Day 66 - 10 February

Today began earlier than usual. We had to get through the New Smyrna Beach Highway Bridge before it closed for the day at 7AM. Like many of the ICW bridges, this one is also going through a reconstruction. In this instance the bridge was being repaved and once the paving crew began work, that was it...the bridge was closed all day until the workday ended at 5PM. So we rose early and got the anchor up by 6:15AM and departed before sunrise to make the 6:40AM opening of the bridge. We made it although Windreka "found the bottom" briefly at a temporary unlighted mark at a bend in the Ponce de Leon Inlet. Once again we were grateful for a large diesel engine and a big 3-bladed screw to back us out of the mud. We were also grateful for our bow thruster to help point the boat back into deeper water and keep us from ending up like our friend on the right!

After we cleared the bridge we experienced increasing wind over the course of the day. It was a windy and blustery day with gusts to 40 knots from the south....right behind us. It reminded us of the true value of "following seas" as in the term "fair winds and following seas" that many folks use to wish someone well. Anyone who has sailed or steered a sailboat in following seas knows how helpful it is when the wind and water come from directly behind. It makes the person at the helm and the crew feel a little like Dante in The Divine Comedy as he goes from one level and terrace to the next. By the time we reached the end of the day, Joe was pretty tired from fighting the rudder and trying to keep Windreka on course through the narrow and shallow channel. We didn't touch any more today, despite the following seas. So, by all means, don't hesitate to wish your friends "fair winds" but please...no "following seas"...unless you really wish them bad luck!

We motored past Cape Kennedy where we could see in the distance the launch complexes and the space shuttle vehicle assembly building. It was the first time Joe had been back in this area since the early 60s. At that time the Mercury Atlas was the launch vehicle of choice and the Mercury Astronauts had yet to begin their space flights. Of course, there were so many changes to the area that the old Cocoa and Cocoa Beach were impossible to identify. Nevertheless it was nostalgic...despite the following seas!

We crossed over from the Mosquito Lagoon and into the Indian River and the wind kept blowing! We eventually got to Cocoa where we parted company with Greg and Judy on My Destiny for the rest of the day. They motored on to Melbourne and we turned into the Cocoa Village Marina where Bill, the Dockmaster responded to our request for a slip and guided us in to the privately marked channel leading from the ICW to the marina. Bill also met us at the assigned slip to help with our lines and get us tied properly up for our short stay. After a short while, Joe's son and his wife met us for dinner and a pleasant visit. Joe and Gretchen live in Orlando which is about an hour from the ICW and Cocoa and they drove over to meet us at the Marina and go to dinner with us at the Cocoa Beach Boardwalk.

After dinner Joe and Gretchen dropped us off at the marina and we got ready to catch up with Greg and Judy at Fort Pierce tomorrow. It looks like we'll be at Fort Pierce for several days while we let the weather pass over us.