On to Marineland, FL

Daytona Beach to Marineland  – July 15, 2016

Miles Today: 34.7 NM

Total Miles: 182.1 NM

The Halifax Harbor Marina is very large – 550 slips in over 60 acres.  To facilitate transient boaters who stay only a few nights, each slip has a permanent box on the dock containing the contract, key to gates and bathrooms, rules and instructions, and town information.

Leaving Halifax Harbor Marina became a circus act!  To return the key, we had to drop it in a net, extended on a pole by a dockhand, as we glided past the end of the marina office’s main dock.   We couldn’t get a picture of this athletic feat - Jim was too busy driving close to the dock so Georgia could s t r e t c h from the bow to drop the key in the net.  Darn, the grandkids would have enjoyed that one!

Halifax Harbor Marina, Daytona Beach, Fl
(picture courtesy of Halifax Harbor Marina)

It was another nice day on the water, with a variety of scenery to keep us entertained.

Leaving Daytona Beach - beautiful tile mosaics on
bridge supports of the Broadway Bridge

We think this old boat might have been resting on the bottom

We've got a piece of Florida real estate to sell you

Keeping an eye on the markers and the chart plotter.  Cruising along
at a relaxing 6.5 knots in 8.3 feet of water

L.B. Knox Bridge - clearance 9 feet.  Requested an opening and
 were instructed by bridge tender to stay to the East side,
as she was only opening that side of bridge. 

Shoreline along the Florida ICW can feel very isolated and beautiful

And then we enter a stretch of houses - small....

....and large

Both sides of a long channel filled with homes and docks

The wind had picked up by the time we made the turn into Marineland Marina.  There was no room at the face dock (a long dock where a boat can ‘parallel-park’), so Jim chose to pull in bow first between narrow pilings.  Eric and Daniel were there to catch our lines and Daniel, at 6’3”, helped short Georgia throw and loop our stern lines up and over the pilings.  If this is going to become the norm, I’m getting one of these….

We were looking forward to arriving at Marineland Marina before 2pm.  Our first family visitors – Jim’s nephew, Mark and family, were going to stop by on their way home to Jacksonville from Orlando.  We had a great afternoon showing them the boat and catching up and made plans to spend more time together when we reach Jacksonville. 

Sarah, Georgia, Lucas (look closely for the cap), Maricel, Jim