Titusville - Time to move on

Definitely not glamorous, but a pharmacy within a 15 min walk is a real plus - unfortunately. 

 We’ve become quite fond of Titusville. The rates are hard to beat on the east coast of Florida, only $11.50/ft for a month’s stay. There’s the Kennedy Space Center to explore and the Merritt Wildlife Refuge with many nature trails. Orlando is only an hour away and there’re all the other coastal towns south of here for a day trip. 

The docks are next to a public road, the gates are 
Appreciated for added security

As we age, we like to have hospitals nearby and Titusville can fulfill that need along with urgent care centers when needed. Shopping is easy with Publix, Winn Dixie, Walmart Supercenter, Home Depot, Lowe’s, and several Ace hardware stores. There’s plenty of restaurants for dining out when desired. Next year we will most likely spend the winter at a dock here and not go south to Key West. We will bring our car south so we’ll have transportation for sightseeing, restaurants, and groceries. 

The marina itself is sturdily constructed with the biggest diameter pilings I’ve ever seen. They have three washers and three dryers and free twice weekly pump outs at your boat slip. The only downside is that it’s open to the northeast wind but we’ve learned to live with that. Mostly, it’s relatively calm but not always. The docks have carded access at gates to gain entry for security. Since we’ve been here so often, we know most of the liveaboards on our dock, we welcome each other when we arrive for our winter stay. 

All in all, we’re looking forward in the fall to a winter’s stay in Titusville. We’ve seen everything in Key West that interests us. We’re not ones to party at all hours of the night - far from it. Key West was fun for the 13 years we docked there but it’s time for a change. On Sunday, we move to the Bethune Park anchorage, staging for St Augustine the next day. 

Titusville - We get a new air conditioner

 

We now have a resident manatee - you can just see his back in the photo

Our old air conditioner was almost 20 years old and it finally gave up the ghost a couple of weeks ago. I ordered a replacement from Defender Marine and mentioned previously that I had missed the sale of 15% off by one day The unit was in my digital basket but I had not bought it at that time since I wanted to be sure I had a commitment for installation. I received a call from them that they would refund me the 15% difference in the sale price even thoughI bought it a day after the sale ended. I thought that was a nice thing to do by Defender, they are a great company to do business with. 

And - one more sunset - I never get tired of seeing them

We are now nice and cool but then the weather is cooler anyway this far north, not as hot as in the Keys. Maybe we’ll be using  the heating function instead since the unit goes both ways. We have one more day at Titusville and then we’ll head to the Bethune Park anchorage before continuing the next day to St Augustine. We are on the road home.

Titusville - Provisioning with Uber

The first is over on Merritt Island with the smoke crossing Indian River. It missed us. 

 In the past we’ve used Instacart and Shipit to bring groceries to our dock. At first they were quite competitive and they were the only game in town unless you opted to rent a car. The problem with both services is that not only do they charge a monthly fee of $10 to $12 but they also do not provide in-store prices, they add a charge on top. I ordred a 16.5 lb of dog food and I knew prices have increased since the last time but I didn’t expect $38 a bag. I found out later that the in-store price was still high at $31 but wondered why the grocery delivery service deserved a $7 markup on one bag of dog food! Other items were similar. To top it all off, the person delivering the groceries expected a $20 tip. 

In the winter, the sun set at the left, behind the three palm trees. Now it has moved over more northerly.

Then I rediscovered Uber. A ride to the nearest Publix in Titusville was only $11, or $22 for both ways. That’s cheaper than paying the monthly fee, the item markups, and an expected tip to the driver. So now we have converted to using Uber to reach grocery stores, it’s cheaper and you can pick out your own produce - plus, you can get specials that are not listed in the shopping services apps. 

Friday is the big day we get our new air conditioner installed. It’s been delivered and the technicians are coming over Friday. However, it has also turned cooler so we’ve haven’t needed it the last few days but nevertheless, I’m sure it will come in handy as we move northward, especially in city marinas without a lot of breezes. 

We had some excitement today. There was a big fire off to the east, I guess on Merritt Island. I don’t know if it was a controlled burn or a wildfire. It’s out now so perhaps it was a controlled burn. It looked pretty ominous for a while. 

Titusville - at a dock

Nice sunrise - we usually don’t see the sunrise with our usual late starts

 We left at “Oh dark 30” since we wanted to be sure of arriving at the NASA Causeway bridge before it closed at 3:30 to 6:00 pm. So we left at 6:30 before the sun came up but with enough light to see our way. We had a foul tide the first half of the trip until we passed Sebastian Inlet where the tide reverse and was in our favor.We went from arriving at 3:00 pm to getting to the bridge by 2:00 pm. 

