Arrival in Port Canaveral, Florida, USA.....Visit to Kennedy Space centre and Rocket launching (18th March to 25th March 2015)

We sadly said goodbye to the Bahamas on the 16^th of March and crossed the Gulf stream to Florida. We arrived 10hrs ahead of our predicted time getting to Port Canaveral at 0200hrs. There were no ships transitting the Port at that time so we cautiously made our way into the harbour. There are no places to anchor so we tied up to a fuel dock outside a marina.. 

We waited until daybreak with the intention of booking a berth for a day for customs clearance and using the marina laundry facilities and filling with water...Before we had a chance to go up to the office a very pleasant and welcoming marina worker greeted us asking us to see the Dockmaster.

After paying $106USD she told us we had to leave by 1300hrs that day, then decided we could stay until 1500hrs. The opening bridge closes at certain times for Cape Canaveral Space employees to pass over so we had to engineer this in as well.

We questioned why we had to leave so early and she said had we prearranged a berth it would have been different and she said. “I know all about sailboats!” Being tired and in a new country it was some time later that we realised that she thought we were trying to get away with berthing and not paying!

What should have been an exciting and relaxed entry to the States became a frantic and anxious time trying to clear customs, arrange a cruising permit, get laundry done, the boat filled with water and internet and phone arranged.

We got back from a long walk to customs and Immigration and after discussing why we had got the cold shoulder Cathy decided to go and have a chat with her. Unfortunately she had gone for the day but more fortunately a very nice chap taking over for the day gave us permission to stay until the next day. ( Usually if you book a day it is all day and a night)

The next morning we untied from the Fuel jetty area and Eric called the Bridge operator to ask permission to pass. The control room has limited sideways vision so he said “I can't see you. Where are you?” Eric radioed back that we were coming from the Cape Marina. Well........All hell broke loose!......

The Dockmaster radioed the bridge operator and asked him not to allow us through as we hadn't paid our bill and said she had called the Sheriff!! Eric called her back and she unprofessionally continued talking on CH 16. When he had the opportunity to reply he suggested she go to a working channel...Well everyone within a 20nm radius who was listening in would have rapidly switched channels to hear the unfolding of the drama! Eric explained that we had been given permission to stay overnight and that we felt we had been unfairly treated and that we would not be returning. She then gave us permission to continue on but that we would not be welcome back there...Eric replying that we would not want to and we would tell our cruising associates about the incident!

We then contacted the bridge operator and as we passed by he had a great big grin on his face and gave us the “Thumbs up”

After passing through the opening bridge we entered the lock which lifted us up to the level of the Banana river and then we continued to the Indian river, part of the Intra coastal waterway.

We stopped at Titusville and spent a few days there, visiting the Kennedy Space centre and watching from the anchorage the launching of the Delta IV rocket carrying an airforce GPS satellite into space on the 25^th of March...

What an awesome experience!! A dream Eric had had since he was a boy was fullfilled!

Cathy under the Space shuttle booster rockets and fuel tank at the Kennedy Space Centre, 

The Rocket Garden

Eric looking at a Gemini capsule

Saturn V

Eric dreaming

Rocket transporter

Launch pad

Delta 1V liftoff from internet photo

Bahamas (11th February to 16th March 2015)

On the 11^th of February after 2 days of gales we departed Mayaguana Island in the Southern Bahamas.   (A fellow cruisers yacht "SV Wild Blue"on anchor)

We arrived at Castle Island under motor with incredible visibility. We could clearly see the bottom at 18m!  We spent a couple of days here where we explored the abandoned lighthouse and keepers houses and beachcombed.

In complete contrast we sailed in 2-3m of baby powder blue water in the protection of the Bight of Acklins. It was an amazing experience to watch the bottom as we glided across the mirror calm water with a gentle breeze just filling the sails

Our next stop was Little harbour at Long Island where we waited as a frontal system moved over. The blow holes in the porous rocky  terrain, beachcombing  and catching squid amused us

Clarence town was a good place for some provisions at the Government market and a quaint little grocer

On Long Island there were dozens of “Blue Holes” in both the land and shallow lagoons. These soak holes are perfectly round and quite large and are filled with sea water to sea level.

A sail up the coast on the Atlantic side took us to Calabash bay where we checked out a great little lagoon by dinghy. The entrance was shallow and narrow but we estimated that we could get “Erica” inside. We spent a week here where we beached on the white sandy bottom and gave the bottom a clean off and the hull a polish.

We had a quick stop in Georgetown, Great Exuma Island for reprovisioning of food and water. There were still around 300 of the 450 boats here left over from a big regatta. It was not our scene so we continued on up through the many beautiful Exuma Cays.

 Short passages and gorgeous anchorages to be had.

Rat Cay will always be remembered as this is where my good canon camera went for a swim never to work again! So the GoPro and Eric’s little Fuji will have to suffice.

Big majors spot, Staniel Cay and James Bond’s movie setting at Thunderball Grotto were a real highlight where we enjoyed the swimming pigs, nurse sharks up close and swimming in the cave.

We spent hours snorkelling in the crystal clean clear water

Then on to Shroud Cay where a kayak from the western to eastern shores took us through mangrove estuaries to the most beautiful private beaches we have seen

On the way back the tide had flooded the waterways and we got lost. The sun was going down and we feared we would have to spend the night in the kayak with the night insects! Luckily using the direction of the sinking sun and some commonsense we got back to “Erica” just on night fall.

On our way north to Great Bahama island we stopped overnight at Nassau but didn’t go ashore. On passage at night to Freeport and Lucayan we were surrounded by cruise ships and tankers. We counted 10 in our visual range at one time .  Having AIS is just wonderful to prevent collisions.

We stopped for a couple of days at Lucayan in a sheltered waterway/ canal and left for Port Canaveral, Florida on the night of the 16^th of March.