St. Augustine to Daytona Beach

1.24.11 Monday

Still starting my days with temps around 50 degrees, enough already.  I’m out of St. Augustine at a bit after 8 and the anchor gets dragged for a while at slow ahead to rinse.  Once up, I throttle up to 2000 RPM; don’t forget or the anchor will try to carve a hole in the bow!  Ditchin’ again down the Matanzas River under a new twin span bridge at Cresent Beach and past the Matanzas inlet where it gets a little tricky.  Speed is up and down with the conflicting currents as the water doesn’t quite know which way to go.  This happens at most inlets, especially when there are a few rivers converging.  This is defiantly the case here at the north end of Rattlesnake Island and a few extra bouys are in place to get you through the shallow spots.  Here again, the GPS puts me on dry land.  Past Marineland and then Palm Coast with a hundred canals scored into the land.  Under the Flagler Bridge at just after noon brings me past mile 810, then another bascule bridge at around mile 816 and into Halifax Creek.  It is all dredged cuts carrying about 12 feet from here on down to Daytona Beach with the Ormond bridge by 2 pm.  Now the creek is the Halifax River, wider but still a dredged cut with very few turns.  By quarter to 3, I pass the first of 4 bridges in Daytona Beach, 2 fixed, 2 bascule.  All bridge operators from Georgia south monitor channel 9 and 16 (it’s 13 further north) on the VHF radio and have their timing down.  I’m through all in minutes and then do the marina tour of the Municipal, Halifax Harbor and Aquamarina sharpening my boat handling skills.  Decide to anchor up for the night and after consulting Skipper Bob, head across the channel and get into a place with 13 feet of water close to shore just south of the Memorial Bridge, my own little spot.  It’s a little noisy with traffic on the steel gratings but dies down at night.   The dinghy gets launched with anticipation of a ride into town the following day. MM831

1.25.11 Tuesday

A Southerly kicks up in the morning and is opposing the current making for an uncomfortable ride on the hook as the boat is askew.  A bit overcast but it’s 65 degrees. Setting about some tasks and emptying the forward lockers I find a bit more damage from trying to make the boat fly; I’ve cracked some bulkhead tabbing under the forward berth but not real structural.  More soggy boxes get tossed.  Now it’s blowing in earnest at 20+ and forecast to gust to 35 that night.  Engine gets fired up at a bit after 3 and I head back out the way I came in, across the channel and into Halifax Harbor Marina for fuel and a dock.  Nice place with cement floating docks, the Blue Grotto restaurant, and a West Marine on the property;  7-11 is a block away.  Kevin is on his way down delivering a car and stops for the night.  Shortly after his arrival the wind starts to howl, the sky opens and soaks us before we can get the hatch boards in.  Tornado watch!  Glad I got the dock.  After some tall tales we hit the restaurant which has blue lighting everywhere including backlit menus and some nice fish tanks.  Back to the boat, done for the night.

1.26.11 Wednesday

Forecast calls for wind from the south at 20 all day today so I decide to take advantage of the dock.  After Kevin leaves, I set about chipping away at “The List”.  The list never really gets done but does grow for some reason.  More laundry, another trip to West Marine, recycle my waste petroleum products, etc.  Worked a bit on my writing for the blog, tomorrow I’m out of here.