July 25 & 26, 2013

We finally left the area to take two days cruising north to Daytona Beach, where we wanted to spend a week.  It felt good to be cruising again, but we had to get re-accustomed to a couple things again.  The ICW was basically a narrow man-made cut in the Indian River, so although there was lots of "skinny" water around, we had to watch the channel.  The morning weather was pleasant, and we seemed to be the only boat out here.

Red-neck Riviera - sand beach right along the ICW

The weather soon changed to the pattern we've been having all month....afternoon sea breezes from both coasts of Florida mixing together to create some pretty severe thunderstorms.  We saw a T-storm approaching, and from the weather app on my iPhone, saw that it was going to be severe.  Rather than remaining out in the open ICW, we decided to tuck in next to one of the bridges which cross the ICW, point the bow into the wind, and ride out the storm at idle.  We were both on the helm keeping the bow pointing straight, adjusting throttles & shifters, and trying to keep out of the skinny water.  In 30 minutes, it was over.  Like they say...........cruising is hour upon hour of complete boredom, interspersed with moments of sheer terror.

As we approached Titusville, we could see the NASA facilities at Cape Canaveral.  We entered Titusville Municipal Marina for the night & took on $800 worth of fuel.  We did find a nice restaurant called "Chops" in town, which cost a lot less than the fuel did.

Early the next morning, we departed the marina, led by a slow-moving manatee right in the channel.  We had to idle to wait for him (or her, I couldn't really tell which) to get out of the way.  Our trip up the ICW was uneventful (the best kind of trip to have).  Weather was great, with no T-storm at all.  This has been only the 2nd day in July which did not have measurable rainfall.

Approaching the "civilization" of Daytona Beach

As we approached New Smyrna Beach and Daytona Beach, we saw the nearby high-rise hotels and condos.  It seemed quite a contrast to the ICW area cut through the swamp, with all the wild life (but I guess that out on the beaches, there can also be some wild life).

Happy Hour after a great day cruising

We made Halifax Harbor Marina in Daytona Beach early afternoon after a beautiful day on the water.  After securing the boat, we met up with our friend Don, who we met six years ago when we both lived in the New Orleans area.  Don is a professional meteorologist who taught the Weather course for US Power Squadrons.  Five of us students from New Orleans Power Squadron drove across Lake Pontchartrain every week to the north shore to listen to Don pontificate and dazzle us with his sea stories.  Don & his wife Becky live aboard their boat at Halifax, so they can help care for Becky's mother in Daytona Beach.  Sounds somewhat similar to what Sue & I are doing, caring for mothers.

Don & Becky have extensive cruising experience, especially along the Atlantic ICW, so I want to pick his brain as much as possible without hurting him.  I'll also find a diver to clean the critters off the bottom of the boat, and a plumber to repair the toilet that the "squatters" broke last month.  We might also drive around Jacksonville to find a marina we like to put the boat up for this coming winter.