2024 April: Dinosaur Museum Cocoa Beach Florida

 19 April 2024

Depart: Banana River Anchorage 7:45

Re-anchored twice today

Arrive: Indian River / Eau Gallie East anchorage 5:45

We planned to meet our friends, Sandy and Bill, some time between 9:00 and 10:00 this morning. Before we could lower the dinghy to go visit them, we had to reposition Sunset Delight to be closer to the dock we planned to use while visiting Satellite Beach.

After pulling up our anchor about 7:45, we dropped it again about an hour later having traveled about 5 nautical miles south to do so. We had to pick our spot carefully regarding both depth numbers and crab traps.

Luckily, we know someone who lives in a house on Satellite Beach with a dock behind his house. He said we could tie up there for the day. This was wonderful news because we could leave the dinghy for an enjoyable day and not worry about it while we were gone.

Clark on dinghy heading for the dock

We traveled the canal system to get to our friends dock.

We wondered what's down here

Kayak Trail

Houses here are very nice. 

Some very lucky child / children live here

New construction underway

Sandy and Bill are our very close friends that we have known for years from Marathon, Florida. They come up with great ways to show us new sights wherever we get together. For this trip to Satellite Beach, they offered us the option to visit the Dinosaur Museum. What a fun outing that turned out to be and so unexpected to find it in Cocoa Beach.

Brochure

Mural on building near museum

The downstairs of the museum / store is free and sells rare stones and artifacts. The upstairs has an admission charge and consists of two floors. The second level of the building is dinosaur focused. The third floor targets ancient cultures. A small sample of what we saw is included below.

Dinosaur skeletons

Stones of all kinds and colors

Dinosaur Displays

Ancient Cultures

Taxidermy displays

King Tut Collection

After touring the museum, we ate lunch at Pier 62 Oceanfront Restaurant on the Cocoa Beach Pier followed by Ice Cream elsewhere.

We did not find any places listed that 
jumped out as special to us.

We had a good view of the beach.
Many of the umbrellas were not rented.

Pier 62 Restaurant Outdoor Dining

We could see the surfers from our table.

I had whispered to Sandy that I would appreciate a quick stop at Publix before we parted ways, so she added that to the agenda. When I mentioned how much I liked the carrots I found in the Bahamas, she added a stop at the health-food store, The Jungle, after Publix.

Afterwards, we still had some time before we needed to get back to the boat, so we went to Sandy and Bill's condo for an hour or so to relax and chat. 

View of ocean from Sandy's condo

We left Sandy and Bill at 4:15 and arrived back at Sunset Delight with time to reposition the boat. By getting through the Mathers swing bridge on the Banana River this evening and dropping anchor on the ICW tonight, we could get a jump-start on tomorrow’s travel.

This morning, before we went in to see Sandy and Bill, we saw numerous (like a dozen or more) kayaks doing races on the river. As we prepared to pull up the anchor in the late afternoon, we got quite a show from the crew teams practicing in the river. Crews consisted of either four rowers or eight rowers with a coxswain. 

Man in following motor boat has a 
megaphone yelling advice to the rowers.

All women row team with female coaches

Mathers swing bridge

As we approached the open swing bridge, we had a rowing team going through the bridge ahead of  us. No worries, however, because the rowers were moving faster than we were. As we exited the bridge, I saw them head down a canal.

We finally dropped anchor around 5:45 on the Indian River near the Eau Gallie Bridge. Having had lunch and ice cream while out, I scrounged up some leftovers for a quick dinner and called it a night.

 

20 April 2024
Depart: Indian River / Eau Gallie East anchorage 8:45
Arrive: Daytona Beach, Shady Place anchorage 5:50
Distance: ~ 72 nm
Conditions: Sunny with breeze, ICW travel only

Boat traffic today reflected the fact that we traveled on a Saturday in Florida. The small boats, not beached on sandy shoals, buzzed by us in erratic and reckless fashion. 

Tiny island appears at low tide

This one reminded Clark of the island he liked
in the Bahamas with the single palm tree.

More boats beached for fun in the sun

Travel today took us through Haulover Canal.

Fishermen

Marina at Haulover Canal

Kayaks on the Canal

After almost nine hours of ICW with some crazy boaters, we finally arrived at Clark's chosen anchorage in Daytona Beach.  Weather predictions are not good for ocean travel for the next few days, so we will be on the ICW through Florida.

"Flagship Towing" looking for customers
in Daytona Beach

Sunset in Daytona Beach, Florida