"Semper Gumby"

 TRAVEL DAY 14 - Titusville to New Smyrna Beach

March 9, 2023

4.9 Hours/33.2 Miles

    "Semper Gumby", Always Flexible... It's a good motto to have for this type of trip (and probably all of life).


    We stayed in Titusville for seven days. We had planned to leave a day early but the wind was forecast to  blow at 15 to 20 kts. The forecasts are for near shore but we use them as a worst case for the ICW, which can be more protected, but not always. 

ICW opens up

    We were told to develop a Go-No Go strategy based on what we could handle. Good advice. It is said that the boat can handle WAY more than the crew and that is true. Our Go-No Go Strategy looks like this;  basically, winds need to be less than 15 kts and waves less than 2' and a period of x2 wave height or more. In other words if waves are 2', then the period needs to be 4 seconds or more (seconds/time between waves). We take other things into consideration, such as the direction of the wind and the "fetch". Fetch is how far that wind travels. The farther the wind travels across open water, means the waves will generally increase. Wind direction is important when traveling (wind to your back can be nice) but even more important when anchoring. When choosing a place to "drop the hook", we see which way the winds are predicted to blow from and anchor behind land that provides that wind break. 


    This day didn't disappoint weather-wise. A little breezy in the morning and at 66 degrees downright chilly for us Floridians. We passed through a broad and shallow expanse of water on our way to the Haulover Canal. The Haulover brought us to the continuation of the ICW and Canaveral National Seashore to our east. 

Drawbridge at Old Haulover Canal

      As we entered the canal at idle speed we were treated to several pods of Manatees rolling, splashing and partaking in springtime Manatee love. They barely took any notice of our boat in pursuit of their reproductive goals. Several times I had to come out of gear and idle or steer around their orgy. Fascinating. 

Manatee Orgy

    We reached the exit of the canal and the apparent wind had all but disappeared and we enjoyed a beautiful ride north. At Apollo Beach the ICW narrowed substantially and stayed that way until we reached our anchorage. We scouted out both sides of the Harris Saxon Bridge and settled on the south side. We idled around some checking the depth and dropped anchor in what we felt was the best spot. I still get a little nervous choosing our resting spot and calculating tide change and swing. Our Mantus anchor has proved so far to be the best investment yet. Coupled with our bridle set up, the anchor digs in nicely and stays put. 

War Memorial - Riverside Park
     
Beth's favorite picture subject...birds

    We dropped the dinghy and headed over to the dock at Riverside Park and stepped ashore to explore another cute downtown. We discovered a few shops, as usual the local brewery and a distillery before heading back to Pau Hana for dinner. 

    
That's one way to find the restrooms
    
...Here's the other

    Just as we neared the stern of our boat I suggested we dinghy over to our friends on Volition to say hi. They invited us aboard to see their boat and asked if we wanted to stay for steaks. Although it was a tough call, we reluctantly agreed. A great evening spent with some new friends, swapping stories.  Back to the boat and a peaceful nights sleep with cool air coming through the bunk hatch. 
   
Steaks with the Crew of Volition

Titusville to New Smyrna Beach

   
TRAVEL DAY 15 - New Smyrna Beach to Palm Coast

March 10, 2023

5.75 Hours/43.8 Miles

New Smyrna sunrise
       
    This was an unusually long day for us (so far). We try to keep these trips to a maximum of 45 miles if we can. It was, as has been the case, great cruising. The scenery changes constantly and we were entertained by long stretches of nothing but brush and islands, to million dollar houses along the Halifax River. The weather remains cool and we actually had to put on light jackets. We may have to drag our feet some more before heading north.

     We performed our checklists, readied the boat and pulled the anchor up in a somewhat stiff current. With a cup of coffee and the drone of the diesel we idled out under the bridge and around Chicken Island and the Halifax River. The current was working in our favor for most of the day as it pushed Pau Hana at 10 mph when we normally are at 8 or less if "bucking a current". 

Goodbye New Smyrna Beach

    Beth really wanted to visit the Ponce De Leon Lighthouse but we didn't want to pay the $40 Uber each way. Instead we passed pretty close and got a beautiful view of it from an uncluttered shoreline.
   
Ponce De Leon Lighthouse

    For many miles there was nothing on either side of the river yet the unseen beach and the endless line of buildings was just to our starboard. We have driven down A1A many times yet this was a view that we had never seen before, a totally different perspective. Even our experience in New Smyrna was different. 

    
Floating Houses

    The uninhabited shoreline gave way to many fishing camps then eventually at Daytona the urban sprawl began again....and the bridges. We passed under 5 bridges, each one different with it's own unique style and architectural features.
 
Veterans Memorial Bridge


    At around Flagler Beach the Halifax River becomes the Matanzas River as the ICW pushes us north to our destination. The ICW became pretty narrow and the multimillion houses began, each with beautifully trimmed lawns, pools and docks. 

    Finally we reached our destination to Palm Coast Marina as we called the dockmaster to receive our docking instructions and the bad news that their pump out "took a crap" earlier and was non operational. At least we had shorebased porcelain. "Semper Gumby". We turned to our port and made our approach to the facedock and settled up for the evening. 

Palm Coast Marina

    Whenever we hit shore we explore. There wasn't a whole lot near the marina but there was European Village. An odd sort of faux European town with a town square, surrounded by shops and apartments/condos above. It looked a little sad and unkept but to be fair we were there at 2 pm on a Friday and we heard it is much livelier on weekend nights. 
    
Let's check this out
   

European Village

    A spaghetti dinner and some TV on the boat as it started to rain rounded out a great day. 
                        
New Smyrna Beach to Palm Coast



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