Day 1: Stuart to Vero Beach
We left Stuart early, covered 40 miles, and set anchor in a small cove just past the Vero Beach City Marina & Mooring field. With our shallow draft, we were able to make it all the way to an unoccupied area at the very end of the creek.
The grey sunrise over Indian River was interesting. It also foreshadowed several grey days ahead (no pun intended).
The anchorage was peaceful. We watched dolphins fishing all around us. It rained off-and-on the whole evening, so we didn’t get good photos or video of the dolphins.
Some young boaters slowly passed us in the cove on a small skiff and pulled each other on wake boards beyond our anchorage. I was impressed with the courtesy these thoughtful young men showed to the boats anchored there – obviously well-trained!
A beautiful sunset followed some intense rain during the evening!
Day 2: Vero Beach to Cocoa: We hauled anchor before 6:30 AM – as soon as it was light enough to snake our way out way back out of the mooring field. We hoped to anchor near Cape Canaveral in time to see the SpaceX launch scheduled for the afternoon, around 4:15.
We cruised through a very heavy thunderstorm around mid-day. We had the boat crabbing along at a 30-degree angle to the wind just to stay in the channel! The biggest gust of wind recorded by our weather station was 38 MPH during the storm.
It was nearly a total white-out in front of us. We relied on the radar to supplement our limited visibility forward.
We arrived at an anchorage across from Cocoa Village Marina just in time for another heavy thunderstorm.
Whew! Our anchor held well again!
We were anchored as close as we thought we could get while remaining outside of the NASA launch “security zone”.
This map shows where SCOUT was (blue dot) in relation to launch pad 39A (red marker).
Bummer! Just a few minutes before liftoff, the launch was scrubbed!
Since the next possible attempt was 2 days out, we did not wait around.
Another beautiful sunset followed still more storms.
Day 3: Cocoa to New Smyrna Beach: Ray hauled anchor before 6:30 AM.
Along our route, we passed through Mosquito Lagoon. It was very peaceful and thankfully no mosquitoes at the time! While still a little grey, the rain clouds looked to be finally be moving away.
This home, along Indian River (north), had some interesting architecture.
We wanted to stay at New Smyrna Beach city marina for a couple of days to check out some of the re-opened local businesses. Unfortunately, the city marina was still closed to transients until at least the end of May, so we decided to anchor somewhere nearby for 1 night.
After covering about 45 miles, our 1st-choice anchorage was too shallow. Our 2nd choice anchorage was full, so we kept going. We were not surprised at how many boats were there since the city marina was not available for all the mostly-northbound cruisers. Finally, at the 3rd backup anchorage, Ray found enough space between 2 of the dozen or so boats already anchored in the narrow, marsh-side cut.
Testing three different anchorages and finally squeezing in as a trawler between sailboats in a narrow creek at our final stop (#3), all with an approaching storm, was a perfect example of all of the variables considered in our previous post about anchoring SCOUT: https://n37scout.wixsite.com/travels/post/boatstuff-explained-anchoring-on-scout
While tidying up the boat after the days travel and preparing for yet another thunderstorm approaching, we looked up and saw this. What?! A hotdog boat?!
OK….We had to take advantage of someone else cooking dinner.
Hotdog with chili and Mountain Dew-steamed onions. Whoa!! Mmmm.
These guys were a hoot! If you’re in the area be sure to give them some business!
We finished the early dinner just before the next big storm blew through.
Ominous clouds! NOTE: This black & white is the actual color (not a filter). Notice our beige boat deck?
Day 4: New Smyrna Beach to Palm Coast: We hauled anchor early again for our last day of cruising to our next destination, Palm Coast. We were rewarded with a pretty sunrise on the way out.
Ponce de Leon Inlet Lighthouse -- Florida's tallest lighthouse.
We considered spending a few days in Daytona on the way north, but Covid-19 impacts in Daytona were opposite those in New Smyrna. Marinas were accepting transients, but the restaurants were not reopened yet. So, we moved along to our next temporary home in Palm Coast. The harbormaster was very welcoming.
We arrived early afternoon, which gave us plenty of time – after settling in – to walk to Moonrise Brewery for dinner. Live music was going on right in the courtyard of the European Village there. (We enjoyed this pub when we were travelling south, back in January). The table distances were very spacious and the outdoor air was pleasant.
Track of our 4-day cruise north, from Stuart to Palm Coast, FL.
Given the slow Covid-19 re-openings to the north and the recent uptick in cases, we have canceled our plans to cruise the Chesapeake this summer. We really would not get the full experience if the small towns, businesses, and marinas are not open or accessible. We will save this area for another time next year.
We will stay in Palm Coast for a few months, helping with some nearby family “adjustments”, staying socially-distant, and deciding what’s next.
The marina is well-protected (for hurricane season) since it is a long distance to any inlets north or south. (Reduces the chance for flooding from swells.)
Watch for the next post as we explore Palm Coast.
Animals “captured” by Ray during this cruise:
Osprey chicks.
Birds – social distancing.
Pelicans – not social distancing.
Great Egret.
Osprey.
