On to Cocoa Village Marina
January 29, 2026
In the 30’s when we woke this morning. Lauren prepared eggs, home fries, bacon and toast with homemade raspberry jam. After breakfast, Brian sanded down the top half of one of the Dutch doors in the cockpit. Yesterday, he sanded the top half of the other one. He also applied a third coat of varnish to one of the bottom halves. Then it was onto removing the old forestay and shrouds and replacing them with brand new ones. All of these jobs are time consuming, though Brian didn’t feel like he accomplished much. The marina brought us potable water so we could fill our tanks. Lauren changed out the bedding; that’s a job that requires, strength, agility and patience. The rest of the day was spent getting Heidi out for walks, laundry (always), vacuuming, prepping dinner, helping Brian with the forestay and shrouds, figuring out meals and getting the guest bedroom ready for one of our daughters, Meghan and her boyfriend, Patrick. They will be meeting up with us the second week of February at Cocoa Village Marina. The guest bedroom had become the overflow room, so had to find other areas on the boat to “hide” things. Later in the afternoon, we had a fuel truck stop by and deliver us diesel. We also had water delivered so we could fill our water tanks.
January 30, 2026
Lauren woke pre-dawn with a mild migraine; a tad cranky this morning. Brian was on his own for breakfast; all she wanted was a slice of toast with peanut butter and a cup of coffee. Since Brian was planning on working on the Dutch doors, we decided to watch a home improvement show before tackling any jobs. He’s getting a bit frustrated with our marine tech that is supposed to be working on our electric winches. The frustrating aspect of working with contractors is the lack of communication on their end. We are paying more here at the Indiantown Marine Center for a week, than we will be paying at Cocoa Village Marina, where we are planning on spending at least a month. We would like to move on; which we were planning on doing tomorrow.
Yesterday, Bonnie & Rob on Destination got their boat put in the water. They are still having work done on it; less expensive being in the water than on the hard in the boat yard. Today, Brian and Rob were supposed to take a ride to BOW (Boat Owner’s Warehouse). It’s a prominent marine supply retailer. They specialize in parts, tools and equipment for boats and yachts featuring a large inventory. Brian was looking forward to the trip. This morning, we received a text from Bonnie stating Rob put his back out and was in severe enough pain that she had to take him to the emergency room. We hope he gets immediate care and relief. Lauren had wanted to get out and about, but there are no Ubers in this area and the only taxi is $100 one way to Stuart; crazy!
This afternoon while out walking with Heidi around the boat yard, Lauren met Mitch whose boat is behind ours on the wall. He and his wife are from Ontario and have been doing the Loop for 3 years. They are getting work done on the boat and heading to the Bahamas. It sounds like their boat hasn’t made it back to Canada since they left home. Mitch offered to take us to Stuart if we need provisioning; thankful for the offer since it looks like we will be here through next Tuesday. They’re all styles of boats here in the yard; yachts, sailboats, trawlers, houseboats, tugs, a cigarette boat, etc.
Both the guy that delivered fuel and the guy who delivered water drove by while Lauren was out with Heidi. The fuel guy slowed and waved. The water guy was driving a forklift and stopped, got off the forklift and knelt down to say “hello” to Heidi. She was a bit skittish, but once he started scratching her back, she stayed put. Heidi makes a lot of people smile. Just received an update from the marine tech who’s working on our boom. Because of the cold snap, he is unable to get the painting done; his workshop is not heated. He assures us that all of the ground work and installation of the electric winches will be completed by next Tuesday. We were not expecting to stay so long here at the boat yard, but if the tech stays on top of this project and we can leave by next Wednesday, we will be happy.
February 1, 2026
Yesterday was too cold for Brian to do any varnishing. After breakfast, Brian spent some time in the engine room cleaning. He did routine maintenance on the generator and added antifreeze to the radiator. He discovered a hole in the over-flow tank; so that needs to be replaced. Mitch and Sherlie, Canadians on a boat behind us, offered to take us to Stuart to provision. First, we stopped at BOW. Brian was looking for Semco to do the teak decks. We have 2 gallons of it at home, but since we’ve been flying back and forth to home the last couple of times, we, unfortunately cannot bring it on the plane. BOW stocks Semco, but was all out of the clear one; the others were tinted. He was able to purchase heavy-duty ties, a clamshell (goes over an opening where wires come through on the flybridge and keeps water from seeping in protecting the wires) and a hose clamp to affix the water maker line to the wall; so not a wasted trip. Next, we did grocery shopping and then stopped at a diner for a late lunch early dinner. Since Mitch and Sherlie were carting us around, we paid for their meals. They offered to take us to Costco, but Lauren didn’t want to shop there on a weekend. Since we’ll all be here for several more days, we can make another trip to Stuart. We both enjoyed their company.
