Day #263 – Daytona, FL

Last night we went to the restaurant here at Halifax Marina.  It is named “The Aquarium” and aptly named.  Inside there are several huge aquariums.

The glass countertops light up so it appears they are underwater.  Even the menus light up when you open them.  Quite a unique place.

This morning we decided to walk to Surplus Unlimited which is a must see for boaters when visiting Daytona.  It is located about a mile and a half from the marina.

They carry salvaged and new boat “stuff” and the place is enormous.  We wandered around and are happy to report we walked out with only purchasing new lines for our fenders.

After that we walked through “Historic” old town Daytona.  It appears as though they are trying to bring it back, but it has a long way to go.

They have really built up the area that the marina is in and they take great pride in their Riverwalk area.

Halifax Harbor Marina is a 550 slip, wet slip marina.  The marina is owned by the city of Daytona and operated by Skipper Bud’s.

They have something that every boater dreams of…

a West Marine store right on site.  I don’t think we have seen that since Mobile, Alabama.  They also have the tiniest cruise line we have ever seen.

Day #262 – Daytona, FL

We pulled out of Cocoa Village this morning a little after 8:00.  It was another beautiful morning and the winds were extremely calm out of the south.  That makes for a beautiful day on the ICW headed north.

There is a lot of boat traffic out here today.  Not only is it a perfect boating day, but it is also a Sunday during Spring Break.

We are still amazed at the size of the Kennedy Space Center as seen from the ICW.  Even though it is far away, the sheer size is obvious.

Today we have had the best showing of dolphins yet in the entire trip.  We had one group of five follow and entertain us for twenty minutes.  They seem to be larger and perkier again, as they were in the Gulf area.  We never tire of their show.

There are several bridges in this part of the trip that need to be raised or swung.  We have encountered both types, swing and bascule.  Pictured below is a swing bridge.

The ICW twists and turns on this stretch and it makes for a more low country feel and more remote surroundings.  The fishermen are plentiful and people are out having fun.

These small islands are called spoils and they dot the ICW.  They are man-made and created when the channels were dredged and the dirt is piled up and eventually they flourish.  People are fishing and having picnics on them everywhere.

The landscape, houses and boats certainly are different than we have been seeing in other parts of Florida such as Ft. Lauderdale, Miami and Palm Beach.

This area we are going through is called Mosquito Lagoon.   It is extremely shallow and it provides the perfect breeding grounds for mosquitos.  Thankfully, not this time of year.

It is quite a contrast in this area.  Through the shallows you can see the high-rises in the distance in New Smyrna.

Next, we approach the Daytona skyline.

We arrived in Daytona at Halifax Harbor Marina seven hours and 67 miles after we left.  Beautiful day on the water.

Day #261 – Cocoa Village, FL

We woke to a beautiful sunrise this morning.

The way our slip is situated in the marina we look over the ICW.

ICW looking north from the cockpit

and the Hubert Humphrey bridge

These have been the views from our boat the past four days.

Last evening we met a lovely couple from New Mexico aboard Gypsy Spirit.  Their names are Adrienne and David Cohen.  They invited us over last evening, but we needed to make use of the rental car and had to decline.  Instead, we went over for coffee this morning before they departed for New Smyrna Beach.  They are on an aft cabin Carver and have already completed the Loop.  We really enjoyed their company and hope we meet up with them again.

After making a quick trip to West Marine we returned the rental car and went back to the boat.  Just as we got back Andy realized that the sump pump in the master stateroom had quit.  Of course, when we had been at West Marine less than an hour before we didn’t know we needed a new pump.  He called them and they indeed had the part.  We mapped the store from the marina and it is a little over two miles away, almost 5 miles round trip.  So off he set on foot.  Fortunately for him, our boat neighbor two boats away offered to drive him.  Not only did he truly appreciate the ride, he rode in style…a 1956 Thunderbird convertible.

I wanted to make note that we must be very good rule followers as this sign appears everywhere.  To date, we have only see one manatee and that was in Marathon, so clearly we are being very cautious.

Day #260 – Cocoa Village, FL

This morning we rented a car and drove to Kennedy Space Center.  It was about a twenty minute drive to Merritt Island and very impressive place.

The day was spent walking around the Space Center and taking the guided bus tour that stopped at several locations.  The entire compound comprises 140,000 acres and much of it is a natural wildlife sanctuary.  There are over 500 species of birds, animals and critters.  We even saw a 700 pound bald eagle nest and more alligators than we have seen on the entire trip.

Vultures were plentiful and we were hoping they weren’t looking for weary travelers.