The famous Wabasso Bridge. It’s supposed to be 65 feet
but it never is, always less

The bridge is supposed to be on demand but the bridge tender “likes” to bunch up boats. I guess he thinks he’s saving energy (his tone of voice was as if it was an imposition on him to open the bridge). There was very little traffic at 2:00 pm in the afternoon. So we waited, doing circles until the last boat caught up. None of the three boats thanked the tender for the opening as is usually done on the ICW. 

Having survived the bridge, we arrived at Titusville and got our old slip back on A dock, very nice. The place here is full, it’s a popular marina for both transients and live aboard. Next year, we plan on living here from November 1st to April 15th instead of wintering over in Key West. We’ll explore Florida next year. 

Loggerhead Marina at Vero Beach - at a dock

The area around the marina is well designed, nice for walks

 Not so far to go today but we were somewhat concerned over the high winds. As it turned out, the ride was smooth since the waves were less than a foot and right on the bow, no rocking of the boat. We did see about a knot of current going south so our forward speed was likewise affected, it took longer than we had planned. 

The real test of speed will come with our trip to Titusville on Wednesday. We have to make the NASA Causeway bridge before they close it for work on the high rise replacement at 3:30. It will be a tight schedule since it’s a little over 50 NM distant. We will be leaving at “Oh dark 30” (first light).

The Wabasso Bridge is always a challenge for sailboats with high masts

The marina here is very nice. We have a facedock so it’s very easy in and out. We saw nothing less than 7.5 ft on the way in but you have to stay in the channel! With wind and current pushing you sideways, you have to pay attention to your navigation. It’s not a problem, you just have to pay attention. 

We plan on spending four days in Titusville and we’ll have our new A/C installed there on Friday. We haven’t had a use for A/C the last two days. Perhaps we will be using the heating function on the way north?

Jensen Beach - on a mooring

 

You can see Fleetwing in the distance at right.
With a north wind, it’s very protected - not so much with a south wind.

The morning was clear but the afternoon let in thunderstorms with lots of rain. Somehow, the worst of the storms missed us through pure luck but the rain came down in buckets. With radar on and Aqua Map Master with the USACE survey overlays along with the Bob423 track, there was never a question of how to navigate the channels. 

 A view of the dinghy dock - very stable but not enough space

One tricky spot was the ICW crossing at Jupiter Inlet which we hit on a drain tide (-0.2). I took the Jupiter Bypass route and had 8 MLLW but I wouldn’t recommend it for just anyone. You go around a corner and you can’t see who’s coming. Plus, you have to hug the shore, much closer than most people find comfortable. If you venture too far away from shore, you run into a 3 MLLW shoal. 

We had intended anchoring in Hobe Sound but we got there so early that we decided to push on to Jensen Beach, reaching there around 3:45. For us, it’s convenient since we need to take Hoolie in twice today and once in the early morning tomorrow. They have a concrete dinghy dock that’s first rate and protected from any wave action. 

Our next stop will be the Loggerhead Marina at Vero Beach tomorrow and from there, move on to Titusville where we’ll have our new A/C unit installed. Then, we have no more appointments to keep and we can are our time going north.

Delray Beach City Marina - at a dock

The slips are wide. Notice the long gangway, never too steep like at some marinas. 

 When you’re in a good spot for doing boat chores, you want to take advantage of the opportunity. The city marina here is small, only a strip of docks, perhaps 20 in all but they are absolutely first rate in every respect. The city recently renovated the marina and in the process spared no expense. The docks are concrete, each dock has it’s own aluminum gangway, each dock has its own free pump out station, the ice is free (as much as you want), water for your boat, and the washer and dryer do not take coins (it’s free too). Of course, they have bathrooms and showers and they are very well kept. 

The stormy season is starting in earnest in Florida - we’ll have to negotiate that going north

The docks are at a right angle to land so you have to allow for current as you pull into your slip. We didn’t do quite a good enough job at that but the 60 ft fingers have rubber protection on the entire length. There’s a resident Dockmaster that will help you in, a very jovial chap who will give you the pass key for the showers and laundry and for doing your own pump out. 

So, being all fired up in getting things done, I did a pump out, took on water, did a laundry, defrosted the freezer, and otherwise got Fleetwing ready for the rest of the trip north. As a greeting, Mother Nature provided a lightening and rain show for us and the weather looks to be unsettled for tomorrow when we really need to go north so we can keep our date with the A/C repairman in Titusville on Friday. But then, watching the weather while on the water is nothing new for us cruisers.