Impulse Cruising Again

By 6:30 am we were on the ICW enjoying a beautiful sunrise. The ride today included some impressive mansions with gorgeous landscaping and neatly kept homes along the waterway. We also passed Pelican Wildlife Refuge, so for miles there was nothing but nature, and a few channel markers to guide us. But.during the past few days, we have noticed a number of partially sunken boats, many of which are beached on small islands along the ICW. (See photo, which shows "USCG OK" spray painted on the boat.) We think these were the result of Hurricane Matthew in October. They don't seem to have been there long, but the high number of sightings indicate these have all happened recently.
We reached Cocoa Village Marina by 2:30 and settled into a slip. I read that the town of Cocoa began as a small fishing and farming village that was called Indian River City. But when they asked to have a post office located here, the name was rejected because it was too long for a postmark! There are a number of explanations for why Cocoa was chosen, but no one knows for sure. I didn't realize that the USPS wielded that much power!
After hooking up to power and checking out the bathrooms, we headed into town to visit the Travis Hardware Store, known for having everything and anything one could want in that vein. It is true - their inventory is extensive. Then we walked to the NAPA store to buy antifreeze. Bill is concerned that the engine is running a little warmer than usual, so tomorrow morning we will change the antifreeze, check the screen on the intake, and strobe the motor to be sure our tachometer is accurate. Of course other chores must be done since we have been out a week - laundry, defrosting the freezer, and grocery shopping. So it will be a busy day, but we plan to head into town to check out the "old village" that has been revitalized recently. Dinner was served on the boat and we hit the hay early.

57 miles, 8 hours