Day 196: The Intracoastal Waterway

Day 196: January 30: We pulled up anchor and headed out of our very nice anchorage off the Indian River around 8:30 a.m. Having reached Stuart, FL we have left the Okeechobee Waterway behind and will be traveling on the Intracoastal Waterway. Travels today were pleasant. Major sights included a large cargo ship, one of the largest travel lifts we have seen, more derelict boats, dolphins and of course beautiful homes. We've traveled approximately 5384.61 miles and can say without a doubt Florida wins the prize regarding derelict boats, abandoned and deteriorating. 





We hailed the North Fort Pierce Bascule Bridge on VHF 9. With a reported vertical clearance of 21 + 3', we did not want to risk the antenna hitting so it made sense to contact the bridge tender. Within minutes the bridge opened up. 


Aware that we were close to Cape Canaveral, our friend Matt Palmer sent us a text notifying us of a an impending rocket launch. At 12:07 p.m. a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket was scheduled to launch Northrop Grumman's 21st Cygnus cargo freighter on the 20th operational cargo delivery flight to the International Space Station. The launch vehicle for this mission, known as NG-20, was changed from Northrop Grumman's own Antares 230+ rocket to SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket after Russia's invasion of Ukraine ended engine and booster production from the Antares program. We set an alarm to remind us to look to the sky and have our camera ready, hoping to catch a glimpse. Sure enough we saw a bright glow in the sky followed by a smoke trail. Although quite a distance from Cape Canaveral, our view was pretty cool!


We pulled off the ICW into an anchorage called Melbourne Beach Pier. There were numerous boats, mostly sail, already anchored. It was a large area with plenty of room. The water was glass and depths were good, only about 8 feet and the anchor grabbed immediately. 


Of all the sunsets we have seen over the past six months, I believe tonight's was the most breathtaking. It was a kaleidoscope of delicate beauty and radiance. The silky, smooth collusion of skyburst reds, yellows, blues and lavender leaked into the approaching calm of the night, setting the mood for a restful sleep.



We traveled 41 NM in 5 1/2 hours. A straight shot along the Intracoastal Waterway.  



























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