Exceptionally Lovely Launch from Canaveral

Space has fascinated me, from watching Apollo rockets go up to seeing the first man on the moon on TV to pulling over in a bar in WY to see a space shuttle launch to being in awe at what SpaceX has done with re-useable rocket boosters. And, as I sail south along Cape Canaveral, I love to see the launch structures and rockets standing by the water's edge, lit by floodlights if it is night.

Recently, I went up on deck in Fort Pierce at twilight to see a launch. The skyline in the north lit up with an orange glow like a sodium vapor lamp, then an accelerating orange spark rose in the darkness

until it reached the sunshine. It went out for a few seconds, then smoke blossomed and swirled as the first stage spun around and fired rockets to slow and return, while the second stage lit up and continued on its way (up and left). 

I have never before had the experience of watching this twilight ballet and the beauty and detail was quite lovely. And, amazingly, some of these launches can be seen from the Virgin Islands! What an amazing world we live in!

Anchored at Taylor Creek

 I'm listening to the rattle of rain on the cockpit windows, the hiss of rain striking the peaceful water, here at our favorite Fort Pierce anchorage at the entrance of Taylor Creek. This spot gives us good access to a nice park where I can walk Monty,

a Publix supermarket, and a whole town full of boat related businesses. The downside is road noise, construction noise, and strong currents. What fascinates me at the moment, however, is the interaction of Taylor Creek and the ICW (Intra-Coastal Waterway).

Taylor Creek is fresh water, dark with tannins, and runs into the ICW at nearly a right angle. As the tide changes and current changes direction, the plume of dark water changes direction too. So far, so good.... but I noticed a few days ago that the current was running almost perpendicular to the side of my boat and that sure made me scratch my head. 

You see, my boat has a DEEP keel and always aligns with the current unless there is a STRONG wind. In this case, it was aligning with the ICW, but the current I could see, the Taylor Creek "tea" was running straight into my beam. What's more, on the other side of the boat, nice green salt water showed where an eddy might form in that sort of current. 

Here's what I figure is happening: the fresh, lightweight Taylor Creek water runs out and OVER the salt water.

Probably there is a tongue of salt slowly probing the creek with the changing tides, with the "tea" running perhaps a foot or two deep across the surface of it. When it reaches the ICW it spreads out and runs downhill (whichever way the tide is running is slightly downhill) and eventually spreads out and becomes a thin layer and mixes and conforms to the ICW. 

Sometimes I even see waves break as they strike the "shore" formed by the tea getting shallow and ending: even though the total water is deep, it acts shallow.

What does it matter? Well, understanding the surface currents better has made it far easier to take advantage of them when I row around. And now I comprehend another amazing thing in this wonderful world!