The rocket's … orange glare?

As a child, I recall watching the Apollo count-downs and listening to the noise from the TV set as they lifted off. And once, driving across Wyoming, I stopped into a town, population about 15, walked into the bar, and watched one of the early shuttle launches. I even heard a loud and long rumble as I sailed north past Cape Canaveral last spring and looked around too late to see what probably looked like a slow-moving spark in the darkness. But I never saw it in person... until recently... TWICE!

I mentioned watching the SpaceX Falcon Heavy on the 21st. At about 7:10 I noticed a bright orange light, like those nasty sodium vapor lamps, in the south-east. Then, as I looked, it slowly gained height and I realized it was the launch I hoped to see! After the first stage burned out and separated, the second and far dimmer second stage flickered to life and I could see it climb further. Binoculars showed some sort of halo around and preceding it, like the halo of a comet. The powerful sound of the liftoff, traveling lazily toward me, didn't reach me for nearly a minute after liftoff and it felt quite surreal watching the violence proceed in silence.

I remained in the Cape Canaveral and Titusville area for a few days, enjoying good anchorage well away from the biting insects nearer shore. And, one morning after I had moved to a more sheltered spot near a main bridge to Canaveral, I noticed a LOT of early traffic. Rush-hour? I heard honks of cars and could see the heads of people on foot and on bicycles crossing the bridge, silhouetted against the pre-dawn sky. I, too, was out, enjoying yoga while the sky lightened.

And then I heard a cheer and looked about to see a bright light rising in the east. I took several photos in hopes one or two might come out well, as the rocket climbed,

the roar arrived, the rocket went out and then reignited,

See the rocket on the other side of the mast?

and the light of the sun struck the high and rising clouds of steam from the exhaust.

Memories like this get filed under "Very, very, very sweet".


Current situation: anchored slightly north of Vero Beach City Marina, ordering loads of stuff, shopping, and getting lots of work done on the boat (rebuilding some of the engine room, building a propane locker, and creating better storage space... and maybe working on a decent deck bed so we can comfortably sleep out under the stars). In a day or three I SHOULD be at a point where I can clean the boat and no longer itch from sawdust... and will be able to put things away!

On the 6th, Cynthia arrives... and I hope we can slip out to the Bahamas between strong weather fronts, but it looks pretty iffy. If we must, we will simply remain here or sail south on the ICW and await better conditions for crossing.

Hmmm....I hear there is another launch near midnight tonight. I'll have to look...