New Smyrna Beach

Carol, Linda and Bob Wink

Last night it came to me in a flash – I think Linda and Bob Wink have a winter home in New Smyrna Beach and here we are!  So I called and they were here too.  Linda and I were best of friends in high school and have seldom had the chance to get together over the years but it never seems to matter.  We pick up the conversation right where we left off.

Bob and Linda came to see Reunion and then we walked to the island part of New Smyrna Beach.  We stopped for some refreshments, walked and talked and pretended to shop a little.  We found ourselves at the beach and then at a charming Italian Restaurant.  After dinner we went to their beautiful condo and had some Key Lime Pie for dessert.  What a great surprise to find them here, and great way to spend the day.  The best friends never really go very far away.

Dennis installed a battery monitor on the boat this morning – to get some real data before we worry more about batteries that might lose power.   We are watching the weather carefully.  There was a downpour this evening and we are waiting to see if the storm has passed or if it will last a few days.

Linda and Carol, on the beach

Titusville to New Smyrna Beach City Marina

Sunday adventures on the islands

Interesting cruise day past the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, a group of barrier islands and a coast line set aside for recreation. Since it was Sunday many people were out enjoying the beautiful weather and fine shoreline. We observed about a dozen Manatee in the canal between two of the islands, they were at times so dense we were concerned about disturbing them. Fortunately the canal was 22 feet deep and they could quickly dive to avoid our keel.

Boating Florida Style

As we traveled closer to New Smyrna Beach we began to see trailer homes and manufactured homes and then the start of a city. New Smyrna Beach has a downtown on the mainland and a nice beach town out on the barrier island. Really cute shops I expect Carol will want to peruse tomorrow. Josie drove over again today with Gabe and delivered the packages that arrived at her house yesterday while we were touring. We drove to the beach to check out the little town and they showed us a home with a guest house, pool and boat dock very nice place, wrong coast and I think wrong price range but fun to look at. 

Campers and trailers on the AICW

Reasonably sized homes

Kennedy Space Center

Commemorative Waterfall at the entrance

Today daughter Josie came for a visit from her home in Winter Park and we all went to the Kennedy space center. We were able to relive and remember those space efforts that were part of our youth as well as seeing the accomplishments of over the last few years. I was surprised to see that shuttle missions had numbers up to 135 over the past 30 years. The magnitude of this effort is overwhelming largely due to the vision expressed by JFK so many years ago. I hope the private sector can fill the gap left when funding was removed from NASA.

Saturn V Rocket Engine

We took a bus tour of the launch sites and the rocket assembly building along with the giant crawlers that move rockets and space ships across land.  We were impressed with the incredible project that is the US Space Center at Cape Canaveral.  On site there was a garden of rockets that was awe-inspiring and indoor exhibits and displays ranging from Astronaut suits to the real Space Shuttle Atlantis – bigger than you can imagine.  If you ever have the opportunity, do not miss the chance to visit the Kennedy Space Center.

Atlantis suspended with cargo bays open

It was fun to have Josie with us today, she adds sparkle to our lives. After our space excursion we tried out the local Dixie Crossroads seafood restaurant and had a seafood feast.

Josie, Mr. Rock and Carol

 

Manatee cubs drinking dripping fresh water

Coco Beach to Titusville Municipal Marina

Not all anchorages are senic

It was a quiet day, we spent the morning “cruise planning” where we spread out charts, books, lists and computers and decide where to go next – for the next few weeks.  We have some great territory in front of us and some definite dates that we had to fit into the program.  Then we turned out onto the ICW and continued north in a straight line for some hours.  As we leave Florida, I believe the straight lines will become S-curves and loops and the route will require more attention. 

As we docked this afternoon at the Titusville Municipal Marina, I saw first a circular disturbance in the water, then some water flow. I questioned if there was a current in the marina, but that seemed unlikely. Then it became apparent that a manatee needed to move out of our slip so we could move in.  It’s a good place, very practical and well kept.  No fancy flowerbeds but some really nice people and a van that will take you anywhere in town and come back to pick you up.  Carol went to Walgreens and got the short tour.  Titusville is not a Florida tourist town or a sunbird retirement community – just a regular working town with many businesses and across the causeway is the whole Kennedy Space Center as a major employer.

Our first glimpse of NASA

 People from a couple of other boats invited us over for cocktails and so we met some folks who are also headed to Fernandina Beach for the MTOA Rendezvous.  The Rendezvous is April 15-18 and so we are working that into our plans. 

Safe and functional marina

 

Vero Beach to Coco, FL Anchorage

FUN!!!

Note the beautiful dolphin and girl statue in our photograph today.  Many real dolphin sightings today – its just cool when they play around the boat but we never can get a picture.  Today we probably saw 30 dolphins in our long trip from Vero Beach to Cocoa.  This afternoon there was a radio announcement from the Coast Guard giving a look-out for white whales in the Atlantic in the Florida coastal Atlantic.  White whales are an endangered species and someone had called in a sighting of mother and calf white whales.  The Coast Guard gave a latitude and longitude area and told anyone spotting any whales to consider them white whales and report their location.  I don’t think we will see them in the ICW.

