We ended up staying for an entire 2 months in Cocoa, Florida. This had a lot to do with taking advantage of amenities when we can. Cocoa Village Marina was well placed, the bathrooms were the cleanest I have ever seen and the staff was friendly. Never mind that the slips were not what you would hope for, they were workable if not challenging and the rates were reasonable which can prove difficult to find. Also never mind the fact that we had the weirdest pirate attack ever. I mean, technically pirating yes as it happened on a dock yes really lame however it seems many people are most worried about pirates so here ya go,
Despite locking up our bikes at the marina in the covered parking garage, someone boosted Mark’s bicycle seat. Not the bicycle, just the seat. The odd thing was they took the time to not only remove it, they carefully installed their old, tatty, no longer fit for purpose seat on Mark’s bike. Even tightened everything, right under a security camera. Weird. Mark figured that if some person was so in need that a bicycle seat upgrade would improve their life but was financially out of reach, he couldn’t get too upset about it. There was a Walmart within biking/bus distance and we were able to purchase a new seat for around $20.. I still think it unusual that the bicycle pirate was, I don’t know- thoughtful enough?- to take the time to replace what he had stolen as best he could. Just things you think about when you have the luxury of standing still for 8 weeks.
Mark had a list of repairs and projects to undertake. Repairs are always on going but it can be really hard to have access to parts and supplies. Cocoa Village is right across the street from possibly the greatest hardware store in existence- Travis Hardware. They not only have everything and the kitchen sink they are quick to help with adding holes in stainless pieces with their drill press or just assisting in finding solutions to problems. This type of down home customer service is sadly dying out, so its nice to see it is still around. Hell, a trip to Travis is reason enough to go to Cocoa. A West Marine, Home Depot and grocery store are within a short bus ride. Cocoa has one of the better mass transits I’ve come across- another star in its crown.
There was an amiable Canadian sailor, Ike who had a tig welder and was kind enough to allow Mark to use it. This is how he was able to fabricate the supports for the davits and the removable kayak cradle and crane for my new little Kayak, Coco. A bonus of staying in one place for a bit is that you can actually order and receive stuff. Mark ordered me a tiny kayak, Its small so that we have room for it on the boat which can prove a challenge when the wind pipes up but having my own little transportation that I don’t need to coordinate with Mark is a huge improvement for me.
I spent the first almost 10 years of my life in the area, Melbourne specifically. I was looking forward to coming “home” as it were. My earliest childhood memories were made here. I was looking forward to indulging in a bit of nostalgia and reminiscing. That is a story for another day…
