Cool Change Travels & Adventures: On to Vero Beach Jan 7

On the road again. Heading down the Canaveral Barge Canal toward the ICW

We left Merritt Island on Saturday morning for our continued trip south. Our destination was Vero Beach, a water distance of about 45 miles. This would be a one day trip normally, but we wanted to stop several places along the way. Our first stop was only 6 miles away at Cocoa Village. So we only travelled for about an hour and a half counting some no wake manatee zones. Manatee zones dictate idle speed for long distances at 2 to 3 mph.
Cocoa Village is the old city of Cocoa on the shore side of the ICW, also named the Indian River in this part of Florida. The city dates to the early 1900s and has seen a rejuvenation that started in the 1960s. The Village has seen its ups and downs over the last half century and we were happy to see that the area has grown stronger in recent years. There seemed to be more stores, restaurants, and artsy shops than ever before. The city of Cocoa has added a wonderful waterfront park and a boardwalk on the riverfront where we tied up our dinghy when we boated ashore for the afternoon. To see more on Cocoa Village go to this site:
http://www.cocoavillage.com/history

Never had waters this calm last winter - EVER!

Cocoa Village waterfront from our anchorage

Moon rise over our anchorage at Cocoa Village

Sunday morning we picked up the anchor with Colleen at the wheel and headed toward our next stop, Captain Hiram's Resort, marina, and restaurant. Our plan was to anchor off of the resort and dinghy in for dinner. The weather was wonderfully warm, and the water was glassy smooth. We traveled along at a slow 6 to 7 mph on just one engine and 950 rpms and sipping the $3.79 diesel fuel (if sipping can be applied here!). With just one engine running at slow speed our trip on the water was quiet and smooth. We saw many dolphins and some manatees along the way. We started about 9AM and dropped anchor for a lunch stop along the way.

Peaceful waterway scene

Five hours later we were at Captain Hiram's feeling our way into the 6 to 7 foot depths so as not to run aground. We were reading 3 to 4 feet on our depth finder as it reads from the bottom of the hull which is 3.5 feet below the water surface. When the depth sounder reads 3 feet we become concerned. We anchored just off the marked channel into Cap'n Hirams.

When we launched the dinghy, we ran into problems. The 4-cycle outboard motor had again leaked oil out of the crankcase and fouled the carburetor and cylinder. Yamaha customer service says that this should not occur, but this is the second happening. After about 45 minutes of repairs, we had the engine running again and motored in for dinner. We were looking forward to some good seafood but what we were served was mediocre at best. While we were eating dinner, the full moon began to rise over the waterfront and was remarkably beautiful. After dinner we motored the dew-soaked dinghy back to the boat for a very peaceful sleep on the calm waters.

Captain Hiram's

The next morning was as calm and beautiful as the day before. Colleen piloted the boat out of our anchorage and back into the ICW and she took the first stint at the helm. Thirty five miles ahead Vero Beach beckoned. We had a short three hour ride and arrived at the Vero Beach mooring field about 11AM. We're not sure if we told you this last year but Vero Beach is affectionately known by its residents and visitors as "Velcro Beach", because it's so hard to leave. It is a beautiful small city with the Atlantic Ocean on one side and the Indian River on the other.

This morning we walked a mile to The Lemon Tree, a good breakfast restaurant across the street from the beach. We can take a bus that runs every hour from our marina and goes to shopping on the mainland and the beach but today it was just too beautiful not to walk.
Here are a few of the sights we saw: