Day 13 - Cocoa, FL
14 April 2012 | Cocoa Village Marina, Cocoa, FL
Fri 13 Apr 2012
Cocoa Village Marina, Cocoa, FL
Well, the actual wind strength and direction was not quite as forecast; it was stronger and more southerly, so our anchorage location was not the best, although here we only had a choice of this anchorage or a marina. We can't afford to make this cruise if we have to stay in marinas more than one-quarter of our time.
As I type this, it is just after 0300; I have been wide awake since 0130 because the boat has been rockin' and rollin' since we went to bed at 2100. The anchor is holding fine and it isn't dangerous or scary, but just uncomfortable.
I have used some of this time to crunch more numbers (hey, it is something I enjoy doing) and it looks like we are slightly behind a pace that will get us to Penobscot Bay, Maine a few weeks before the halfway point in time. We both have no desire to average longer days underway, so it just might be that we elect to leave the boat in storage somewhere in the Carolinas on the way back. That option has lots of drawbacks, but it might be better than rushing this cruise.
We had a very enjoyable short run today with the wind off our starboard quarter and that allowed us to run the engine at a more fuel sipping power setting while still maintaining over 5.5 knots on average. Cocoa appeared after just 3.5 hours and we got settled into our slip at Cocoa Village Marina, which we highly recommend. The daily rate is not bad and the facilities are very nice (with the exception that there is no pool). Backing into the slip with the winds was a challenge, but we handled it pretty well with the very important assistance of the dock hand. Diane is getting back her boat skills s she gets to use them every day.
After settling in, our good friends from Punta Gorda, Jack and Elise, strolled over from their boat to visit. It was a great time and then we set about with boat chores and preparing for a chauffeured vehicle to take us to get boat parts and food. Cocoa is a nice town, with mostly working folks (as opposed to the numerous retirees we see at home in Punta Gorda). We were pretty successful and after stowing our booty, we went aboard Jack and Elise's Hatteras for Happy Hour.
A short stroll took us to the cute downtown area (like a miniature version of Stuart) where we dined at Thai Thai and loved it. [Marinas, restaurants - what is happening to these people?!] On the way from their boat, a gust of wind carried Duane's SSCA (Seven Seas Cruising Assoc.) hat off his head into the water and out of reach. I have lost my SSCA hat irretrievably twice in the past, so Diane and I just laughed and remarked that I just wasn't meant to have an SSCA hat. Jack said it might just wash ashore later, but I insisted we ignore it and go to eat. As Diane and I were relaxing in the cockpit several hours later with a nightcap, Jack sauntered up with my wet cap that he had retrieved from the shoreline. What a guy!
Tomorrow, we will stay here again to avoid having to anchor in an unfavorable spot in the strong forecasted winds. Then we expect to make a loooong (10 hour) run up to New Symrna Beach on Sunday. Talking to Jack, who has boated up and down this coast a fair bit, there are not that many good places for a slow boat to stop after a reasonable day's run, especially if you are trying to seek shelter from winds for an anchorage.
In that vein, our friends, John and Marilyn, are selling their beautiful sailboat to get a power cat (also quite beautiful) that will go over twice the distance in the same time as our boats. That will allow them to make, say, 50-60 mile runs between more desirable ports and then stay two days there, rather than what we are doing. Considering that this ICW cruise is almost exclusively motoring, their choice makes a lot of sense.