Day #262 - Daytona, FL
April 19th, 2009We pulled out of Cocoa Village this morning a little after 8:00. It was another beautiful morning and the winds were extremely calm out of the south. That makes for a beautiful day on the ICW headed north.
There is a lot of boat traffic out here today. Not only is it a perfect boating day, but it is also a Sunday during Spring Break.
We are still amazed at the size of the Kennedy Space Center as seen from the ICW. Even though it is far away, the sheer size is obvious.
Today we have had the best showing of dolphins yet in the entire trip. We had one group of five follow and entertain us for twenty minutes. They seem to be larger and perkier again, as they were in the Gulf area. We never tire of their show.
There are several bridges in this part of the trip that need to be raised or swung. We have encountered both types, swing and bascule. Pictured below is a swing bridge.
The ICW twists and turns on this stretch and it makes for a more low country feel and more remote surroundings. The fishermen are plentiful and people are out having fun.
These small islands are called spoils and they dot the ICW. They are man-made and created when the channels were dredged and the dirt is piled up and eventually they flourish. People are fishing and having picnics on them everywhere.
The landscape, houses and boats certainly are different than we have been seeing in other parts of Florida such as Ft. Lauderdale, Miami and Palm Beach.
This area we are going through is called Mosquito Lagoon. It is extremely shallow and it provides the perfect breeding grounds for mosquitos. Thankfully, not this time of year.
It is quite a contrast in this area. Through the shallows you can see the high-rises in the distance in New Smyrna.
Next, we approach the Daytona skyline.
We arrived in Daytona at Halifax Harbor Marina seven hours and 67 miles after we left. Beautiful day on the water.
