ICW Trip 2001 Leg 25-26 Titusville - Melbourne

Saturday 1 December 2001 - leaving Daytona

7:15 am Charlie and Sandy helped us push away from the dock because they put a boat quite close in front of us. There is a guy who polishes the big power boats, and he's been doing this one.

RosalieAnn

We went through the Main Street Bridge behind CAROLINA (whom we first met in Belhaven - they were anchored out - and then met again at Barefoot Landing), and then through the Memorial Bridge with them and another boat.

Bridge

All the bridges in Daytona except these two have been taken out and replaced with fixed bridges.

Port Orange

We went past Seven Seas Marina and I took some photos of it. The current was at least 2 knots here, probably because the river squeezes down narrow - there was almost no current at Caribbean Jack's Marina.

Saw a power boat named JOB SITE, and then several with names like RELATION* SHIP, FRIEND * SHIP, and PARTNER * SHIP. Talked to PARTNERSHIP on the radio - they used to have their boat in Solomons. There are almost as many people who used to have their boats in Solomons as Canadians.

Passed the New Smyrna Beach Municipal Marina, but the marina apparently no longer has a phone. Saw several porpoises leaping and playing in Brickhouse Cove. I reached behind me to get the chart book, and didn't realize that Bob had put the binoculars on top of it. They fell on the floor. Bob says they are broken, but he's put them back together. I don't know if they are as good as they were.

Ponce de Leon Inlet Lighthouse from the ICW

Came through the Haulover Canal, and going down the Indian River saw someone anchored that Bob thought was anchored in the channel. They were pretty close but not actually IN the channel. Got to Titusville Marina by 1445. I actually managed to LASSO the stern piling by MYSELF!!

RosalieAnn at the dock

Titusville was 95 cents a foot with a Boat US discount, electricity $3 for 30 amp, and they gave us a splitter which they locked to the dock, plus 6% tax. We always enjoy it there. They have an email line for cruisers outside the office under an awning so it is always available. They have floating docks, but I don't know why - there's no tide to speak of. They have several washers and three dryers, of which dryers only 2 work well. You can sign up by 8:15 in the a.m. and they will pick you up at 8:30 to go to ACE hardware. Bob did this and he was able to get some things he needed.

Every time we come to Titusville we would walk across the highway and across the parking lot of the shopping center to Azteca Mexican Restaurant for dinner. The food is plentiful, and good. It seems to be a family run place. In the daytime the nearby courthouse workers probably come to eat here. It was decorated for Christmas. There was a Xmas tree as well as exterior lights. Bob always gets the taco platter and I had a taco salad.

Fried_ice_cream

We also each had a fried ice cream.

Sunday 2 December 2001

We hung out at the marina watching the manatee (taking pictures of them is difficult, but I tried). Bob said he saw one with a calf, but I didn't see that.

Manatee

I did a much better job of photography when we were coming north in 2004

Manatee by the dock

Manatee with a barnacled back

Monday 3 December 2001

We intended to stay here 2 days, but we decided to extend the stay because the space shuttle was supposed to take off on Tuesday, and Titusville is one of the best places to see it. CAROLINA was here for a couple of days, but left today.

Osprey

We visited Patrick on VAYA CON DIOS (which is a beautiful CSY and is for sale), and took photos. Also took pictures of an osprey on the top of a mast and a green heron that was sitting on a dock line

Green heron on a dock line

He didn't seem to mind having his picture taken

Green heron

The Natural Resources folk shot an alligator that he become 'aggressive' i.e. people were feeding him and he started going after dogs.

Alligator captured

They trapped him and shot him by the sea wall,

Trying to pull the alligator out

and then he was too heavy to get out of the water, so they towed his carcass by boat to the other side of the marina and pulled him up on the beach.

Rowing across

They said he probably came over from the wildlife reserve over on Cape Canaveral. We have never tried to visit the Cape. The Wildlife reserve might be interesting, but I'm just not that interested in the space stuff.

Tuesday 4 December 2001

Pelican

Bob got on his bike and rode around the area quite a bit. He bought two lighted angels (he has not been able to find reindeer although he did find a sleigh) to put up over the staysail boom.

Our angels

He also replaced the crazed glass/plastic cover over the instruments in the cockpit, and put up the CO detector in the aft cabin.

Bob and I and Joan and Gordon from the Brewer in the slip opposite us walked over to the park to see the shuttle launch (they are here for the winter and know where everything is - they said that was the best place to watch), but the launch was delayed again. We all walked to KFC and had dinner.

Wednesday 5 December 2001- Titusville to Melbourne

Titusville Swing Bridge

Pushed off with Gordon's help and went through the Titusville Bridge(which doesn't open during space shots - ditto the Haulover Bridge and the NASA bridge) with 3 power boats and 7 sailboats on their 1st or 2nd opening of the morning (they don't open until 7:15 am). Then went through the NASA bridge

NASA Bridge

although that bridge divided us up into two groups of 5 - we were the first boat in the 2nd group. He got 5 close to the bridge and then let them through, and then closed again and waited until the 2nd groups was all at the bridge, cleared traffic and opened for us.

Power plant

Coming down the Indian River, Bob did quite a bit of sailing as there was a strong east wind. He likes to sail.

Cocoa Beach water tower

Took a photo of the Cocoa Beach water tower with the big flag on it. Some of the fixed bridges are in such bad shape at the bottom that you can see the rebar and wire mesh sticking out. One of them has apparently had the concrete painted at the bottom - whether to conceal new cement work or to cover up graffiti is hard to tell. I made lunch and when I came up to eat it, I spilled a whole glass of iced tea on myself.

Sailing to Melbourne

We anchored about mile marker 920 behind Crab Point off Melbourne Beach about 1320. The wind was 10-20 knots from the east - we were as close to shore as we could get.

Chart_of_Indian_River_

The wind gen was running and putting lots of amps into the batteries, so we ran the TV. The space shuttle was to go off at 5:19, so I turned up the TV loud while we ate dinner in the cockpit. We saw it come out over the trees, and then in between clouds. I got a pretty good picture with the digital camera.

Space shuttle

It was not as close as it would have been if we were still in Titusville, but I was glad to see it in person.