Wanderers : Titusville and Melbourne

Tuesday we left Daytona Beach and traveled 42 miles to Titusville. We had a bridge opening at George Musson Memorial Bridge which opens on demand. There was a 5 1/2 mile 'speed zone' that runs through picturesque fish camps. Next was Mosquito Lagoon that was broad, shallow and teeming with wildlife: fish, birds, dolphins, manatees (we didn't see any) and, of course, mosquitoes (fortunately, too cold for them!). We had another bridge opening in the Haul-Over Canal. After that we entered the Indian River and made it to Titusville where we got a mooring ball and spent two nights. We took the dinghy into the marina, checked in and went to Pier 220 for happy hour. Their only bar was outside which was a tad too chilly for us. We had a few drinks and apps, enjoyed a beautiful sunset and went back to our boat for dinner. Finding your boat in the dark can be a challenge.

Titusville is right next to Cape Canaveral. As luck would have it, a SpaceX rocket launch was scheduled for 1251 Wed. We were all set to watch it after exploring the town when it got postponed to the following day. !@#$

The Pritchard House in Titusville

Thursday we traveled from Titusville to Eau Gallie (slightly north of Melbourne). That was a nice straight trip down the Indian River. Almost everyday we have dolphins taking advantage of our wake and swimming right next to our boat. It's really cool to watch! We were staying at Eau Gallie Yacht Basin and called on the phone and hailed on the VHF at least six times to get a slip assignment. No answer. No return call. No radio response. Nothing beats pulling into a strange marina NOT knowing where you are going!!! Seconds away from the marina, Sharon finally reached someone on the phone and we had an easy docking on a face dock. Things always seem to work out for us. After docking, we stepped off the boat just in time to see the SpaceX rocket launch at 1229!!! From our view, it looked like a candle followed by a vapor trail. We were bummed we didn't get to see it 35 miles upriver but were still impressed. Shortly after that, our friend Tony Ahrens picked us up in his 1960 Chevy station wagon. He gave us a quick tour and we stopped at Lou's Blues Bar & Grill for a nice view of the Atlantic and some really good fish dip. After that, we went to Dos Amigos for some margaritas and Mexican food!

Tony and I were stationed on the USS RECLAIMER (ARS 42)
in Pearl Harbor 34 years ago.
Tony was a Navy diver and the only guy I knew
who checked on board with a surfboard.
We reconnected thanks to Facebook several years ago.

My (Rob) sidecar margarita at Dos Amigos.

Tony left the lights on "Swaggen" and we needed a jump
after leaving Dos Amigos. No problem-o.

The next day, Sharon and I walked around Eau Gallie. Nice town with lots of art shops. Above is one of the parks. Later in the afternoon, Tony picked us up and took us to Squid Lips (where we wanted to go for happy hour). We were going to hang outside but there was a nasty smell from the river so..... we went to a relatively new upscale restaurant: Frigates. Frigates was definitely nice with really good food! After dinner, Tony dropped us off and we made friends with many of the live aboard boaters in our marina. They were very nice and welcoming and curious about our travels. We enjoyed adult beverages around a fire which felt good. The evenings are kind of chilly (in a good way!).