THE SPACE COAST
HALF WAY!!!! With todays miles Mike and Patty have officially completed half of the Great Loop!!!
Day #282: From last evening I beat Mike at cribbage. The two of us were up at 5:30 A.M. to prepare for departure. The engines were started at 6:45 A.M. '"Parrot Bay" was away from the dock at 6:50 A.M. After leaving Suntex Marina we saw some beautiful homes. Dolphins were abundant during the boat ride but only one dolphin road in "Parrot Bay's" wake for only a very short time. At 10:30 A.M. Mike and I passed Melbourne, FL. At 1:00 P.M. Mike hailed Cocoa Village Marina. The staff here were great about directing Mike into the marina and were at the dock to assist with docking. We were also greeted by Mike from "Dash Away" and Peter/Laurie from "Myra-Marie". We had met Peter & Laurie originally in Alton, IL. last fall. The dock was buzzing as everyone is excited about the launch of the SpaceX Falcon Heavy Arabsat. "Parrot Bay" made plans with "Dash Away", "Myra-Marie", and "Laurie Jean" to watch the rocket launch together. The group also decided to visit the Kennedy Space Center on Friday leaving the marina at 8:50 A.M. via Uber. Todays trip for "Parrot Bay" was 52.2 miles (2796 miles for the trip). David and Jan (Optimystique) had told Mike and I about a great hardware store that was built in 1885 that is a must see while they are in Cocoa Village. Luckily Mike asked in the office and he was told that the hardware isn't open on Saturday and Sunday, and with the plans for Kennedy Space Center on Friday, we decided that we should go today. The two of us headed out for a short walk to The S.F. Tavis Company which is an iconic hardware store. Mike and Patty had a great time walking and around the hardware store and we found everything that we had on their list (plus a bit more). The two of us headed back to the boat to get ready for launch festivities. At 6:00 P.M. the group gathered on the second story by the marina office to watch the rocket launch arriving early for docktails. At 6:35 P.M. the SpaceX Falcon Heavy Arabsat launched and landed all three rocket boosters for the first time. The group was able to see the rocket launch, the two side thrusters separate and the side thrusters land (with multiple sonic booms). The group was not able to see the center thruster land on the recovery barge, but it landed successfully.
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Beautiful sunrise this morning.
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Mike and I saw some beautiful homes just after leaving Suntex Vero Beach Marina.
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Beautiful anchorage with a beautiful sunrise.
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Occasionally Mike and I would see a derelict boats like this one.
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Oops another derelict boat. But, the good news, even if the boat sinks along the Intercoastal Waterway, the occupants could literally "walk away"....
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| Mike and I saw this a couple of times the crab pot boats with multiple pelicans looking for some treats. |
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| Mike and I saw a couple of military helicopters as they got closer to Cocoa Village. |
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Water towers in Cocoa Village.
Looper flag coming up on the Highway 520 which has "Cocoa" imbedded in the concrete.
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Heading into the channel at Cocoa Village Marina.
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| NEBO trip report from Vero Beach, FL to Cocoa Village, FL. |
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| Old fashion ladder at Travis Hardware. |
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The two of us in the marine section at the hardware store.
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Mike and I found this Maytag at the hardware store. 
