Space and War
May 14, 2011
The trip yesterday from Cocoa Beach to Daytona Beach took us past Cape Kennedy/Canaveral where the second to last shuttle is poised on the pad. It is hard to believe that the program is done in essence especially when we remember the speech that President Kennedy made five decades ago to kick off the whole effort. Compared to the Saturn Rocket Assembly building, the shuttle launch structure is but a bump on the landscape of the Cape. It is less than 50 miles from this marina to the shuttle as she sits. Perhaps we will see her launch on Monday--- or not.
We were underway for almost nine hours yesterday and we had some wind for motor sailing later in the day. The whole way, we were under siege and occupied by what the locals call “love bugs”. We have them in Texas, but nothing like we saw yesterday. They were so thick in the calm air behind the dodger that they actually became a nuisance. They do not bite but when you step on them, or they otherwise decided to smear their little carcasses around, the leftovers dry to almost cement. It does not just wipe off. You have to scrub vigorously. Now if you think about a few hundred squashed on the cockpit sole, you can see how they are unwelcome. They also land in any food and drink that may be exposed thus we had an opportunity to actually taste a few. Not good. Given the number of them, one actually had to be cautious not to inhale them. Once the winds piped up, the visitors were gone.
As we passed Ponce de Leon Inlet at New Smyrna Beach, we had a very good assist from the incoming tide. In fact, we hit almost nine knots as we made the last few miles to Daytona Beach. Now that is one really nice thing about “doing the ditch” if one hits the tide just right. Of course, the opposite traffic was fighting the assist.
Although we have been underway only two days, we will stop here for a bit to repair stuff I failed to find before leaving Fort Pierce. That engine compartment fan has been trying to fail for some time. It is original equipment and I think it was time to fail. The anchor windlass is most likely corrosion on some electrical connection. This is a good place to stop given the proximity to restaurants and the floating docks. Floaters are rare yet very convenient for getting on and off the boat. So, here we will stay for a few days--- or not.
S/V Dream Ketcher will part company today as they head on to Jacksonville via St. Augustine. They plan to leave her on the hard in Jacksonville for several months to go home and back to work. We will miss seeing them and look forward to seeing them again “out there” next year.

Photo is of S/V Dream Ketcher