23 February, 2020 Anchored by a Ghost town

Little back track, bridges and big open skinny water of Indian river; 37 SM; 5.4  Engine hours

Just a beautiful day.  Easy morning calm at the Patrick AFB marina.  Crystal clear blue skies behind the cold front.  Quick load of laundry, Mending Fences Cowboy Church courtesy youtube, fill the fresh water tank and disconnect shore power.  Ready to cast off the lines at 1000.  Was a good morning to practice springing away for the dock with bow spring line.  Good technique if pinned against face dock with wind or current.  It worked pretty good, need to practice again.  During yesterday's vessel safety check, I asked the USCG auxiliary man about proceeding up the banana river to the Canaveral barge canal.  He said it was doable with my draft, but really took a bit of local knowledge to know when to exit the marked channel that ends and proceed by chart and sounder 10 miles until charted/marked channel resumes.  Hum.  Why stress if I don't have to?  So we followed our electronic bread crumbs back south, well charted and marked and once again passed through the opening swing bridge and reentered the AICW and turned north.  Just a beautiful day for cruising.  Only one jerk today that passed very close aboard, between us and the fender boards of a bridge.  He never slowed down.  Very dangerous.  Winds have picked up this afternoon, 10-15 mph from the ESE.  Forecast to diminish this evening.  Suspect large component of the wind is due to the sea breeze.

Approaching our anchorage which is on the north side of the NASA causeway bridge, the giant Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) came into view.  Also, KSC space museum shuttle liquid oxygen tank with two solid boosters also came into view.  KSC visitor center

VAB in days past

It is sad for me to know the USA space greatness is now mostly rubble, museum pieces and wonderful memories and sad memories for those of my generation.  As a youngster, I had scrapbooks filled with space stuff.  Glued to TV during Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo man on the moon and back.  Remember where you were when Armstrong took that small step.  I had the great honor of being a family guest when a former squadron mate "Scorch" Hobough USMC (Scorch) invited us to KSC for his Space Shuttle launch.  The sight and sound will not be forgotten as the Shuttle fired up and lifted off into space.

I have had the privilege of flying low approaches to the shuttle landing runway, before waving off and continuing on the Patrick AFB.  Cape Canaveral and KSC a special place in my memories; seemed to have known this place for a long time.

A bit lumpy anchorage, 9 feet deep.  Anchor set very well at 1515.  (map)  Beautiful clear skies.  Next launch not scheduled until 2 March.  Space X scheduled.  Hopefully, we will be able to see it as we continue north.

1427.1 Hobbs; 2148 SM elapsed