INDY 10 TIdTCPClient.Connect Causes Access Violation - lazarus

Question

I am simply trying to verify that an IP address and port is available. The TIdTCPClient.Connect(HOST, PORT) if it succeeds should verify that the IP Address and Port are available (according to my reading). It doesn't, as soon as the Connect is executed my application is abruptly terminated.
Using Lazarus 2.0.0RC3 on a Parallels Mojave VM. The Connect is in a DYLIB called from a simple test application. In the DYLIB, before I attempt a REST call, I verify IP address and port (that's the only thing I am trying to do). If I ignore the call to TIdTCPClient.connect the REST call succeeds (because I know the IP address is correct as is the port, I have the server sitting next to me). BUT for putting this code into the wild I wanted a way to verify that the server (IP address/Port) was available and pass back an error if not.
I have tried using an IP address, a valid URL (like Google.com) and a simple port like port 50. If I do not provide a port I get an error: 'A Port is Required'.
I have set the IP address and port using the TIdTCPClient properties, passed them as parameters to the Connect method all with the same (catastrophic) result.
function IsInternetConnected: boolean;
var
IdTCPClient1: TIdTCPClient;
begin
(*
Result := True;
Exit;
*)
// Verify internet available
Writelog('DEBUG', 'Enter IsInternetConnected');
Result := False;
try
try
IdTCPClient1 := TIdTCPClient.Create;
IdTCPClient1.ReadTimeout := 2000;
IdTCPClient1.ConnectTimeout := 2000;
IdTCPClient1.Host := 'xxx.xxx.xx.xx'; // This is a valid IP address
IdTCPClient1.Port := xxxx; // This is a valid port address
showmessage('B4 Connect');
//IdTCPClient1.Connect(HOST_NAME, HOST_PORT); // SAME RESULT AS SETTING PROPERTIES
// THE FOLLOWING LINE CAUSES AN AV, KILLS THE APPLICATION
IdTCPClient1.Connect;
showmessage('After Connect'); // NEVER GETS HERE
IdTCPClient1.Disconnect;
Result := True;
except
on E: Exception do
begin
showmessage('ERROR Failed to verify internet connection: ' + E.Message);
Writelog('ERROR', 'Failed to verify internet connection: ' + E.Message);
Result := False;
end;
end;
finally
if Assigned(IdTCPClient1) then
FreeandNil(IdTCPClient1);
Writelog('DEBUG', 'Exit IsInternetConnected');
end;
end;
I should either get a Result of TRUE if the IP/Port combination is correct or False if incorrect or not that's the point of the exercise.
What I actually get logged in the host application Log is that an error is returned from the DYLIB (and AV), it then performs the finally block for the calling routine and immediately performs the finalisation section of the host program, ie. it terminates abruptly.
It should simply get back a response to say the call was unsuccessful and why (no internet connection).