My eyes search the vista, taking in everything.
I notice the rocks, with dark shadows underneath. The sun is behind me, slowly slipping into the horizon in the West.
The sea swells in and crashes against the rocks, as careless boater’s race through the channel oblivious or selfish towards the smaller boats in their path.
Fishermen laugh and hold tight to their lines, as the water splashes their faces.
A long sound, another, and then, another. A ship slowly glides down the channel and nears the area where boaters with small craft begin to scramble away from the approaching mammoth. ---The Carnival “Sensation.”
Suddenly she is there. Each vessel in its turn. A great mountain of a ship. Hundreds of passenger’s wave from the top decks, as fishermen and Sunday visitors cheer and wave in return.
The sun is warm but the air grows colder as the minutes slip away. Thirty minutes later, it is the “Freedom of the Sea,” the Royal Caribbean Queen.
Then, only twenty minutes pass when the magnificent navy blue hull overshadows the horizon. The Pilot gives the sound and “When you wish upon a star,” blasts its gleeful warning to all in its wake. Disney’s “Dream” is on her way. I watch as the last ship sails out across the Atlantic.
Many had gathered earlier in the day with picnics or just drinks. Some fished. A group on the bank set up a table and played cards. It is the gala weekend. It is the Port of Cape Canaveral. It is the "vista" at Jetty Park!
by Rita Burton
January 30, 4:30 P.M. Port Cape Canaveral
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