages of discovery to the new world beginning in 1492. Columbus sailed the tiny ship over 25,000 miles. That ship was last heard of in 1501, but the new Niña has a different mission. They are a floating museum, and visit ports all over the Western Hemisphere.

The Santa Clara (Pinta), was recently built in Brazil to accompany the Nina on all of her travels. She is a larger version of the archetypal caravel and offers larger deck space for walk-aboard tours and has a 40 ft air-conditioned main cabin down below with seating. Visitors can watch a video on the building of the ship in Brazil. The Santa Clara is available for private parties while in port. The Columbus Foundation, British Virgin Islands owns the vessels and more information about the group is available at http://www.thenina.com/

This was a Special event scheduled for the members of the USPS District 8, which consists of many Squadrons up and down the coast of Florida, and the press. The Vero Beach Power Squadron, which is part of the Vero Beach community, was present.

There was a ceremony welcoming the crews and captains to the port. During the proceedings the wind picked up and rumors of a tornado watch spread throughout. The crew of the Santa Clara took out about 6 extra lines to secure the boat to the dock as a precaution.

The members of District 8 presented numerous squadron burgees to the captains and spoke of many things that were lost to the wind, as the clouds started to roll in. Our Commander Bill Heimbaugh, presented our Burgee. I took pictures.

The spectators left and headed back along the dock towards the restaurant speaking about the ships, the weather and the days of old when men were men and women sailed wooden ships like the Nina and Pinta, with little knowledge about what they would encounter during the journey. It makes you wonder how it was possible to do what they did back in the days of old.

The pictures presented are for your enjoyment. I would recommend going to look at the vessels. They will be here for the next week.

If you like boating, water activity, want to get Boat Smart and live in Vero Beach, please consider joining us. We do have Safe Boating Classes throughout the year, we are very active in the community and we always want new members. Our website is www.verobeachps.com and we are located at 301 Acacia Road just over the Barber Bridge. We have a Friday Night Social from 5:30 to 7:30 and encourage you to attend. Tell them you saw a story Bob wrote and he invited you.

Regards,

Bob Scully
Vero Beach Power Squadron Public Relation

Hibiscus Handout VBPS Classes 2009

VBPS Safe Boating in April

On a Friday Night

It was the Friday Night Social (FNS) at the Vero Beach Power Squadron (VBPS). These socials are held at the VBPS Building at 301 Acacia Road, right next to the William Barber Bridge.

There were lots of hors d'oeuvres provided by the Campbell's. As usual I was making the rounds and talking to people. During the evening a few announcements were made by Administrative Officer, Mrs. Janet Leh, thanking our hosts for the fine job on the food, along with a few reminders about upcoming events. Some people were circulating with sign up sheets for a few of the events.

After the FNS there was a Southern Cruise Captains meeting.

I think there were about 75 who showed all together. The rooms were packed and some guests even spilled out onto the back patio. It was a nice evening and the view of the bridge, the night-lights, the water splashing against the boats, and the cool breeze, helped add to the overall atmosphere.

If you missed that one there will be more so don't fret. All you need to do is drop on in and introduce yourself on Friday nights from 5:30 to 7:30 you can usually find us in good spirits and very talkative, at the VBPS Building.

Vero Green

St. Patricks Day - Its that time of the year. Another reason for a party or a celebration. It's all about the green. St Patrick's Day that is! What is the significance? If you are Irish it's quit the celebration. If you were married on the day then it's your anniversary. If you were born on that day its your birthday.

There are Irish books, beer, balls, blarney, big boys, bad boys, and beauties. Lets not forget Irish pubs, restaurants, jokes, music, language, and so much more. You can find out about the people, the land, potatoes and the immigration. Just look on the web. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_people. Lets not forget the LUCK of the IRISH. Around Vero keep your eyes open and you will see the Vero Irish clan called the Irish American Society.

About a dinner - So guess who is having a St Patrick Day Dinner - the Vero Beach Power Squadron. The dinner is only $10 each. Come join us on Sunday March 15 at 6:00 at 301 Acacia Road, Vero Beach, FL, next to the Barber Bridge. The fare is corn beef and cabbage.

Upcoming Events

VBPS at the HIBISCUS Festival
Saturday April 18, 2009 from 9:00am - 5:00pm
Hibiscus Festival

Main Street Vero Beach
Vero Beach, Florida 32961 Get Directions
The Hibiscus Festival is a yearly celebration for the City of Vero Beach, to increase awareness of the historic downtown sector, raise funds for the three sponsoring non-profits that work towards the preservation and growth of the area (Main Street Vero Beach, Vero Heritage, Inc. and the Indian River County Historical Society), and encourages community participation from residents, organizations and businesses.

The VBPS was chartered in 1956. During the first few years they taught boating safety where space was available. In 1965 they financed and built the VBPS Headquarters’ here in Vero Beach. They have been teaching classes to the masses ever since. They have a new University Seminar Series coming soon. For more on the squadron see - www.verobeachps.com/

Vero Beach Power Squadron Raft-Up in Indian River

Vero Beach Power Squadron Raft-Up in Indian River

This is a community event sponsored by the Vero Beach Power Squadron (VBPS), a local non-profit boating organization who promote Safe Boating, thru education and practical experience. They have a few of these raft-ups during the year.

This one happened today, 2/28/09, at Hole In the Wall in Indian River in Vero Beach, Florida. There were 15 powerboats and 74 people. I was on board one of the boats and I can say it was a perfect day to be on the water. It was sunny all day with a slight breeze until early afternoon when the wind started to pick up.

The event starts at everyone’s boat dock and they pick the times to depart. Their departure depends on a lot of variables, which I will not get into. The key element is predicting arrival times relative to boat size. The rational is that you want the bigger boats to get there first.

There is a Raft Master, Harold Leh. He contacts the various vessel captains via VHF radio Channel 69 in as they approach and provides direction about who ties up to whom and in what sequence. This affair starts in the middle and works outward. Typically, one of the larger and heavier boats will be the Anchor Boat using an oversized anchor and long chain. When possible, the largest and heaviest boats are placed in the center of the raft up with the boats getting smaller as the boats raft-up to the left and to the right sides. If all goes well you have something like what is depicted in the photo.