Wanting to get an early start, we were up before the sun. The sky glowed a pale orange as dawn transitioned to sunrise. We dropped our mooring ball and headed to the pumpout dock. The service was free and since boaters can never have enough room in the tank it was well worth a 20 minute detour. The early part of our day was all nature. We passed through the Guana-Tolomato-Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve. On numerous occasions dolphins jumped into our bow wave and escorted us at 8 knots. White pelicans waded in the shallows of low tide and napped on sandbars. Erosion revealed this tree's complex root structure.
A bit south of Palm Coast, a narrow canal split off to the east. This skinny water is a section of the original ICW. All of a sudden our ditch seems rather spacious. We needed three bascule bridges to open for us today. The L.B. Knox Bridge in Ormond Beach gets our award for Best Bridge Paint Job. Its flawless rich blue spans popped in the midday sunshine. "Road" signs announced our arrival into new towns. There were plenty of abandoned/derelict boats along the way. These eyesores give all transients a bad name.
There was little boat traffic, but two that we did encounter seemed to believe they had the water to themselves. Fast, close passes churned up huge wakes and gave Crossroads a good rock and roll. As we neared Daytona, the waterfront houses became larger, more ornate, and more modern. High-rise buildings and four bridges welcomed us to Daytona. Coast Guard radio announcements had warned us that the west span of the Main Street Bridge was inoperable and would remain in the down position. That made for a slower and more deliberate pass through the narrow opening.
Safely south of the bridges, we ducked into a wide anchorage just after 3:00. The literal bright spot of the day was the sun that shone brightly through the windows and onto Pilothouse Beach. At least inside, it is shorts and T-shirt weather as I write today's entry. It was a short day for us, but our goal is to shower and have dinner before the Super Bowl starts. Tomorrow will be another early morning as we have our sights set on Melbourne.
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