Day 87 - Slow Cruise to Daytona

We ended up waiting for the West/Marine/Port Supply truck to deliver our new zincs until 10 am.  The boat was lifted higher to put them on, and that is when Captain Randy saw the bend in the starboard prop.  The boatyard said it would be 2 weeks before the local prop guy would be able to fix it and they hammered it as best they could for a temporary repair.  They told us it was a “no wake” zone for the next 35 miles north anyway, and thought we would not feel any more vibration. They put us back in the water and we left at 10:39 am.  Captain Randy tested the props by speeding up, but we could still feel vibration and slowed down.  He decided to run the boat at idle with the port engine in gear and the starboard engine in neutral to avoid further damage.  We planned to slowly cruise the 45 miles to Daytona Beach.  At our idle speed, hit would take us a little more that 6 hours to get there.  But Daytona Beach is a much larger town that Titusville and we could have the boat repaired and other service done to it during the month that we will be back in Chicago.  Plus, at 7 knots, we get GREAT fuel economy -- only a small silver lining!!

It was a cloudy day, but much warmer, about 64 at mid-morning.  Crab pots appeared again, but not many.  We went through the open NASA railroad bridge and into Haulover Canal, a 1 mile narrow canal connecting the Indian River to Mosquito Lagoon.  The canal was filled with manatees and at least a dozen small fishing boats.  I tried to get pictures of the manatees, but they are like the moles in Whack-A-Mole; once you see them and aim the camera, they sink back into the water.  We also saw dolphins throughout the day, 1-3 at a time.

 

The Mosquito Lagoon is a wide, shallow body of water much like a small lake.  There are small bays and islands on both sides.  There are low bushes and small trees on shore.  Luckily it was not yet mosquito season or we would probably be eaten alive.  We passed a couple of sailboats and soon entered the Halifax River, the next section of the ICW.

 

There are small towns on the west bank of the river that essentially run into each other all the way to Daytona Beach.  The first town is Oak Hill.  There are a few mobile home parks, a couple of cobbled together “houseboats” anchored near shore, and some newer homes with private docks.  The east bank of the river is made up of a strip of land and small islands that separate the ICW from the ocean.

 

At 2:20 pm we reached New Smyrna and went under the Harris Saxon Bridge, which connects New Smyrna to New Smyrna Beach.  The beach hotels and condominiums were visible now.  We passed the New Smyrna Yacht Club and Municipal Marina.  The next bridge was the George Musson Memorial Bridge and the shore was lined with very nice homes.  Everyone was fishing here; in small boats anchored in the river, from boats near the shore, from piers, and from private docks.  The river widens here and in the center are small islands and sand bars.

 

The Ponce de Leon Inlet and Lighthouse were next and we were only about 10 miles from Daytona Beach.  On the east side of the ICW I saw a mother Egret with her chicks.  We could see the high-rises on the ocean to the north.  To the east, the area is more residential with single family homes and some small condominium buildings.  The neighborhoods are called Wilbur by the Sea and Halifax Estates.  There were now homes on both sides of the river.  We arrived at Halifax Harbor at 4:55 pm and were pleased to see the floating docks.  We walked next door to Aquamarina to talk to them about hauling out the boat, but the office was closed.  We had a delicious dinner of Lobster Tail Francaise at the Chart House.  We would return to Aquamarina first thing in the morning.