Titusville - 4D battery weigh a lot!

 

Wood Stork - there’s a flock of them that hang around the marina.

I have three 4D batteries and when it comes time to replace them, it’s a big deal. They have to be hoisted up the companionway, across the cockpit, and down the side of the boat to the fixed dock. It’s a task for two people with strong backs. Each battery weighs about 130 lbs. 

Well, today I had help and the three of us horsed the batteries ashore. Now I have to travel about an hour to the nearest Interstate store that has them in stock. They are back ordered at most places. The 4D’s cost $340 each. If you wanted absorbed glass matt (AGM), then the price rose to $995 each, ouch. Interestingly, Walmart sells AGMs made in China but I wasn’t ready to try them out yet, even through the price was only $345 each for AGMs in the 4D size. 

We’ll drive to the Interstate store to pick them up on Wednesday and then it’s another trial in getting them loaded on the boat, into the cockpit, down the stairs, and into the engine compartment. I’ll be asking for help again tomorrow. Hopefully, they will last at least three years, the same as the last ones. 

Titusville - Battery problems

 

After the time change, sunsets come during wine time

I have three 4D Interstate deep cycle batteries on Fleetwing. They tend to last about three years before they start to fail. It seems a little short but they’re used eight months of the year, every day. I know when one goes because it starts to vent a lot and never reduces in the charge current, reaching 40 amp even though they were fully charged. 

Now I have to decide between flooded lead acid or AGM. The Lithium batteries look attractive but they are out of sight in price. The Interstate 4D lead acid were on back order, over a month wait time if then. Of course, everything is getting much more expensive - don’t we all know that!

I get the estimates on battery prices Tuesday for both the lead acid and AGM. I’ll relay what I find out here. One thing about being on a boat, there’s never a lack of things that need doing - and spending money on. One of these days, I’ll do the last boat chore and then I’ll rest…..

Titusville - Being a Sunday Driver to Black Point

There’s always room for an alligator photo (Merritt Island)

 We had to get “out of the house” today so we headed for Black Point drive in Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge. I wanted to get a more detailed map than I had but found the Visitor Center was closed! It’s not open on Sundays. It would seem that Sundays would be prime time for visitors but the park thinks otherwise I guess. 

Blue Heron at Black Point - he poised for us, didn’t move a muscle

Apple Maps now shows the off road trails through the park so we just followed that Apple Play display. The dates for the birds to arrive here is advertised to be from November 1st to April 30th so we thought, now’s the time. However, not many have arrived yet. Perhaps it’s due to the unseasonably warm weather up north? (except for this past weekend). We did see a few more than the last time we drove through but nothing like the peak times in years past. 

The winds have died and it’s dead still here tonight. I guess the winds have gotten to wherever they were headed and they’re happy now - for a while.

Titusville - Hoolie crosses the Rainbow bridge

 

The day we brought Hoolie home

It is a very sad day on Fleetwing. Our Brittany of 14 years passed over the Rainbow bridge this afternoon.  He’s been with us on all our boat adventures, to Maine, to Long Island Sound, to Block Island, and every year down the ICW. He was a dear member of our boat family and he will be missed. 

As we will remember Hoolie forever, “Throw the ball already!”

He was ever enthusiastic and always ready to chase a ball. He would snuggle up to Ann when I left in the morning for a run to keep her warm. He kept us company on Fleetwing and guarded the boat from being boarded by dolphins and manatees. He regarded the dinghy as his personal transportation and you could not be seen preparing it for launch without his eager attention, and getting in the way. 

He was spry and full of pep until about 6 months ago when he started to go downhill with problems in his hips. He could no longer chase a ball or negotiate the stairs in our house or on the boat or do other dog things. He had a good life for 13 years. Hoolie, we will miss you dearly. We’ll call for you when we cross over the Rainbow bridge ourselves. 

Titusville - Books-A-Million and a beautiful bridge

 

On our way back, we drove alongside the Kennedy Space Center. Blue Origin has
 a huge complex and yet they are far behind Space X in launch capability. 

One thing about the demise of bookstores is that the extensive magazine racks went with them. There are mags at supermarkets and a few other places but nothing beats the selection at Barns and Nobel or Books-A-Million. Ann was in the mood for holiday and art magazines so we headed south to the nearest bookstore, Books-A-Million. The selection was huge. 

I really have no need of a bookstore since I get all my titles loaded to my Kindle from Amazon. It’s harder to get a wide selection though for magazines although I do subscribe to several digital versions. But if you’re not sure what you’re looking for (as Ann was), then an old-fashioned book rack is hard to beat. Ann walked away with about 1/2 dozen mags. 

The Titusville to Merritt Island bridge passes the first prerequisite, it’s 65 feet high! 

The first prerequisite for judging a bridge “beautiful” on our boat is that it must be at least 65 feet high! After passing that requirement, its aesthetics can be contemplated. One such bridge is pictured that has more than just slabs of concrete between pillars. It’s by the restaurant we ate at last night, the bridge from Titusville to Merritt Island. 

Titusville - A dinner at Pier 220

 

On this side, it’s shielded from an east wind

We’ve been going to Titusville for 14 years but have never eaten at the restaurant by the bridge - Pier 220.  Today that changed. We met Tony yesterday when we docked at the end and came over to meet us. He’s bought my cruising books and was pleased with the Bob423 tracks. 

I didn’t realize they had docking for the restaurant

This morning, before he took off, he gave us a dinner card for Pier 220 in appreciation for all the work and Ann and I took advantage of the card tonight. The restaurant has been renovated and has both outside and inside seating. There’s a musician holding forth outside. Since the wind was still blowing about 15 to 20 kts, we decided to take an inside table.

Many thanks to Tony for the gift of the excellent meal

We had wine followed by conch fritters as starters. I had the crab sandwich and Ann had fried shrimp. All was good. The place was quite lively on a Thursday night. There was a larger crowd than I expected. We’ll go back at least one more time before heading north in two weeks. It’s a nice place.

Titusville - 34 kt winds visit us from the north (you can’t escape)

 

You can see the flat water in the marina just past the entrance

Titusville Marina has both slips and moorings, both were almost full. We had one of the calmer docks for which we were grateful. We’re tucked into the northeast corner which provides protection from a NE wind. The boats out on a mooring received the full force of the frontal’s passage. It’s better to be on a dock. It’s a tough ride into shore in these winds. 

A dolphin paid us a visit, see link
https://youtu.be/MeCF5NbMvms?si=cu1qtrJVQMfrGMRx

They have considered building a breakwater but the EPA was concerned about the fishes. They will probably try again. The marina would be a hurricane hole with a breakwater. Still, we survived the last hurricane that came through in 2022 without a problem. It was bouncy but the boat was safe. 

The peak wind gust was 34 kts with most of the wind in the high 20s all day. The cold front brought cooler weather but the low tonight in only to be 62. A little farther north at Brunswick, our home for the summer, will get down to 45 tonight. It pays to be in Florida rather than Georgia.