VOYAGES OF KRISTIN SAYS: Day 84 - Cruising the Space Coast

It had rained overnight and some light rain and clouds remained in the morning. Captain Randy caught up on some work and I did more laundry. At 11:15am we pulled out of the slip to the fuel dock and the price didn’t look so bad after the Bahamas! A boater on Hinesite introduced himself and told us he had had his boat in Fort Pierce since 2000, spending every winter on it. He had wanted to complete the Loop, but had not managed to do so, staying put in Fort Pierce. By 11:40am we were on our way to the Atlantic with 59 miles to travel to Port Canaveral.

The fishing boats were out and we saw a couple of dolphin as we cruised past Vero Beach. Seeing 2 or 3 dolphin would have caused us to slow down and be very excited previously, but after seeing a hundred or more, we were not overly impressed. There were 2-3 foot swells on the Atlantic and we were going into them, not the most comfortable ride. On shore were more boxy buildings in black and white, unlike the pastels of the Bahamas. A few taller buildings marked the town of Vero Beach. North of here, in the Sebastian area, there were longer stretches of single family homes and beaches.

The Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge was easy to spot as there were no buildings on its shores. From here to Titusville, 15 miles north of Port Canaveral, the coastal topography changes from a slender barrier strip to a broad stretch of land that forms Cape Canaveral. This area has come to be known as the Space Coast. Homes appear again at Palm Bay, some with breakwalls in front. Next is Melbourne, a city whose harbor is landlocked off the Indian River and can only be reached via the ICW. The Indian River area is known for its citrus fruit, chiefly oranges and grapefruit.

As we approached Cocoa Beach, the beaches were wider and there were more colorful mid-rise hotels and condominiums. To me it was the most attractive area we had passed all day. We had 10 miles to go to Port Canaveral, passing through a restricted area at Patrick Air Force Base. Coming off the ocean into the inlet we saw 2 large cruise ships on our starboard and a string of marinas to our port. We pulled into a very nice slip with floating docks at Ocean Club Marina at 4 pm. I finally saw a manatee in the harbor, the first one of the trip. The State of Florida is investing heavily in the Port with the intention of making it the largest cruise ship port in the state. Ground has been broken for a new restaurant/entertainment complex and it is likely that a few of the older boatyards/marinas will be forced to move for more improvements.

We knew that we wanted to visit the Kennedy Space Center in the morning and thought we would check out the historic Village of Cocoa that evening. The Marina office referred us to a local car rental business and soon we were off. We had to cross over 3 bodies of water on our way to town: the Banana River, Sykes Creek, and the Indian River. The Village was reminiscent of other small Florida coastal towns, with a few blocks of restaurants, shops, and general services such as a post office. Most of the shops were closed but we did stroll into a local art gallery that was open. We checked out a couple of the restaurants and decided to eat at Thai Thai Village Sushi. The small room was nearly full. We were seated right away and had very good service. The menu was huge with Sushi, Japanese, and Thai selections. The food was excellent and it was easy to understand the brisk business this place does.