Late afternoon, two boats came in. The first one already had help waiting for them to tie off. When we saw the second one arrive, Brian and Mitch went and helped them dock. It turns out, we had gone through several locks with the second boat, Ohm. Suzzanne and Paul on Ohm invited everyone on the dock wall for docktails. We joined them along with Mitch and Sherlie and Rob and Bonnie. Rob had been to the emergency room for his back pain. He had a bulging disc that was pressing on the sciatic nerve. After a full night and day of rest and medications, he was up for the visit. He’s moving around slowly, but is able to get up and about for short periods. We all had a wonderful time visiting and talking about our adventures. Lauren made guacamole which always seems to be a big hit.
Before heading to Ohm, the temperature dropped quite a bit and the winds had picked up significantly. It was the first time on our Loop trip, that we had to keep the heat on all night. Brian had spent the last several days constantly checking our chafe guard as the lines are rubbing on the concrete wall. This morning when we got up, he noticed that the chafe guard had slipped and the line was almost chewed through. Caught just in the nick of time.
Lauren took Heidi out for her morning business and even though Heidi had on her winter sweater, she wanted no part of being outdoors; it was so cold and windy. Lauren carried Heidi to the other side of the boat yard where a small hill block some of the wind and Heidi was able to perform. Then it was straight back to the boat where it was cozy and warm.
After breakfast, Lauren spent time prepping the hamburger and chicken purchased; hamburger patties and two bulk packages for meatloaf and/or a casserole. The chicken breasts were sliced horizontally and pounded thinner; those will be used for chicken parm and stir fries. Then, because she had a hankering for something sweet, she baked Loretta Lynn’s Butternut Chewies – yum!
February 2, 2026
Another frigid morning; oatmeal with fresh fruit was a great start to the day. After breakfast, Brian ran the messenger line for the new winch system to a block on top of the mast and back down. Brian was caught up on his to-do list other than the varnishing (too cold), so a quiet morning. While out walking Heidi, we saw our first alligator since being here at this marina. It had come for air and headed back down, so a brief glimpse. Arrangements were made with Bonnie to go to Costco this afternoon; our big outing for the day. Brian had ordered and received new lines for the boat; these are a bit longer than the old ones. He changed out the one that was chafed through. Brian also touched base with the marine tech working on our electric winch. The guy didn’t seem to be in a good mood. He said he would keep us updated on the work, but hasn’t. Brian told him we were leaving the marina Wednesday, whether the job was finished or not. Since Rob has a rental truck, said he would drive Brian to the tech’s house tomorrow if the tech was a no-show. He will take back the boom and other parts that are needed and we will have the job finished somewhere else. We have to leave Wednesday as our daughter is due to meet us Saturday at Cocoa Village Marina and it will take us either two long days or three shorter days of travel to get there.
February 5, 2026
Well, we did get to leave Indiantown Marine Center on Wednesday. Wednesday morning about 7:30 am, the marine tech dropped off boom (welding done, but not the painting) along with all the other paraphernalia needed to complete the electric winch job. The tech did a beautiful job with the welding. He told Brian that his insurance had lapsed, so he wasn’t able to do any work on his property. It would have been decent of him to inform us of his situation when we first hired him instead of ignoring our calls. On the upside we are gone from Indiantown Marine Center. We left about 8:00 am and secured a spot on the fuel dock at Vero Beach Marina at about 5:30 pm. It was a long day. We had over a 2 hour wait for the one and only lock that we had to pass through; tugs and barges have priority. We dropped our anchor to wait until the lock tender told us to proceed.
This morning, we left Vero Marina at 6:45 and arrived at our slip in Cocoa Village at 1:30 pm. The sunrise was spectacular, but soon the sky clouded over.
It rained for a few hours and the wind picked up about 2 hours out from destination. Because of the rains, we had a quiet day on the water; nary a fishing boat to be seen. We actually saw more sailing boats (motoring) than any other vessels. We encountered many dolphins today; probably 50 or more. They would swim beside us or at the bow of the boat as if they were guiding us. It’s enjoyable to watch them. When we passed under the bridges, there were numerous types of birds taking shelter.
