Delray Beach to Stuart to Ft Pierce to Melbourne to Cocoa Beach, Florida

Tuesday, March 24 we left Delray Beach early and captured some sunrise photos over the Intracoastal Waterway. We headed to Stuart, Florida to Sunset Harbor which is on the St. Lucie River. It was about 60 miles and so we saw many interesting towns, homes, and bridges on the way there. We went through West Palm Beach and all we could see of Mar-A-Lago was the tower and the American flag since the ICW is far from there. We took photos of the town of West Palm Beach and the many extra yachts that were there as they were setting up for the West Palm Beach Yacht Show that was starting in a couple days. We also passed by Singer Island, Juno Beach, and Jupiter which has an amazing light house.   Upon arriving at Sunset Harbor, we noticed our friends Mike and Jan were there on their boat Doda II! They had just finished their loop 2 days prior and had their friends from Orlando there celebrating with them. We joined them for "dock tails" before having dinner at Sailors Return restaurant. We also walked to nearby downtown and realized we should have booked more than 1 day there as it looked like a great place to visit. We have learned that on the loop you definitely don't have time to see every town you want to! The marina was very nice too and even had a coffee bar where we had breakfast the next morning before leaving. The only thing we didn't like was not the marina itself, but the 3 bridges close together just before the entrance. One of the bridges is a train bridge that automatically opens and closes with about a 3 minute warning. Just beyond that is a bridge that opens on demand. On the way there the "on demand" bridge  was ready to open and then had to close since the train bridge was about to close for a train. There was strong current so we had to go back and wait behind the taller bridge just before that. It was tricky getting through there for sure from a timing perspective. 

Wednesday took us to Fort Pierce, Florida, a fairly short trip. We stayed at the Fort Pierce Marina and saw some of the historic sights at nearby downtown. We went to a local artist and craft shop which was an old bank building and which had a wine bar in an old bank vault. We had ice cream at Canton Creamery and ate dinner at Cobb's Landing right at the Marina. We also celebrated completing 3000 miles with our third bottle of Caymus wine and enjoyed sunset on the boat! 

On Thursday, March 26 we headed to Melbourne Harbor Marina. On the way we saw some amazing homes on Indian River Shores near Vero Beach. We also finally had some dolphins swim in the wake next to our boat. We hadn't seen this since the east cost of Florida and is always a delight to see! Once in Melbourne we were excited to reconnect with Roylana and Yves from Canada (boat YKnotX) We hadn't seen them since before the holidays and they had just come back from a few months in the Bahamas! We had dinner at Ichabod's right at the Marina and then walked around the town a little. Roylana also agreed to help us out with some fabric screens to attach to the front windows to keep the UV rays out and thereby keep it cooler on the boat! She also told us about places to stay in and on the way to Canada and we learned about a couple of apps we didn't have, AGLCA and NoForeignLands. We always learn a lot from them and enjoy the time spent!

Friday, March 27,  we left for Cocoa Village Marina in Cocoa Village, Florida. The Marina was very nice and has many charming homes nearby along the Indian River.  We spent the weekend there since we have friends from home who spend the winters at their condo in Cocoa Beach!  Tony and Jody picked us up at 4:00 and showed us their favorite spots in  Cocoa Beach. We went to the famous Cocoa Beach Pier, Beach Shack, Coconuts on the Beach, and also stopped by ABC Liquor to re-stock the boat. On the pier were some plaques about the history of Cocoa Beach and the Pier. Of course NASA is nearby and those of us in the baby boomer generation remember the 1960s show "I Dream of Jeannie" about a fictitious astronaut who lived in Cocoa Beach, and there are still references to the show around town.  Saturday was the Iowa vs Illinois "Elite 8" March Madness game. We met Tony and Jody, and another couple from home who also have a place in the same condo building as Tony and Jody, Matt and Kate! We represented Iowa at the Time Out Sports Bar in Coca Village near the Marina, although sadly Iowa lost. They had an amazing season though and we hope for more next year!  Cocoa Village is a great town too and we would like to spend more time there. Everyone came back to the boat for a bit after the game! It was quite windy so thankfully we didn't need to leave until Monday.  On Sunday, March 29, after Palm Sunday church,  we visited Kennedy Space Center, thanks to Tony and Jody loaning us a car for the weekend! It was  fun to see the history of NASA, and tour the Shuttle exhibit and others. The newest exhibit is about Artemis, which is our return to the moon. In fact the Artemis II launch is scheduled for Wednesday, April 1. It will have 4 astronauts on a 10-day mission around the moon. After NASA, Tony and Jody hosted and made dinner for us at their condo!!  We so appreciated a delicious home-cooked meal of Shrimp Pasta, salad, bread and even chocolate cake! They also had our favorite drinks too. Their home is in a great setting on a cove on the Banana River where they keep their boat on the weekends. They have the best of both worlds with sunrise on the nearby Atlantic and sunsets from their lanai on the Banana River side. Next week we move on up the coast!