We left Cocoa docks this morning at 0745 and this morning we did not have a pretty sunrise... we had what turned out to be the worst day of our trip so far. Rain, lightning and wind... a few photos from when we were leaving Cocoa.






The worst place was just before the NASA Causeway Bridge... the winds picked up to over 40 knots and the rain reduced visibility to 100 feet. I had to turn SAILS into the wind and hold position till conditions improved enough to at least see the bridge.

The never really let up staying at 25 to 30 knots till about 1300 when they dropped to 15 to 20 knots.

Was glad to see the Haulover Canal bridge under construction and open... well one span was open... so I did not have to lower the mast and antennas in the high winds... they are tough to handle even in calm conditions.

We arrived New Smyrna Beach to find the free docks were totally open. NO boats to squeeze between today. We were securely docked at 1430 at N29°01.473', W080°55.141'. We traveled today for 6 hours and 45 minutes covering 45.1 nautical miles averaging 6.7 knots.

We departed this morning at 0730 and proceeded north on the ICW. The anchorage was not the best... a lot traffic noise all night from the adjacent bridge. We probably will not use this anchorage again.

Was yet another beautiful day on the water... sunny and low winds. Lots of boat traffic to watch.

We our destination for the night in Cocoa, FL at approximately 1300. The Cocoa City Docks. The docks allow overnight dockage for two consecutive days with a maximum of four days per month. This is for ICW cruisers that have sleeping, bathroom and galley. All posted on an official sign on the dock... very nice!

When we arrived there were two boats already on the dock... on the west end a 30' sailboat with his dinghy hanging off the back to the east and a 50' plus sailing catamaran on the east end. However, the catamaran was docked 20' end from the end of the dock thus taking up 70' plus. This left us what looked like about 50' between them... that is if the dinghy was not also in the available space.

I moved up toward the dock bow toward the small sailboat to see if we would fit... Nope... the dinghy was hanging into the space 15-20 feet... I backed away... as I was backing away our prop wash pushed the dinghy out of the space and alongside the small sailboat... now was our chance. I moved back toward the dock bow at the stern of the small sailboat. Susan secured a bow line to the dock and I was able to swing SAILS into the dock using the bow line... we were docked with 5' fore and aft to spare...

Securely docked at 1330 at N28°21.291', W080°43.334'. We traveled today for 6 hours covering 39.7 nautical miles averaging 6.6 knots.

Dinner tonight at Ryan's Village Pizza...

Delayed departure this morning so I could catch up on some cabinet work... pulling anchor and underway at 1000. This was a very calm and pleasant anchorage but the chain came up with this clay/mud residue on it like glue... came off but took a little extra hosing.

As we exited the St.Lucie River at the ICW we met the Dredge Currituck working they call the "Crossroads"... St Lucie Inlet, St. Lucie River and the ICW... it always is a problem area for shoaling... glad to see them making things "deeper".

It was another beautiful day on water... 10 knot winds and calm water... only waves we saw were from passing boats.

We normally go from Stuart to Cocoa, FL... takes about 12 hours... today we decided to split the trip in half... running about 6 hours today and 6 hours tomorrow... we ran to just a few miles north of Vero Beach to Wabasso, FL... on Active Captain there was an anchorage called Wabasso Anchorage and was right in the middle of our trip.

We reached the anchorage and were securely anchored at 1630. Our location for the night N27°45.585', W080°24.973'. We traveled today for 6 hours and 30 minutes covering 42.5 nautical miles averaging 6.5 knots.