This is the house, the statue is to the left of center

Yesterday I referred to the channel being obstructed by small boats.  What the non-boaters may not know is that the waterway may be 1000 feet, or perhaps half a mile wide but only 3to5 feet deep, but the ICW Channel – where the water is deep enough for a larger boat – is usually only 50-100 feet wide.   The Channel is clearly marked with red and green markers to delineate those deeper waters.  If we stray out of the channel there is a very real possibility of running aground.   So when two boats our size are passing each other you actually have to pay close attention, and a small craft sitting still in that passing zone ….. well …..not so good.

Last night on our arrival at the marina, it became obvious that our bow thruster battery was done or at least we hoped it was just the battery. Three automotive parts stores were close by and the third had the Group 31 Deep Cycle Battery we wanted. Thanks to Bob and Martha and a car they borrowed from relatives in Vero Beach, we were able to go to Bennett's Auto Parts and make the purchase. The thruster battery is located under the forward bunk two levels down. Unloading the bunk to get to the battery is a bit of an issue, but we managed. We were pleased with the operation of the thruster this morning when we departed. Problems occur in every part of life and so far we have been quite fortunate ours have been small and manageable. 

Tonight we are anchored near the village of Cocoa, Fl. Right next to a big highway bridge.  It’s quite windy so we will be keeping an eye on the anchor to make sure it holds.  Fortunately the wind usually quiets down by dark and we will have a nice restful spot.

REMINDER to family and friends – we are doing some cruise planning for late spring and early summer.  If you would like to join us for a visit please speak up now and we will try to incorporate that into our plans.  We would love to see you.

 

Neat little island, a Dad and two youngsters were playing

 

The marina last night was tucked behind this Island

Hobe Sound to Vero Beach

A long straight shot from Hobe Sound to Vero Beach.  The water today was smooth, the sky was blue, there was a gentle breeze and we only had a few bridges.  Such a simple day to drive that it gave us a chance to consider some of the legalities of navigating the waterways.  For example: is it legal to park your pontoon boat in the middle of a very narrow channel, or to group several small fishing boats in a place where larger boats will barely fit?  I think it may be legal, but it’s not smart – and you certainly don’t get to be angry when a boat wake rocks you back and forth.

Furthermore, Is it legal to drive your sailboat along the Intra Coastal Waterway stark naked?  The boat is your personal space, but the waterway is public.  Don’t know if this is legal but we did see such a boater today.  I’m pretty sure you get a nice even tan using this method.

One more: if you drive through a manatee zone at high speed, throwing a huge wake, will you get a ticket?  You will if the police boat has to chase you down with lights and siren to get your attention.   Yes, watching all of these things helped us pass the time today.  Let’s be perfectly clear – they were NOT our boat.  Reunion breaks all her own speed records when the incoming tide lifts us up to 9.5 screaming miles per hour.

A tow moving spoil from a dredging operation

We came through a much more rural landscape today except for the cities of Fort Pierce and Vero Beach.  We are at the Vero Beach City Marina tonight and it’s a great spot.  We adjoin a nice city park and there are big trees, sturdy docks and a fine laundry and shower area.  Bob and Martha on Field Trip helped us get the only open slip here and we are docked right next to them.  Tonight we all went out to dinner at the Ocean Grill, overlooking the Atlantic, and ran then some errands since they have a car for a couple of days.  Vero Beach is a nice city with only two high-rise condos.  After those were built all the sitting city council was voted out of office and the citizens passed laws forbidding any future buildings over 4 stories high.  They are working hard to keep from being another big city in the Florida East Coast chain. A local theater, free bus transportation with a bus stop at the marina and a great folder of information about the area move this marina way up our list of favorites.

Pretty houses and boats

Part of the day was very calm, nice reflection

Lantana to Hobe Sound – a voyage through the Palms

This is where the beautiful people live, beautiful boats, beautiful homes, beautiful condos, beautiful weather, and I am sure beautiful people. Enough to gag a maggot!

Lots of bridges today but not as many that were so low we needed them to open, light breeze from the east and sunny. One of the sailboats we were traveling with was able to unfurl their jib and sail for a while heading north with an east breeze. Most sailboats that travel this route are really power boats with a tall stick 90+ % of the time.

We stopped at Peanut Island that was used as a bomb shelter for JFK. He had a home in West Palm Beach and could be moved to the bunker in 10 minutes. There was room for 15 family members with a 30 day supply of food in the bunker. The museum was not open today, but we had an opportunity to walk around the island and tonight we looked up the information on line a saw some pictures of the bomb shelter. Generally, we travel all day and then either anchor or stay at a marina. These last two days we stopped in the middle of the day, a first for us, to visit an attraction. Just trying to expand our options.

A million dollar view from a free anchorage and it changes every night.

Beautiful Homes, one with a beach

Or a boat dock

Beautiful Condos

A beautiful Church

Beautiful Bridge Architecture

Beautiful Fishing Pier

Beautiful Boats

A beautiful Place for a Bomb Shelter

A beautiful Palapa

Peanut Island Stat Park, Camping and Picnic Grounds

A Cruise Ship to take you to even more beautiful places

How cool is this??? Tethered to a Jet Ski

Tonight's Million $ View