Stopover on the Space Coast
17 December 2010 | Titusville, Florida
Wayne
We arrived in Titusville after a blustery day of motoring down a rather narrow channel that ended when we entered the Haulover Canal, crossed over Mosquito Lagoon and passed under the NASA-bound railway bridge which is rather unique in that it is fully automatic and starts closing without an operator 8 minutes after the sirens and lights activate. Titusville was only a couple of miles beyond that bridge and we wound our way through the anchorage which is located in the Indian River just above the swing bridge that bisects the town. We pulled into the municipal marina where I would stay until the 18th of December when Cindy returned.
Martin still had a couple of days with me before he had to return home to Canada and decided that he would rent a car and go see a friend of his in West Palm which is a little further down the coast. While Martin was away I began to get settled for my extended stay and found the marina a reasonably good spot to layover for a while. Downtown Titusville was only a short walk away and while, like many towns, the new growth is located several miles further inland along the highways there proved to be enough services and facilities to fill my needs within walking distance. Martin returned after a day's visit with his friend, helped me run some chores with his rental car and then on Saturday morning left to catch an early flight from West Palm back to Toronto. Martin was a great help and we had a great time together on our trip from Myrtle Beach. Thanks Martin.
So I now found myself alone and footloose & fancy-free in Titusville (woo-wee) and thought that I'd get some boat projects done while the opportunity presented itself. But, I soon discovered that there were several old acquaintances ensconced on their boats in nearby marinas. I reconnected with Rob & Susan from Mandate that we had met in Annapolis, Paul Peachey from Toronto, and Bill and Joan from Rambler with whom we had "buddy boated" with down the New Jersey Coast from Sandy Hook to Cape May and a steady stream of other boats I had seen along the way down. I even had a wonderful visit with Steve & Helen Nowell who were dock-mates of ours in Whitby that were travelling through the area in the RV and stopped to have lunch with me. On top of that my slip was only a couple of short steps from the fuel dock and I met a lot of new cruisers that were passing through during my 2 ½ weeks stay. So it proved to be a social place to be.
Titusville is at the heart of the Space Coast and is only a couple of miles as the crow flies from the Kennedy Space Station and the launching pad for all American space exploration. One day I watched the launch of a new cargo rocket that is to be in service next year taking cargo to the international space station and it was kind of awesome to watch a launch from such a close vantage point (see the lead picture). I discovered that Titusville is home to a very good do-it-yourself boatyard that many people use because it is inexpensive and helpful place to do your annual maintenance. This yard may well become our place to haul out when we return home or need to complete our annual refit. But, at its heart, Titusville is still a small Florida town and remains essentially a quiet place to live and work and a nice place to visit.
Despite all the distractions I did manage to get the boat cleaned from our travels (it had to be shipshape for the Admiral, ya know), a few new projects completed but mostly I patiently waited for Cindy to return so we can cruise again for a few weeks. I swear that as the day of her arrival got nearer Leeway bounced more lightly and happily in her slip awaiting her return too.
Life is good. And, cruising, in all its forms, is great. Thanks for following the blog. Ciao for now.