We saw an IMAX movie on the space station and went on a simulator that was amazing.  You had to place everything from your pockets into a locker so that nothing loose flew around.  It truly made you feel like you were strapped in a rocket, sights, sounds, smells and all.  Glad to be back on earth.

Next they took you on a two hour bus tour of the entire facility.  We passed the Vehicle Assembly Building where they house the shuttles when they are waiting for their next launch.  To get some perspective of the size of this facility, the flag painted on the outside of the building is so large that they recently repainted it and it took 550 gallons of paint.

Two space shuttles are on neighboring launch pads for the last time before the shuttle program ends next year.  Space shuttle Endeavour rolled out early Friday to Launch Pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center.  After the Hubble mission, Endeavour will be moved to the other launch pad in preparation for launch in June on a mission to the international space station.  About 1.6 miles away, space shuttle Atlantis stood on Launch Pad 39A. Atlantis is scheduled to launch next month on a mission to repair the Hubble Space Telescope.  Endeavour will be on standby during the mission in case a rescue mission is needed for Atlantis’ crew members.

The 4.2-mile trip from the Vehicle Assembly Building aboard a massive crawler-transporter (photo above) took seven hours.  Sorry we missed seeing that sight.

Another area at the center is called their Memorial Garden.  There is a large granite wall that looks somewhat like the Viet Nam Memorial Wall and this beautiful plaque in memory of all of the astronauts who have lost their lives in the endeavor of space exploration.

It was a very interesting day and we thoroughly enjoyed it.

Day #259 – Cocoa Village, FL

Another beautiful day here in sunny Florida…high 76 and low humidity.  We know it won’t last forever, but certainly wish it would.

We have really enjoyed our time in this quaint little town and want to share some photos we have taken as we have gone exploring.

One of their outdoor coffee shops.

Signs in the downtown area.

The General Store on Main Street.

Ryan’s, where we had dinner last night.

Travis Hardware which comprises seven buildings and covers almost a full city block.

And, their resident pirate.  Where was he when we needed him for the Pirate Ball in Marsh Harbour?

This is their beautiful waterfront park.

There is also a local river boat that takes people out onto the Indian River.

We are looking forward to a dinner on the boat tonight with Buck Leahy and his new bride.  Andy and Buck used to be college roommates and we haven’t seen him in more than thirty years.  I bet none of us have changed a bit.

Day #258 – Cocoa Village, FL

We left Vero Beach on a cloudy morning about 8:15 and headed to Cocoa.  The winds had died down to almost nothing and the waters were calm.  This entire area of the ICW is actually the Indian River.  It gets quite wide in places and is fairly heavily traveled.  Today we passed many, many motoring sailboats.

The towns we passed were Sebastian, Palm City and Melbourne.  Right after leaving Vero Beach there were areas of huge houses, one after another.

Right after that stretch it really flattened out and the scenery was much more remote.  Crab pots and crab boats were plentiful.

Thankfully, the ICW is well maintained and the depths are constant because the areas on either side become very shallow, very quickly.

We were pleased to begin seeing dolphins again although they definitely were not as playful and fast as the ones we had seen on the Gulf side of Florida.  They appeared to be smaller and just sort of glided through the water as opposed to jumping and twirling…a bit sluggish.

We arrived at Cocoa Village Marina at 54 miles and 5.75 hours after we left.  It is a great marina and condo complex and has a terrific Captain’s Lounge and boater facilities.  You can easily walk into their quaint downtown ans we will do that after getting tied up and organized.  The weather cleared and it is fabulous, 81, sunny and a slight breeze.

Day #257 – Vero Beach, FL

During the night the predicted winds picked up and the morning was overcast.  The forecast was for the temperature to reach 90 degrees.  The prediction was incorrect and the high was 76, windy and rain.  Actually we were lucky as the weather over most of the state of Florida was stormy.  Two tornadoes even touched down in Tampa Bay.

This morning Andy washed the boat and I took the shuttle back into town again.  I came back and unpacked the purchases and we had lunch.  We planned to take the shuttle into the oceanfront part of town after lunch.  Just as we walked up to the stop the skies opened up.  Back to the boat we came and it has rained most of the afternoon.  The agenda has pretty much consisted of chores, TV, reading and computer.

Before dinner we decided to go for a walk around the area.  Evidence of  Spanish moss is in many the trees.

The winds really picked up around 7:00 and it was a bit frightening.  All was secure and we rode it out well.  We really can’t complain as the weather has been stupendous for us and this area only experienced a touch of bad weather compared to much of the surrounding area.  We were treated to a beautiful sunset as well.

