New Smyrna Beach / Daytona Beach

New Smyrna Beach to Daytona Beach, FL  – July 13-14, 2016

Miles Today: 16.4 NM

Total Miles:   147.4 NM

We enjoyed two nights in New Smyrna Beach.  The downtown is a short walk from the New Smyrna Beach City Marina.  Known as the Canal Street Historic District, it has a variety of restaurants, art galleries, gift shops.   We particularly enjoyed a delicious and refreshing stop at Donna’s Canal Creamery both afternoons.  Yum.

Across the street from the marina is the Old Fort Park historical site.  We wandered around the ruins of old coquina walls, similar to St. Augustine’s Castillo de San Marcos, built in the late 1600’s.  In fact, historians debate which came first – New Smyrna or St. Augustine.   No one really knows who built the walls and if it really was a functioning fort.  Since it’s near the wharf, was the heavy foundation built to support a large warehouse?

Old Fort Park, New Smyrna Beach, FL

Our slip was at the end of the marina’s dock and our stern faced the river. Only 50 feet away were 2 tiny islands of bushes and birds.  We were also entertained by pelicans floating by, the activity at the bait shop across the way, and the Dolphin View dinner cruise on a paddle wheeler leaving and returning.

Covered in birds

Florida pelicans

Right off our stern at New Smyrna Beach Municipal Marina

We left New Smyrna and decided to travel only 16+ miles to Daytona Beach and Halifax Harbor Marina.  We knew we were getting near Daytona by the mass of high-rise condos filling the horizon.

Leaving New Smyrna

How we knew we were close to Daytona Beach

The waterway became much busier.  For the last several days we had been spoiled gliding along with very few fellow boaters.  Now we faced a pack of 35 small fishing boats right in the middle of the ICW channel.  We run the risk of grounding if we go out of the channel, trying to go around them.  So, we switch to idle speed and keep approaching very slowly.  Some fisherman saw us coming and moved out of the way, even waving hello.  But some were so intense on fishing we had to gently tap our horn to clear a path.  One group of 4 in a tiny rowboat glared before moving, but the rest were actually apologetic and waved.  Wish we had taken a picture.

Ok, Ok, so this wasn't what we had to pass through in the middle of the
channel.  But that's what it felt like to us!

Walked up to an Irish Pub for a late lunch after securing a slip at Halifax Harbor Marina.  Late that evening, Jim was spraying off the air conditioning strainer in the stern cockpit when the shower hose he was using burst and the water wouldn’t stop spraying until we turned off the fresh water pump.  We stayed another day and took Uber to Home Depot to get a small part that did the trick.  Off to Marineland in the morning.