Through the Mosquito Lagoon

June 28, 2017

Day 5 - Rockhouse Creek, at Ponce Inlet to Cocoa

07:45 - 15:00

Approximately 55 miles

life underway

We hoisted anchor at first light, leaving the beautiful, bug-infested anchorage in our rear view. **When I say we, I mean Hans. He took a hit for the team and braved the no-see-ums while the rest of the crew stayed down below eating breakfast.**

The day was pretty straightforward. The girls spent most of the day down below playing legos, drawing, fighting, whining, scavenging for treats, painting, reading books, etc.. Around lunchtime they emerged up top and we all ate in the shade of the bimini. Leftover pizza and veggies for kids, cold salmon burgers on bread for the adults. 

Most of the day was spent traveling through the Mosquito Lagoon -  a massive body of water just north of Cape Canaveral. Most of it is National Seashore, and it’s all swamp, tidal flats, and spoil islands. And it’s aptly named. We tried camping there in the fall and were run off by the bugs. To travel through it by boat, however, is amazing. Water birds abound and dolphins came to play in our bow wake all day. Since it was a Wednesday the boat traffic was minimal and we only saw a few fishermen. It’s not the Florida that most people think of - the Florida of high rise condos on the beach, strip malls, and highways. It’s untouched, protected wilderness and it goes on for miles. There’s actually this type of inland waterway in Florida all the way from the Georgia border to Titusville, almost 200 miles. While I get down on suburbia and the mass consumerism that is so prevalent in modern society, it’s so refreshing to see all this wild land and so many people out enjoying it. Small fishing boats, kayaks, paddle boards, and people fishing from jetties and piers.

The best part of the day for the kids was traveling through the small canal that connects the Mosquito Lagoon with the Indian River. It’s narrow and was filled with wildlife that was easy for the kids to see. We spotted manatees, dolphins, jellyfish, crabs, herons, and, of course, pelicans.

We took a look at google maps and saw a satellite view of Cocoa Village Marina, complete with a  pool. Hey, we’re on vacation, let’s spend the night at a marina and let the kids swim in a pool! Until we pull up, get tied up and find out that the pool is only for condo residents. Ooops. Hans grabbed an Uber and ran some errands and the girls and I walked into town to check out the little shops. Of course we found ice cream and a playground. Almost as good as a pool.

checking out the shops in downtown Cocoa

Back to the boat, we plugged the a/c in and the girls watched some shows on Netflix. They were in heaven.

We checked the weather and it looks like we have two more 60 miles days till a good jumping off point to the Bahamas and the weather looks great too. Settled, calm wind and small seas. One day at a time, but fingers crossed!