We bought a 50-year-old concrete house in Palm Bay, FL partly because it has a track record of surviving hurricanes undamaged. It’s in the lowest-risk flood zone, 17 feet above the nearby tidal creek that drains into the Indian River estuary, protected by the barrier islands from storm surges. Location, location, location…
If you’re working at the Cape, Palm Bay seems like a long commute (for Florida).
My commute is about 30 feet 🙂
Why did you pick Palm Bay? Just because it’s cheaper than the Cape?
Yeah, anywhere on the barrier islands has prices nearly at California levels and the Titusville and Cocoa areas are getting seedy. We found a quiet, stable town that’s still a short drive to the beaches, and has a boat ramp just a mile from our place (but there’s a better one five miles away in Melbourne that doesn’t have a low-clearance bridge).
Isn’t the low clearance bridge a feature and not a bug?
It allows you to enjoy the seacoast without having your cost-of-living run up by arrivistes with over-tall boats?
The trouble is, my humble Hobie 17 is so tall the upper third of the mast is composite to reduce the chances of electrocution- a non-trivial concern since multiple powerlines cross the Indian River. The NOAA charts have all sorts of entertaining hazards, including plenty of snags, sandbars, wrecks, and abandoned pilings. Fortunately, the boat will float in knee-deep water.
In practice, I’ll need to row under the bridge on US 1 and then raise the mast, or take it up to Melbourne and be able to put the mast up on land before launching. Either way, it’s a first-world problem.
But yeah, prices near the Melbourne marina are much higher, you have to pick your battles.
I thought the low bridge would protect you from both of these guys
We bought a 50-year-old concrete house in Palm Bay, FL partly because it has a track record of surviving hurricanes undamaged. It’s in the lowest-risk flood zone, 17 feet above the nearby tidal creek that drains into the Indian River estuary, protected by the barrier islands from storm surges. Location, location, location…
If you’re working at the Cape, Palm Bay seems like a long commute (for Florida).
My commute is about 30 feet 🙂
Why did you pick Palm Bay? Just because it’s cheaper than the Cape?
Yeah, anywhere on the barrier islands has prices nearly at California levels and the Titusville and Cocoa areas are getting seedy. We found a quiet, stable town that’s still a short drive to the beaches, and has a boat ramp just a mile from our place (but there’s a better one five miles away in Melbourne that doesn’t have a low-clearance bridge).
Isn’t the low clearance bridge a feature and not a bug?
It allows you to enjoy the seacoast without having your cost-of-living run up by arrivistes with over-tall boats?
The trouble is, my humble Hobie 17 is so tall the upper third of the mast is composite to reduce the chances of electrocution- a non-trivial concern since multiple powerlines cross the Indian River. The NOAA charts have all sorts of entertaining hazards, including plenty of snags, sandbars, wrecks, and abandoned pilings. Fortunately, the boat will float in knee-deep water.
In practice, I’ll need to row under the bridge on US 1 and then raise the mast, or take it up to Melbourne and be able to put the mast up on land before launching. Either way, it’s a first-world problem.
But yeah, prices near the Melbourne marina are much higher, you have to pick your battles.
I thought the low bridge would protect you from both of these guys
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=youtube+caddyshack+boating+scene&view=detail&mid=C0DCF1BADB23459BB805C0DCF1BADB23459BB805&FORM=VIRE
Amusing, but the intracoastal is actually pretty peaceful, as long as you stay away from Miami.