Day 50 - Cocoa

Kite and Ringle intended to stay only two nights at Vero Beach, and then move on to Cocoa. However, as frequently happens, the weather played a role in the decision to stay an additional day in Vero Beach. The winds on Monday were 10 to 20 knots from the north and northeast, and as we wanted to go north we decided to wait until Tuesday when the winds were forecast to be 10 to 15 knots from the east.

On Sunday afternoon Lyn, Eveline and Peter walked about a mile to the beach, and then a long walk along the seashore before returning to the marina. The road we walked along was full of interesting properties with well-landscaped yards and several had old oak trees that dominated the front yards. We admired colorful flowers and shrubs and the beautiful parasitic growth that only old oaks can support. After our walk, we checked the weather one last time before deciding to stay at Vero Beach on Monday.

As Kite had only prepaid the two nights at the marina, we decided to refuel on Monday morning and then relocate to a mooring for the night to save some of the expense. Ringle decided to spend the additional night in her slip at the marina. As Kite's outboard motor for her dinghy is in need of repair, we had stowed the deflated dinghy below decks and had no desire to re-inflate it in order to make the long row back to the marina. So when she left the fuel dock, Lyn and Peter were confined aboard for the day. Fortunately, we still had electronic communications, which is how we learned about the scheduled launch of SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.

Lyn and Peter were relaxing after a delicious spaghetti dinner when Lyn's phone beeped, signaling that she had a message. It was from Eveline announcing the rocket launch at 19:21. It was then 19:10. Peter consulted a chart to find a precise compass bearing from Vero Beach to Cape Canaveral, and then pointed out a landmark on the horizon where the rocket should appear. Sure enough a few minutes later, there was the rocket streaking toward space. It was such a clear day that the pictures came out better than expected from 60 miles away.

Launch of Falcon 9 rocket with Inmarsat satellite

Launch of Falcon 9 rocket with Inmarsat satellite

The day had been hot, but breezy, and the breeze was forecasted to continue throughout the evening as it shifted to the east. Kite had been fitted with her wind scoop shortly after arriving at the mooring, and that kept a cooling air flow through the cabin below decks. Unfortunately, the wind did not continue throughout the night. It died out by 10 pm and scarcely returned by daybreak. It made for uncomfortable sleeping in the warm, humid air.

When Tuesday morning arrived, Peter got up and checked the weather forecast, and it was essentially the same, except that the winds in early morning would be weaker, but still from the east. The winds were supposed to be over 10 knots by 10:00 and remain in 10 to 15 knots range for the rest of the day. And that is precisely what happened. Kite dropped her mooring at 08:00 and motored up the ICW for about one half hour. By that time the wind had already increased enough to make it worthwhile to motorsail, so we unfurled the jib and increased our speed by a knot. Ringle left at 08:00 too, but she had to refuel first, so didn't actually leave the marina until 08:30 - 08:45. She eventually caught up with Kite just as we were pulling into Cocoa Village Marina, today's destination. Thanks to the wind, Kite's average speed for the 7+ hours it took to get to Cocoa was 6.4 knots. Peter checked his log to compare that with the speed for the same trip going south. Going south we were fighting strong winds from the south, and our average speed was 4.8 knots for the 9+ hours it took to get to Vero Beach.

While traveling up the Indian River, as this part of the ICW is called, we saw a surprising amount of wildlife. Several dolphin were feeding, and a huge manatee surfaced so close we had to steer away suddenly to avoid hitting it. Pelicans were abundant, and it looks as if the osprey population will be ok this year, as there were many active nests visible with young in them.

Osprey nest with young chicks

Handsome pelicans on bridge fender

It was a wonderful day of motor sailing today. After Kite and Ringle were securely tied to their respective docks at Cocoa Village Marina, we agreed to take a couple of hours to decompress and then at 18:00 we would walk to Norman's Raw Bar for dinner. We had dinner there on our last stop here and it was very good. We were not disappointed this time either. Three of us ordered fish and chips (which was not available last time) and Lyn ordered steamed mussels. All were excellent meals. As we were walking back to the marina after dinner, we stumbled upon an ice cream shop that was still open, so that was our dessert.

Tomorrow we are traveling only 20 miles to Titusville, where we will take a mooring if available, or anchor if not. Consequently we plan to stay here until about 11:00, and do laundry and some errands before check-out time.