Tomorrow we plan to pull out and head to Cocoa Village Marina and spend a couple of days.

Day #256 – Vero Beach, FL

Today was kind of a quiet day.  We said good bye to Susan, John and Lily on La Garza Verde as they departed before we did this morning. I’m not sure if you can tell in the picture, but Susan is the Captain today and John is the Commander.  They take turns as the mood strikes them.  Nice concept, sorry Andy.

We were in no particular hurry as we were only going fifteen miles to Vero Beach.  We arrived about 11:00 and tied up to the dock.

We checked in and were told that they had a small bus (public transportation and free) that comes by the marina every hour and takes you to the beach and then into town.  Not wanting to miss an opportunity we were on the bus at 11:45.

We stayed on the bus through the beautiful oceanfront area of town and decided to go exploring there tomorrow.  Instead we headed straight for West Marine.  As it turned out, the bus dropped us right in front of the store.  It was a West Marine Express which means it is a really tiny store.  No purchases made, we walked across the street and went to TJ Maxx.  I have to say this is a first trip there for Andy EVER and by the look on his face, probably the last.  We purchased a back pack and I couldn’t resist getting his picture while he checked out…priceless!

The bus picked us up right on schedule and there were several other boaters waiting and they took us back to the marina.  One couple we had met in Marsh Harbor, another couple is from Ann Arbor and so on.  The boating community is a small community.

This marina is surprisingly quiet and remote compared to many we have been in while on the east coast of Florida.  The majority of the boats here are sailboats and many of the people are “liveaboards” and are on mooring balls, some rafted three deep.

Day #255 – Ft. Pierce, FL

Hoppy Easter!

Last evening a delightful couple named Susan and John Hague and their dog Lily pulled in to the slip next to us.  They have a 45′ Ocean Alexander named La Garza Verde (the green heron) and were just returning from the Exumas and the Abacos.  They are from New Jersey and have been cruising almost full time for the past four years.  They are full of great information which they are more than willing to share and we are anxious to learn.  They are recommending stops, marinas to see, those to miss and tips on the Loop in general.  They have already completed theirs.

This morning I took their dog Lily on my walk.  For those of you who knew our dog, McGee, you can see the strong resemblance and she and I became buddies instantly.  She was happy for the walk and I was pleased to have the company.

A few of the sights we saw around town were the compass rose in the town center

the pineapple fountain with Good News in the background

and two beautiful mosaic benches outside of their community theater.

Today is Ft. Pierce’s Jazz Festival in the Town Center.  It is a much quieter, more reserved crowd for which we are grateful.  Also, the performers are located a bit further away from our boat which makes it very enjoyable.

The gentlemen below were picking people out of the crowd to come up and answer questions about Jazz.  I was mortified when they chose me.  Fortunately, they just asked me a few questions and even helped my with the answers.  For my efforts they gave me a David Sanborn CD.

I was relieved that they didn’t make me do push-ups like they had made Ryan do in Mallory Square in Key West.  I think they knew better.

Susan and John joined us for dinner tonight and we shared a wonderful evening togther. Susan hand wrote an entire list of marinas and stops that they recommend from here to New York.  They have done the trip several times and we know this is invaluable information.  Kudos to Susan!

Another beautiful day…83, slight breeze and sunny.

Day #254 – Ft. Pierce, FL

This is a busy day at the Ft. Pierce City Marina. It began with a Farmer’s Market like none we have ever seen.  They sold the obvious, fruits and vegetables and flowers.

In addition another booth sold nothing but salsa and guacamole, another stone crab ($9.99/lb.), another seafood, etc.

There were many food venues and a different looking barbecue twist.  There was also a big craft show.

We bought produce, pulled pork and a bromeliad planted in a coconut shell.

The Hooked on Music Festival ran from 2:00 PM to 2:00 AM right at the marina.  There was music and food and great people watching.

This is the view off the bow of Good News.

Andy and I walked all over this cute little historic downtown Ft. Pierce.  The city is obviously trying to rejuvenate the area and it appears they are doing a good job of it.  By the way, the high here today is 90 degrees.

We have run into two others Looper couples.  We first saw Larry and Margie on Wanderin’ L & M and we had met them in Joliet, IL and Mickie and Doug on Bucket whom we met at Dog River.  Nice to see familiar faces again.

Tonight we walked back up to the music festival and took in the sights and sounds.  Ft. Pierce is a great little harbor town.  Sounding old, we were pleased when the music stopped shortly after 10:00 PM as our boat was two boats away from the grand stand…lots of bass!