Titusville, FL

Thursday, 11 December                                                            32.6 SM

Forty-seven degrees doesn’t sound so bad this morning, not to anyone awaking north of the Carolinas. In Mathews, Virginia, for instance, it’s freezing, as in thirty-two degrees. And it’ll be 47-degrees out on the Chesapeake someday soon when some (fool) skipper goes out for a daysail. And enjoys it! But there should not be much debate that on a boat on the water, 47-degrees is chill-eeee.

A long line of traffic leads the way southward.

Forty-seven, as you may have discerned, is the temperature as Steadfast pulls away from the pier this morning and noses out into the waterway. Sunny, mind you, a sun that burns with a bright enticement to every Snowbird underway today, keep moving south.

The chill comes from a northerly breeze of ten or so knots, with a puff now and again that’s enough to make one check to be sure his collar’s pulled all the way up, the watchcap all the way down. It’s also enough to coax out the genny and pull the boat along a half-a-knot faster. Faster is good. And since this is an area with no tide, there’s no tidal current. Whatever way you make, you make.

Florida has a real problem with “homeless” boats.

This stretch of the Indian River is fairly narrow, less than a quarter-mile mostly between the mainland to starboard and a series of small islands covered in palms and plopped randomly along the way. There’s a “fish camp” or two, a boat ramp and a string of humble one-stories that probably date to the 50s.  And for a change, there’s a steady stream of Snowbirds passing by, making the route even easier to follow.

The Indian River is lined with what look like little desert isles.

The ICW then runs down Mosquito Lagoon about 12 miles, pretty much a straight shot all the way to the hard right into Haulover Canal. The bascule bridge opens and Steadfast then is back into the Indian but with the wind—and waves—on the beam, it’s not all that pleasant. It’s almost five miles of a short chop across to where the waterway again turns southward and the wind once again is off the starboard quarter. Ahhhh. Better.

There’s a friendly welcome and good-bye at the city marina.

The city of Titusville’s built a nifty marina, tucked into a quiet basin behind breakwaters and all but surrounded by park. There’s fuel, pumpout, ice, a small ship’s store and it’s not far into town. So pretty much everything a sailor needs right there.

And, out of the wind, it’s warmer, too.

Steadfast out.