Paddle to Discovery Launch STS-133

Sometimes you just have to get in the car and go! That was the premise behind this trip. It all started about a month ago when Laura saw an invite on one of her Meetup groups looking for people to drive down to Florida on a quick trip to watch one of the last Shuttle launches. The idea sounded great, but once you started doing some research into it we came to find out that tickets to get on the causeway were sold out months ago and the launch in April and June you could only get tickets through a lottery system. That would have been terrible had one of us gotten a ticket and the others didn't. Every search of the internet should include the word "kayak". Well at least for kayakers it should because all I had to do was type in "shuttle launch kayak" and the answer was crystal clear.
We were so excited for weeks leading up to the day to leave. We drove all night after work and arrived in Daytona before sunrise. We had not slept in over 24 hours; we were running on pure excitement. After breakfast we headed over to Merritt Island and down to Haulover Canal. Our plan was to nap in the car until a couple hours before the 4:50 pm launch and then paddle out into Mosquito Lagoon to watch. But, as Norman Maclean said, "I am haunted by waters". The waters of the Indian River were slick as glass and broken only by the occasional rise of dolphins. We slipped into the water and soon we were paddling up the canal and out to the lagoon. Along the way we were joined by a couple of dozen other kayakers and upon arriving at the end of the canal we staked our claim.
As the day went on more and more kayakers began to arrive. In the last couple of hours before the launch a steady stream poured in. I lost count after the first 200 came in. By the time of the launch there were somewhere between 200 and 300 paddlers and other boats lined up along the canal and out into the lagoon. We had a clear view to the south and the pads appeared to rise up out of the water. Even at a little over 10 miles away, you could still see the shuttle sitting at the pad. There was a short delay in the launch but then someone heard on a radio, "20 seconds". Anticipation mounted as all eyes peered across the water for the first signs of ignition. Then with a small puff of smoke that billowed into a cloud, the glow of the engines coming to life signaled the beginning of the end for Discovery. Seconds later she cleared the tower, rolled onto her back and in less than a minute was almost over our heads. Our eyes never broke contact as the solid rocket boosters fell away about 30 miles down range. From there Discovery disappeared as it slipped the surly bonds of earth and headed into history.
It was something I can never fully describe to anyone who wasn't there. I had seen a shuttle launch in the mid 80's, back when you could drive the family car right out onto the causeway and stand beside it listening to the radio as the countdown proceeded but nothing could compare to this one. It was an adventure and one that few have ever seen or will ever see again. Being in a kayak, sitting on the water with a few hundred other kayakers just made it that much more special.

Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• Space
• Shuttle
• Discovery
• STS-133
• Launch
• Titusville
• Oak
• Hill
• Haulover
• Canal
• Mosquito
• Lagoon
• Kayak
• Paddle

[4me2paddle]

what an experience that must have been. Great shots for small camera. Kayaking and a most awsome subject to boot. Thanks for sharing.