March 21, 2015 - In Titusville, FL

After spending the night in the Peck Lake anchorage that was mentioned on the last post, we decided to make a long day on Thursday so we would have a shorter trip to arrive in Titusville before the MSU basketball game. Consequently, we traveled over 85+ miles to an anchor in Melbourne, FL. We found a very protected anchorage just off the intracoastal, and in the back yard of Squidlips bar & restaurant...a very large, beachfront, tropical bar/restaurant with very good food and great music. It was a very short dinghy ride to shore and after dinner we came back to the boat and enjoyed the very loud music and warm night breeze from the top of Patriot.

The restful night prepared us for an early rise to make our trek to Titusville. The trip and day provided many memorable events. The Indian River was as calm as glass...we both remarked that very few times in our boating experiences have we ever seen water this calm. It was a very spectacular ride! We are missing the turquoise waters of the Bahamas and Atlantic and again find the water murky, brown and not at all appealing for swimming.

Once again we saw many different sights along the river, from opulent homes to wild, unoccupied areas. The dolphins gave us a show most of the day and we never tire of seeing them.

As we were traveling along we heard a call from a boater not far from us requesting assistance from the Coast Guard to help one of their passengers who was apparently having a heart attack. We followed that drama on the radio for quite a while and luckily, the person was successfully taken to a local hospital. Not long after that, we heard a call on the radio from a boater who had witnessed a sailboat whose mast had hit a power line and attempts to radio the sailboat went unanswered. Just a short while later, we heard the Coast Guard communicating with the sailboat and they indicated their boat was on fire. We recognized the name of the boat, as we had passed it a few minutes earlier. Long story short, we arrived at the marina and discovered that the vessel who struck the power line was a sailboat from this marina - folks our age whose home and entire belongings were with them on the boat. By then, the boat was reportedly engulfed in flames and nothing would be salvageable. Fortunately, the passengers and their dogs had been secured on another boat so there were no fatalities.

Once we got settled and watched the game, Jim went to work cleaning the outside of the boat in an attempt to banish the layers of salt. As I went to do laundry, I noticed some manatee slurping up the water that was running off the boat. It was quite comical, as three of them were crowding around the boat to get their fair share. They continue to hang around our boat, hoping Jim will clean the boat again. :)

This marina is very large, very plain, and some of the boats have been abandoned - an interesting phenomenon - but remain in the marina. Apparently, when abandonment occurs, the marina (owned by the city) takes ownership of the boats and attempt to sell them. In most cases, the boats are in such disrepair that they are impossible to sell. Difficult issue!

Today we took the city bus to the grocery store, another thing to which we are not accustomed. I wouldn't say it was an experience that makes me long for more, but it is one of the only ways to get around Titusville, as there aren't many things within walking or biking distance.