Upon arriving at our destination, the marina personal requested that we back into our slip, because any winds coming out of the north, north/west would impact us. With the bow facing out, it would break any waves and help keep us from being pushed into the dock at the stern. We were told that if a slip opens up in their more protected area, we may be able to move, since we will be here for at least a month and be a bit more comfortable. At the moment, the winds are whipping, but the rocking is minimal. It took Lauren 3 tries to get the boat backed into the slip, because of the winds. Third time was the charm. She, of course, was upset and frustrated. There were two dock hands waiting to catch our lines and tie us off. On the upside, she got it backed in with no mishaps and both dock hands praised her; they didn’t seem to mind standing out in the rain and winds waiting for us. After all the paperwork was taken care of for the marina and we got the lay of the land, Lauren noticed that Pelican, The Pelican, that Paul and Jill traveled the Loop on was parked two slips over from us.
They have crossed their wake; finished the Loop and will sell Pelican. Lauren took a picture of it and sent it to Paul to let them know we had arrived. We think they are only about an hour’s drive from the marina. If so, we will be able to meet up with them at some point. It will be nice to get together with them again. Tomorrow, we have a rep for our Rainman water maker stopping by hopefully to fix it. Next Tuesday, Brian made an appointment for a marine tech to come to the boat and hopefully get our electric winch system put together so we can actually use it to hoist our dinghy off the fly deck.
Brian reading: Total Control by David Baldacci
Lauren: Still on Poe
February 6, 2026
Woke to another cold, windy morning. After breakfast, Brian checked the oil levels for the engine; looked good. He installed new reading lights in the guest bedroom. He called in the correct weight for the cables to hoist the dinghy and ordered. Then it was a walk across the street to the hardware store; very impressed – huge store. He bought new drain pipes for under the galley sink; now the water drains quickly, instead of it slowly burping its way down the drain. Paul and Jill stopped by to say hello and to get more things off of their boat readying it for sale. It was great seeing them!
Zach, a marine tech for the Rainman Company came by to check on our defunct water maker. After thoroughly questioning Brian and going through a list of what the issue may be, he thought we may need a new pump. That was Brian’s conclusion quite a while ago after eliminating everything else that could possibly be wrong with it. Zach contacted his boss with his diagnosis. He will come back in a couple of days and take the water maker out and back to the shop just to make sure there are no foreign objects within it that may be the cause of it not working properly. If we, in fact, need a replacement, it will take a week to 10 days to get the new one in.
February 9, 2026
Our daughter, Meg and Pat (boyfriend), arrived mid-day Saturday. Pat wasn’t comfortable with the movement of the boat; it was still rather windy. After a brief visit, they decided it would be best to find a room to stay in. We got off the boat and went up to the marina lounge and played a game of Liverpool. After they left, Brian initiated the Sea Keeper so that when they came back for dinner, it wouldn’t be so rocky. We had a simple dinner of broccoli, chicken and rice. Lauren made brownies and put walnuts in one side of the pan for us and they enjoyed the nut-free side. Plans were made to meet at the boat the next day and walk about town. There was a beerfest happening, but none of us were interested. After lunch, we parted ways. They came back to the boat to watch the Superbowl. Lauren has been a bit run down the last few days, so she appreciated it when Pat offered to finish watching the game back at their hotel.
This morning, we had reservations at Blue Spring State Park. We went on a two-hour guided kayak tour; just the four of us and the guide. It was the guide’s first tour; she did fine. We all enjoyed the time on the water seeing alligators, manatee and so many types of birds. The park features a cool-water spring on the St. Johns River. It is one of the most populated places for manatee as the water stays a constant 72 degrees all year round. The park also features paths for hiking, picnic tables, restrooms, a snack shack and an old house on the property that you can tour. It was a perfect day weather-wise to be out kayaking. We stopped at Un Sueno Café for lunch. It’s advertised as Puerto Rican & Mexican cuisine. The restaurant has 4 tables and a small counter. It’s run by a woman who does everything; she takes the order, does all of the cooking from scratch, serves the food and does the cleanup; a one-woman show. The food was delicious and the portions were huge! We all enjoyed our meals.
Lauren reading: Redemption by David Baldacci & still working on the mystery book
February 12, 2026
During Meg and Pat’s visit, we took a tour of the Kennedy Space Center. It is a NASA field center and multi-user spaceport located on Merritt Island here in Florida. It serves as the primary launch site for human space flight since 1968. Founded in 1962, it supports spacecraft processing, launch operations for programs like Artemis and hosts a major visitor complex. An interesting fact: The first American satellite in orbit was Explorer 1 launched on January 31, 1958 (Lauren’s birth date & year).
