BOATING ORGANIZATIONS
TREASURE COAST BOATING 58
SEAFARERS MAKE
VERO HOME PORT
PHOTO PROVIDED
Members of Cruisers Living on Dirt make the place they
call ‘Velcro Beach’ their home when not on the sea
BY CHRISTINA TASCON
Many of us have felt that urge to chuck it all —
the house, the job, the crowds — and wave
goodbye to our woes by setting sail to some
far-off destination.
The “CLODs” or “Cruisers Living On Dirt”
have spent much of their past doing just that and now have
returned to land. Instead of tying up the boat for the night,
they have chosen to dock for an extended stay in Vero Beach.
Why are they living in Vero if their love is and always
will be the sea? Charlie Pope, the main organizer of the
100-plus organization says that many are “in the sandwich
generation.”
“Their parents are getting older and need them to help
with their care, and we miss the grandkids,” said Pope on
why many made the decision to stay in one place.
There is also a need for closer proximity to doctors, many
desire a more convenient life and the truth is, they really
love Vero Beach.
In the cruising world, Vero is known as Velcro Beach. Talk
to any CLOD or many boaters from up and down the coast
and Vero Beach is legendary in cruiser circles. “This is the
only town on the East Coast that has a free bus that picks you
up right at the City Marina and takes you anywhere in town
for free,” said Pope.
“Most boaters don’t have a car, so when they dock they
have to depend on other transportation for picking up supplies
or getting around. Many are traveling to or from the
Bahamas, and since everything is so expensive there, they
stop here for what they need.”
“A lot of places aren’t that friendly to cruisers,” said Keith
Reynolds, a CLOD and also a part of the sail racing community.
“All these former cruisers live here in Vero Beach, and so
you step into a social network immediately. It does something
for us, but it also does something for Vero Beach too.”
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The Jennica II piloted by Mara and David Botonis harbored in the Vero Beach City Marina on the night before departure to the Bimini Islands.