Another Glorious Day!!!!!!!!!!!!

SHIP'S LOG:

Current location: Titusville 28'36.787N/ 080'47.752W

For the first time on the trip, I thought that I would have to use radar. When I got up this morning, it was clear but by 8:30 the fog had rolled in and it was thick enough such that I couldn't see the end of the dock. Not great weather for moving on the ICW what with the togs and barges and recreational boats and not a lot of space to maneuver. So I decided to wait it out, but I couldn't wait too long as I hadn't the ducats to pay for another night in the marina. If it did burn off before noon, I was going to have to feel my way out from the Banana River into the Indian River an anchor there. Not having a lot of experience with the radar and with the Banana River so narrow and crowded with boats, the prospect wasn't something to warm my soul. During this foggy time, I got to watch the kiyack races done my the members of the Gold Coast Canoe & Paddle Club. They raced along the Banana River disappearing from sight, strangely trailed by a pod(?) of dolphins. I gathered they raced a couple hundred yards and then came back to the start and did it all over again, tailed all the way by the pod of dolphins. I don't know if this is a regular occurrence but it was interesting to watch. Before the last race, the dolphins appear at the starting line before the boats got back and waited for the boats and then followed them again.

However, by 10 am the fog was fading fast and it was clear enough for me to head out and up the ICW to Titusville. I was hoping for a repeat of Mondays weather, speciofically the winf and its direction. NOAA stated unequivocally that it the wind would be out of the south east at 10-15 which would mean another day of pure sailing. It is not that NOAA is really ever wrong but they were just a little off today. The wind was 10 knots out of the Northwest, basically on the nose, or close enough so that sailing was out. I did try a couple of times when the wind swung around to the west, but when it did , it was very light and every time it picked up in intensity, it swung back to the north west/ north. SO it was a day of motoring.

It was a pretty sparse day for boats but a great day for names: SURREEL; FLOATING PROFIT; SOAKIN; BILL COLLECTOR; BOWL OF CHERRYS; SEAQUEL; LAST MOVE; WE'LL SEA U; MY PRIORITY. My particular favorite was a 25 runabout with four "little old ladies" aboard, each of which sported a beer. The name of the boat? SEA BAGS.

I passed by the Cocoa Village Marina where I had spend a cold Christmas week and called in to Bob the Dockmaster. We had a great chat and I thanked him again for all he and his wife, Chris, had done for me will I was there. He reminded me that he still owed me a bag of ice and I told him that I would stop in and pick it up the next time through.

When I got up to the Addison Point Bridge(NASA Causeway Bridge) and looked at the cars crossing the bridge and cause way as I approached. Since this bridge opens on request, I called and the tender told me to just keep coming and he would open when I got close enough. AS s i approached, I noticed that the cars seemed to speed up. They went faster and faster evidently trying to beat the opening of the bridge they knew was coming. I suppose that this was always the case on these bridges, but I just never noticed it before. I don't think the bridge was open for more than 2 minutes as the tender had great timing and I doubt those who "beat the bridge" really got all that much out of it.

The next people I have to visit are up in Palm Coast, about 70 miles away, but they won't be back before April 5th. SO I will spend an extra day here and do a couple of really short trips to c\get there on time. There is no rush on my part to get back up north to get snowed upon!