This brief post was written by Mike:

Set sail from Fort Pierce (ok…I know we’re a power boat–but even cruise ships say they “set sail,” right?) on Sunday April 7th. After refueling in Vero Beach ($731 worth of “cheap” diesel –hey, $3.10 a gallon is a heck of a lot cheaper than in the Abacos where it’s usually in the “high $4’s per gallon), we continued north about 70 miles to Cocoa, Florida, where we put into Cocoa Village Marina to take shelter from some forecasted strong N/W winds. Yep, the winds were indeed strong & it was nice not to have to worry about finding shelter on the east or southeast side of some island. Cocoa Village is about 7 miles inland from the famed Cocoa Beach. Cocoa Beach is situated along the Atlantic coast, whereas the city of Cocoa is along the Indian River (and the Atlantic IntraCoastal Waterway–AICW). Cocoa Village itself is a two minute walk from the marina, and has every type of eatery, small shop, etc, that one could hope for. Reminded me of Claremont Village back in Southern California. All along our route up to this point, we had been told by people we met that we had to see the hardware store in Cocoa. What could possible be so exciting about a hardware store? We found the place, S.F. Travis Hardware, was literally right across the street from our marina. Comprised in two adjoining-but separate-buildings, this business was founded in 1885 and has been continuously operated since them by the same family. If this place didn’t have it…you didn’t need it!

Hearing that SpaceX was to launch their biggest rocket, the Falcon Heavy, the next day, we left the marina and traveled 10 miles or so up the coast (named Florida’s “Space Coast”) and dropped anchor across the bay from the launch site at Kennedy Space Center. Shortly after we dropped the hook we were joined by the power cat “Moxi,” owned by Dave & Carol who we had previously met in the Abacos. Also aboard Moxi were Kent & Heather whose boat Heartbeat was currently in a shipyard having its bottom painted. After cocktails and a nice dinner aboard Moxi, we learned that today’s launch was “scrubbed” due to high winds aloft. The launch was rescheduled for the following evening. Next morning we weighed anchor and relocated from “NASA Viewing Anchorage 1,” to “NASA Viewing Anchorage 2,” about 2 miles up the coast. That evening’s launch went off without a hitch and was truly awe-inspiring.

About 8 minutes into the flight, all three of the booster rockets safely returned to earth. Two of the boosters landed (vertically) on an adjacent launch pad (below), while the third landed on a mobile platform a few miles out in the Atlantic. The twin sonic booms accompanying the boosters was a real attention getter.

What a far cry from when the expensive boosters were essentially “one and done,” being jettisoned in the ocean after launch.

The next day Mary & I took a side trip, by car, to the Kennedy Space Center. There is so much to see and do, we would highly recommend a visit.

Next short trip we took on FF was down the coast about 10 miles to Georgiana anchorage, just off of the west side of Merritt Island. Mary’s cousin Diana’s in-laws have had a house there since the 50’s and had invited us to stop in for dinner. We were able to anchor right off of their house and had a wonderful evening with the “Reeds.”

Took Mary to Orlando Airport (MCO) on Tuesday for a 3 week trip out west to help family with mother’s recovery. After dropping Mary off for her flight, I continued on to Bradenton (west coast of Florida s/of Tampa), bringing both of our Raymarine chart plotters to an electronics repair firm for upgrades…FF looks pretty naked without them!

After dropping the plotters off, I continued back to Orlando where FF’s bridge seats were left at a reupholstery shop to be recovered in leather. Should be neat!

Returning to the boat, I was working in the cockpit when I heard a voice I recognized…Ramsey Fawzy, our marine electrician we had used back in San Pedro for over 20 years. Some coincidence afoot here! Ramsey was visiting a friend’s boat that he was going to assist in bringing up the coast. We visited a local diner and caught up on things. May have to visit a casino or something…too many “coincidences!”

Shortly thereafter I flew out of Orlando, enroute Portland, OR, where I then drove to visit my dad. Dad lives right smack dab in the center of Oregon (Sisters) on 20 acres in what is termed “BFE.” If that doesn’t ring a bell with you, Google it…this is a family blog! <grin>.

On Weds the 24th, I flew down to So Cal to meet up with Mary. I will return home on Sunday, pick up our chart plotters and seats on Monday, and then pick Mary up on Tuesday. After re provisioning, we will continue up the Atlantic coast towards Georgia, the Carolinas, and so on.

We hope to have some fun stuff for you shortly! Stay tuned!

M&M

Hola! Mary here. Want to add a few things.

During our trip north, we passed by some beautiful homes, and a cool area where folks beach their boats on a sand spit and go party.

Cocoa Village, where we are currently leaving our boat while we venture West, is absolutely charming. Have really enjoyed walking around here.

Our visit to the KSC was incredible. Amazing exhibits, and we were treated to video from the rockets on the launch we witnessed.

I got to see my perfect great niece during my trip home. Taylor Elizabeth Rigsbee is the most beautiful baby I have ever seen! Will leave you with a picture of her. Mike and I fly back to FL early next week and will begin our trip north toward St. Augustine. Hope everybody had a wonderful Easter and Passover.