We had a great time with Meg and Pat; played several games of Liverpool, miniature golf (Pat won, but Lauren got the only hole-in-one), watched dolphins and had a wonderful meal at the local Tai Tai Restaurant. On their down time, Pat and Meg strolled the beach near their hotel and found a few treasures and found a wonderful breakfast place that they highly recommended to us. All the food is made to order from scratch. It was a short vacation for them, but a much needed and appreciated break from work and the New England weather, though heading home, they were flying into another snow fall and continued freezing temperatures.
Yesterday, Brian picked up a rental vehicle for us to use for a few days. This morning, we had breakfast at 4th Street Fillin Station that Meg and Pat recommended. On the ride there, our rental vehicle was making some thumping noises. Lauren was uncomfortable, thinking the car would be breaking down. We made it to the restaurant and had a great breakfast. Heading back to the boat, the thumping noise got worse and the car started shaking. We stopped at Enterprise to let them know there was something seriously wrong with the car. We were given another vehicle. Hopefully, they will get the car looked at before renting it out again.
Back on board, Brian worked on the bright work (the teak railings). They need to be sanded down to bare wood and varnished. Since we are not in a boatyard, he did a light sanding by hand; he’s applied at least two coats of varnish. If the weather permits, he will apply more coats of varnish to better protect the wood. Lauren caught up on laundry and cleaning.
February 15, 2026
Yesterday, we took a ride to Sanford. We were originally going to bring our boat to this marina and stay put for a month or two. After reviewing the charts several times, we found that we would have to travel about 200 miles one way and then back the same way again to the ICW. By car, it took us an hour. By boat, it would have taken us a week, non-stop, weather permitting. Not knowing what the town or area offered, we decided to stick with the ICW. We also decided that we will not spend the month of March here in Cocoa Village Marina. At the end of the month, we will head towards St. Augustine, making a few stops along the way.
We walked the downtown of Sanford and stopped at the marina we would have been staying at. After a refreshing stop at a bakery for an apple turnover and coffee and a Nutella roll and a tea, we drove around the town looking at the properties. We have never seen so many bungalow-style type of houses as there were in this one town.
About five days ago, Zach took our water maker pump out of the boat and back to the shop. It was going to be dismantled to make sure nothing foreign was lodged in it. Thursday, Zach came back to the boat with another tech and our water maker pump. He said there were no foreign objects in the pump, but they did change out all of the valves. After installing the pump and doing trial run, it still isn’t working correctly and NOISY, which was never an issue before now. Zach called his boss. His boss, Rick, said he would stop by Monday and try and figure out the problem. Rick actually stopped by Friday and figured out the issue. The pressure relief valve was not functioning properly. Rick made several adjustments and it corrected all the problems with the water maker. Seems like an awfully easy fix that should have been diagnosed about three months ago when we started having issues with it. Rick charged us for the new valves and only for two hours of work. That was generous on his part.
Roger, the tech for our electric winches spent all day Friday (and we mean ALL day) working on the them. He finally finished the job> He did a terrific job and was reasonable on his bill. We still do not have our wire rope that goes around the winches to hoist the dingy up and down. Once it arrives, Brian can install it. We should have already received them, but yet again, another delay.
Last night we took a stroll into town, stopped at the Pub Americana, sat at the bar and watched the Olympic Curling event between the Japan and USA’s women teams. Lauren found it fascinating!
This morning, Brian was able to get two to three coats of varnish on all of the railings and doors. Lauren stayed out of his way and scrubbed down our six oblong fenders. She used soft scrub to get off the dirt and scuff marks. Then after they were rinsed and dried, she applied a coat of tire cleaner for an extra clean and shine.
February 17, 2026
Brian finished the third coat of vanish on the upper Dutch doors in the helm. Since we are flying home tomorrow, Lauren changed out the bedding and washed the sheets. Also changed out all of the towels and cloths and did another load of laundry. Brian is a bit frustrated that the wire rope we need to complete our electric dinghy package still hasn’t shipped; this was ordered about 10 days ago. Brian called the dealer yesterday and they are still waiting for their company to manufacture the product, but assured that they would overnight it as soon as it is completed. Today was a run to Costco for a few items (and yes, we only purchased 4 items) and West Marine. Brian is looking for a clam shell wire protector. West Marine had only one size in stock and it was too large. Now it’s back to on-line shopping. We leave at o’dark thirty tomorrow morning to catch a direct flight home; yeah, no lay overs.
Lauren reading: Flush by Carl Hiaasen
Hope all is well and stay safe out there.