April 18, 2010

Up early thanks to Buddy. He sleeps in the v-berth all day so he’s up all night. The good thing is we get started a little earlier than we usually do. We also get to see a fabulous sunrise. Too bad that didn’t last. Clouds moved in and it looked like rain most of the day.

The light breeze that was noticeable only occasionally was always on the nose so there was no jib sailing. The rain finally got to us as we approached New Smyrna Beach. It sprinkled on and off all the way to Daytona Beach.

We had to go real slow through the Haul Over Canal from the Indian River to Mosquito Lagoon. There were a couple of manatees just swimming along in front of us and there wasn’t room to pass them. It looked like it was a momma and a young one. They were so neat to watch, we forgot to take pictures for a while and when we got the camera out, they seemed to disappear.

When we reached Daytona Beach, we decided to stop as there are not too many anchorages beyond for several miles. We dropped the anchor at 1600 and just chilled for a bit.

This anchorage, which is only about 100 yards off the channel, gets a bit rough when the local Johnny Rockets come through the channel at 25+. Donna was none too happy when she was boiling pasta and we got waked big time.

The new Rocna anchor is working great. It sets quickly and solidly. Makes you feel more confident about the set when you try to sleep through the night. It almost makes you feel as secure as hanging on a mooring ball.

Location: Anchored off Daytona Beach, MM 831
Started: 0730 Stopped: 1600
Distance Traveled: 47 mi, Avg Spd: 5.5

April 17, 2010

Tried to do better on leaving early and what do you get? An even later departure. Oh Well, the day was sunny and warm but there was also no wind. Without the wind we did not make good time and distance.

There were lots of boats traveling the ICW, both snowbirds and locals. We did a lot of slowing down to allow faster boats to pass without waking us too bad. Of course there were lots of locals who just blasted by you and could care less about their wake and what it did to you.

We reached Titusville and decided to stop as there are not too many anchorage spots beyond for several miles. We dropped the anchor at 1530 just in time for happy hour.

There was a carnival on shore and bands were playing. We could hear them real good. Some were quite good and others made you want to just groan.

Later, Donna performed her culinary magic and we dined on garlic & cheese sausages, three bean salad and apple sauce. Tomorrow we push for Daytona Beach.

Location: Anchored off Titusville Municipal Marina, MM 878
Started: 0815 Stopped: 1530
Distance Traveled: 41 mi, Avg Spd: 5.6