Melbourne to Titusville City Marina
From our anchorage north of Melbourne, near Patrick AFB to Titusville City Marina
Our ride was only 27.3 NM and remarkably quiet (limited boat traffic). Rising early on a Saturday did help, as most boaters are pretty slow out of the tracks on the weekend. We made it to the Titusville City Marina at exactly noon, the earliest check-in time. We had been told they were going to squeeze us on the face dock because they were so full. Being on face docks are the norm for All Talk II (Steve & Susie). Their boat is so long, that most marinas don’t have slips deep enough to accommodate them. But I was not particularly pleased that we would have to be on one, as well. Face docks usually mean more boat traffic coming and going (many boaters don’t understand the term “no wake”). And on the face dock, the boat is at the furthest point from the marina store, restrooms, and anything else that is going on. Titusville was no different, except the face dock they were put on also served as the break wall for the marina entrance. All the winds from the east and the wakes from the ICW hit that break wall. Now, with their 70’ boat tied to the break wall, they would take the initial “hit” from the wave activity, and then bounce off the wall during rough conditions.
But luck was with us. The marina had a slip that would accommodate our boat. It was near the gate, restrooms, and marina store. We were grateful to have a slip well away from the marina entrance. The location provided good shelter from the winds, as well, so most of our stay was still and steady.
Titusville Marina was adequate. Not fancy, just adequate. It provided all our needs. And after being on the hook for 6 straight nights, we were glad to be tied to cleats on a dock for a few days. But, Marlin Bay in Marathon had raised the bar for marinas, so we were a little disappointed in Titusville. I had to have a little talk with myself. We had been spoiled in the Keys and there are very few marinas that meet the Marlin Bay standard. Many boats are home for these marina folks, and it is apparent they struggle to be able to afford to take good care of them. This experience was good for me, reminding me how fortunate I am, and I needed to measure my attitude toward others who have not been equally blessed.
Our main reason for stopping in Titusville, however, was the rocket launch. This is the host town for NASA. The first manned spacecraft was scheduled for Wednesday, May 27, 2020, and we wanted to be as close as possible to experience the whole event. It has been 9 years since a manned spaceship has been launched.
I know I have mentioned the term “crossing your wake” since we began this journey. Simply, it means that at the end of your journey, you arrive at your starting point of The Great Loop. Though we bought the boat in Stuart, Florida, we declared Savannah as our our official Great Loop starting position. That said, we passed through Stuart a couple days ago. At some point, we had mentioned to Steve and Susie remembered we had bought the boat there, so technically, we had crossed our first wake. When the boat crosses its wake, tradition dictates a big celebration. Since the crossing is normally your home port, you hope friends and family will be there to hoop and holler, and join in your celebration of a successful 6,000 mile journey. We passed through Stuart without a thought of the crossing, but Steve and Susie had not forgotten. Twenty minutes after we were secured to the dock, a knock was at the boat door. They were standing there with bags in their hands. We welcomed them aboard, of course. And then they opened up the bag.
I was so surprised they had remembered the Stuart conversation. But here they were, bringing the party, ready to celebrate with us. Amanda started opening the bottle (I’ve never opened a bottle in my life) when Steve suggested we might want to open it outside. We walked out on the back porch of the boat. I started untwisting the wires and noticed the cork moving. I aimed the bottle away from the boat, toward the street and POP! the cork landed on the sidewalk about 40′ from the boat. I would have had a hole in the ceiling if we had stayed inside. We laughed and celebrated, naming this event the pre-party, warm up for the official celebration when we arrive in Savannah. We drank a little bubbly, had lunch, and laughed at ourselves.
That afternoon, we took a walk in the area, ready to stretch our legs after 6 straight days of not touching land.
We saw manatees under the bridge down from marina. 
You have to look closely. The poweline at this apparent popular fishing spot has consumed many a frustrated fisherman’s tackle
The exercise felt great and we looked forward to a few days of vegging out.