This is not our first visit to Titusville aboard
Mystic. We stopped here in 2017 on our way North along the ICW. We liked our stay at the municipal marina well enough to plan a month long visit this time. Titusville has a good microbrewery called Playalinda and the marina is close to almost anything we could possibly need. In addition, we have many friends living in the Space Coast area.
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| Playalinda is in a historic building formerly a hardware store |
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| Playalinda is very connected to the Titusville community |
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| Playalinda brew tanks |
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| The beer |
There is a community feel to this place. We get to know people rather quickly. Mike and Mary aboard
Rough Draft are still here. We met them on our first visit and learned that they began their journey 25 years ago from Knife River, the same marina as us. Our neighbors, John and Sarah, aboard
Corsica Lady are Gold Loopers, which means they have completed their Loop. Along the docks we met Hannah, Dan and their adorable children, Atticus (4 years old) and Yael (18 months). Atticus is full of energy, curiosity and joy. He loves to watch the silly short videos I create for him. Yael is sweet and fearless. She loves to climb and chase after her brother. Hannah and Dan are living the cruising life aboard a Gemini catamaran while raising their family.
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Mary & Mike from Rough Draft
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| My new friend Atticus being silly |
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| Hannah with adorable Yael |
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| John & Sarah aboard Corsica Lady |
We were thrilled to learn that the marina is full of manatees. They love fresh water and visit any boat with a flowing source. This usually happens when we fill our water tanks. They come lumbering along, hoping for a fresh cold drink. We found these gentle giants with their noses peaking out of the water to slurp from our dripping hose on more than one occasion. It is illegal to touch, feed or offer water to manatee here. The fine is substantial but it discourages interaction for the well being of the manatee. Many of these creatures have deep scars on their backs from contact with boat and dinghy props. It's sad to see this.
Encountering these creatures in their own habitat is one of the highlights of living and cruising on the waterway! In addition to the manatee, a dolphin often makes it's way up into the marina to feed. It drives it's dinner between the rows of boats and traps them at the retaining wall, guaranteeing a good catch.
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| Manatee slurping water off of Mystic |
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| Two manatee under Mystic - You can see the prop slashes |
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| Popping up for a sniff |
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| Flipped over on his back to get a better spot to drink |
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| Catching rainwater from the downspout |
Manatees under Mystic
Osprey are abundant here as well. They fly overhead, constantly chirping at one another, often stopping to perch upon one of the highest masts. They are very social and loving parents who seem to attend to their young long after maturity. We've also seen storks, herons, ducks and ibis in the marina and nearby parks.
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| Osprey love to perch on the highest masts |
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| Osprey in flight |
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| Ibis caravan |
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| Wood Stork |
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| First time seeing storks in Titusville and we found a pair |
Of course, there are other critters to entertain us. We run into lizards everywhere, including inside buildings. They seem to know their way out so we let them be! The parks nearby have squirrels that will walk right up to us. We sense that they are used to getting a handout from visitors.
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| Lizard inside bathroom window |
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| This ain't no tea party - Brown Anole Battle |
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| Over achiever squirrel looking to hide a bagel |
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| Hungry raccoon visitor |
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| Muscovy ducks |
One of the greatest perks of this marina is the promise of the most beautiful sunsets. We get outside each evening to see what the sky has in store for us. We have yet to tire of the views!
As we prepare to leave this wonderful place, we reflect on how bittersweet cruising life can be; especially when we spend an extended time in one place. We take with us fond memories of the people we've me and the places we've visited and hope to pass this way again.
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