Along the waterway you see many types of equipment to clean the channels. Some are home made.
Others are much more complex
Then there are those who get elaborate with their docks
And those who could care less what others think
Some bridges we have to have lift for us, due to our 18'6" height. This one we only had inches to spare
Along the waterway we also pass all kinds of ferry boats. Some like this one...
...and they come in all sizes
When we got to New Smyrna Beach we had a problem with our power cord that I had to fix
And later...we went to dinner with Jim and Sandy from Footloose
And here is Footloose leaving New Smyrna Beach early in the morning
When we arrived at Titusville Municipal Marina we were greeted by several Manatee
On Friday we spent the day at Kennedy Space Center
And spent the first 2 hours getting a "up close and personal" guided tour in this bus
Along the way we passed this track vehicle which is the one that takes the space shuttle to the launch pad
This is the launch pad the tracker goes to. It takes 8 hours to travel the 3 1/2 miles from the vehicle assemble building (the picture after this one)
This is the actual control room used to send the first man to the moon
Here we are overlooking a center where they work on the "pods" for the International Space Station
This is the International Space Station as it looks in space
On the left is the space shutle...on the right, the rockets that take it to space
We were able to go inside this shuttle
Log 187
Location: Titusville Municipal Marina; Titusville, FL.
Weather: 75 with light winds and mostly cloudy skies...heading for 83 today.
Sunday...Not long after Peddler and Joy Ann left the dock at Golden Isles, in St. Simons Island, Deb and I borrowed bikes from the marina and rode into town. It turned out to be a 3 mile ride (much more than I had planned) but the weather was perfect, and we kept telling ourselves how good this was for us. Once we made it to the center of the town (on St. Simons Island) we walked around a little looking for a spot for lunch. After stopping at 3 or 4 places, we finally decided on a place called Iguanas. We met Rob, the bartender (we like to eat at the bar because we always have interesting conversations with the bartenders) and he filled us in on the area. He was one of those guys who loves to talk...so he told us a lot...about a lot of things. After lunch, we rode our bikes to a grocery store, and Deb got 4 big bags of groceries, that we somehow managed to get back to the boat without falling down on the bikes. Back at the boat, I watched the football games and NASCAR race that I had recorded, and Deb worked on sorting through some of her pictures (something that takes hours to do). Late in the day, Footloose pulled into the marina, and Jim and Sandy stopped by the boat to say hi. We have met Footloose many times before, starting last fall on the Tennessee River.
Monday...up early, and left Golden Isles Marina, just after first light. Our plan was to head to the north side of Jacksonville, to Palm Cove Marina. Although the Atlantic was good enough to run outside, we decided to stay on the ICW. It is certainly more of a challenge to run the ICW, but we like all the things you see along the way. We have been through this area several times now, but there is always something different to see. On this day, we saw an eagle, and LOTS of dolphins. We also saw a HUGE cargo ship coming out of the St. Johns River, and experienced the best, and the worst, side of the tidal current coming through the bridges. After a 72 mile run, we arrived at Palm Cove Marina at 2:30 pm. After arriving, we took on 200 gallons of fuel ($2.66 @ gallon) and I figured out this could be the last fuel we take on for several months. We have about 400 miles to go to Cape Coral, and that should take about 300 gallon of fuel. Which means we will have about 100 gallon left when we arrive at Cape Harbour Marina...our home for the winter. After fueling up, and getting settled in our slip, I washed off the boat. Not a complete job, but enough to get the salt off. We had dinner on board, and watched the latest episode the Survivor for our “dinner movie”.
Tuesday...we left Palm Cove about 7:15, and quickly joined the ICW again. Our plan was to go to St. Augustine...an easy 30 mile run. Although not many miles, it does fit nicely into our cruising plans. Our original plan was to go to the Municipal Marina, where we have stopped several times, but we decided to change to a place called Comachee Cove...which looked good in the cruising guides. We arrived at 10:30, and after a quick rinse of the boat, we walked over to their on site restaurant for lunch. We had great clam soup, and an even better smoked pork sandwich, and then took a walk around the area. In the afternoon (after a quick boat nap...love it) I did a good job of cleaning the dinghy, while Deb did a couple loads of laundry. Also, Footloose pulled into the dock across from us, and we invited them over for a drink on HQ later that evening. After they left, we had enchiladas, and watched last weeks episode of The Great Race.
Wednesday...we left Comachee Cove before sunrise because we had about a 70 mile run down to New Smyrna Beach. Our previous plan was to go to Daytona, and then to Titusville, but after all my investigations (normal stuff) I decided to change our plans because of a potential bridge issue. The issue was that the NASA railroad bridge (with a 9’ clearance) was having some repairs done to it, and, while it is normally in the open position, (unless there is a train coming), they have been keeping it closed most of the time while they repair it. We found out that they close it in the morning, then open it from 11 am to 1 pm, then it’s closed again till about 5. If we stayed at Daytona (Mile 831) it could be an issue to make it to the NASA bridge (mile 877) by 1 pm. So...we decided to move on the New Smyrna Beach (mile 847) and then we would have an easy run to the bridge in the morning. We arrived at New Smyrna at about 2:30, and decided to pull into our slip because of the wind direction. When we did that, it meant that we needed our 25 foot extension cord for our shore power. But when we plugged in, we found out there was an issue with the cord. We were blowing breakers, and later, lots of smoke (where the boat cord plugged into the extension cord). I was not exactly sure where the issue was, so I took apart the one on the boat, only to find it was fine. The extension cord has sealed ends on it, so I could not tear it apart, but decided that was the problem. After 30 minutes of running around, we finally got the main cord plugged into the shore power, and everything was fine. (I will need to cut the end off the cord, and install a new one. I think this is a problem I caused, by getting the cord wet several times, and causing it to corrode). Once that was fixed, and a quick rinse of the boat, and quick shower, we went over to Footloose for cocktails, and then the 4 of us walked up town for dinner. We were back at the boat early, and made an early night of it.
Friday...not in a real hurry to head out because we only had 30 miles to go to the NASA bridge, and it did not open until 11. We traveled with Footloose, and timed our speed to arrive at the bridge at exactly 11...and at 11 am & 42 seconds they opened the bridge. Our marina (and home for the next 4 days) was in Titusville, and just a couple of miles south of the NASA bridge. Footloose was planning on going on another 20 miles, or so, to the Haulover Canal, and then to a marina near Cape Canaveral. From there they are headed to Stuart, Florida...their home for the winter. We, on the other hand, wanted to stay in Titusville, because we planned to rent a car for a couple of days, and visit the Kennedy Space Center. After tying up, and getting settled (no wash down today), we checked in, and while I got a quick nap, Deb spent some time on the front deck reading her book (it was a gorgeous day). At 4 pm we had a driver pick us up and take us to the rental car place. We normally rent Enterprise cars, because I am really impressed with the management training programs they have, and the great young talent they have at their locations, but in this case the marina convinced me to use U-Save Car Rental. I could tell, at first glance, this was not Enterprise. They guy who picked us up had not shaven for a week (or two); had a long pony tail; shorts that were falling down just above his crack, and came down past his knees, but not to his shoes (question: who thinks this is cool?); and keys dangling on his side, that I’ll bet he has no idea what they will open. Anyway...he was a nice guy, and took us to the rental location without any issue. I won’t go into the description of the rental location, except to say it matched the description of the guy who picked us up. That said, we did get a car, and we met the owner, who was also a nice guy. After a short run around town, we were back at the boat by 5, and had great tuna steaks for dinner, and watched Castle.
Friday...no real reason to get up too early, but did anyway. A cloudy and fairly foggy morning, with 100% humidity. The temperature was about 68 degrees, but it sure felt much cooler. Deb and I were both looking forward to today. When we went through this area, on our way north, Deb said she wanted to stop here on our way south, and go to the Kennedy Space Center, and today was the day. After Deb did some investigation on the web, and talked to the space center, she decided to go for it and take the “up close and personal guided tour package”. We were not sure what that meant, but they said it was the best they had, so we were looking forward to it. Obviously, I can not describe the Kennedy Space Center, or what is there. A trip to their web page will take care of that. But, I can say a few words about our day there. We left the boat at 9, for a 10 am tour. We boarded a bus, and were introduced to Jeff...our tour guide for the next 2 hours. We learned soooooooooo much about the space program; the astronauts; and the future plans. We took a bus ride around the entire property, and saw where the astronauts live; where they are building the space station (actually watched them in action) drove within a few feet (as it was moving) of the HUGE 4 track device that takes 8 hours to move the space shuttle 3 1/2 miles to the launch pad; went by both launch pads; stood in front of the building where they attach the shuttle to the rockets; and all the while being told the story of each area. It was very cool. After the tour, we went on our own, and saw even more of the Space Center, including; an area where they have a real Apollo Rocket that you can walk around; a ride that simulates the take off of the shuttle; and two different 3D movies that told the story of the International Space Station, and mans trip to the moon. We also were able to walk into a real Space Shuttle (like the one you see strapped to those rockets). Again...I’m not much on museums (or didn’t use to be?) but this was a cool place. On our way back home, I use the GPS to locate a Mexican restaurant, and we had a GREAT meal. Back at the boat by 7, and we could not keep our eyes open. We were both in bed by 8:30.
Saturday (today)...as I write this, it’s 9 am, and 74 degrees, with light winds out of the NE. It’s also mostly cloudy, and a little hazy. Deb fried up some bacon this morning, so we had that with some eggs and potatoes for breakfast. I’ve been working on this log for a while, and it’s time to get the day started. No real pressing plans today. We decided we would leave about 11 and head out to find some lunch. We also want to go to the grocery store, and West Marine, while we have the car, which we will turn in later today. Other than that, and the normal boat chores, not much of a exciting day.
Sunday...we plan to have a lazy day. It’s the last NASCAR race of the season, so I do not want to miss a lap of the race in Homestead. I’m sure Deb will take advantage of this, and get some reading done, along with sorting through her pictures.
Future plans...we plan to leave Titusville and continue 40 miles south to Melbourne, FL on Monday. From there, we’ll go another 48 miles to Fort Pierce, and then another 25 miles to Stuart, where we’ll be on Wednesday, and Thanksgiving Day. At that point we will be on the St. Lucie River, and the beginning of the Okeechobee Waterway. Only 147 miles from our winter home...Cape Harbour Marina, in Cape Coral, FL. We have very mixed emotions about getting there (looking forward to spending the winter...but wondering if we sell the boat, is our cruising life over) but more on that at a later time.
Bob
