Cocoa to Port Orange

We got an early start from Cocoa - 60 miles to cover for Port Orange.  The good news was calm water and no bridges that would delay us.  This sunrise is not quite as magnificent as some of the others we have posted, but still mighty nice, each and every one.

There was not a ripple in the water as far as we could see.  

Except of course the ones we created.  We had these calm waters for about half the trip.

There was one bridge that could possibly have gotten us but the odds were against it.  It is a railroad bridge out to NASA at Cape Kennedy.  Not much activity out there these days with the Shuttle program discontinued.

Rhonda liked this small island.

I liked this catamaran and the 2 pelicans.  The red buoy is a marker for one of many crab traps throughout the area.  At this marker we made a sharp turn to the right to head over to Haulover Canal.

A close-up of the 2 pelicans.

Between the marker with the pelicans above and the Haulover Canal, we had two dolphins join us right under the bow pulpit.  It's fascinating to watch them swim up close like that. Dolphins played around the boat most of the morning. We also had a few manatees. The cruising guides were finally right about the wildlife.

And here's Haulover Canal which transitions you from the inland (Titusville) side of the bay to the outside which will take us to New Smyrna Beach. 

Fishermen in small fishing boats did not seem to have a problem blocking the bridge area and canal as we eased around them.

There was a dense population of RVs and campgrounds in the next area.  You may have noticed that we have a little wind on this side of the bay - the water is no longer smooth.

Approaching New Smyrna Beach.

Another rookery as we made our first turn toward Ponce de Leon Inlet to/from the Atlantic.  

We actually took another route to avoid the frequent shoaling changes at the inlet.  Rhonda got a nice shot of the lighthouse in the distance at the inlet.

Here's the lighthouse from the more protected inland route we took.

Approaching Port Orange but still a few miles out.

We got docked at our slip at Adventure Yacht Harbor and then headed to dinner with one of Rhonda's first cousins, Paul Minshew, that she hasn't seen in over 20 years.  We had dinner at the Inlet Harbor Restaurant.  Paul's wife, Dianne, is the second lady in the pic on the right.

There's some serious fishing in this area.

Since we were out of milk and bread, we decided we could handle a 6-mile bike ride to get some groceries at Publix.  The signs say that this is actually Daytona Beach Shores on the beach side.  I guess Port Orange is on the inland side.  Sorry about the light - the banners say "Daytona Beach Shores, Life Is Better Here."  It must be  true - everybody here seems to be about 100 years old!  40 years to go.

This was interesting - a drive-in church.  Not sure exactly how that works.

We enjoyed a nice walk on the beach, only 3 blocks from the marina.

The beaches here are great for walking/bike riding, and they allow cars to drive on them as well.  But no pets are allowed!

There is a pretty tall sand dune at the edge which was a little different from what we are accustomed to over the years.  

Nice little sunset to close the day.

And I decided to post another bird picture, but not a pelican this time.  How about a sea gull.

Tomorrow is a relatively easy run - 35 miles to Palm Coast and then we'll be in Jacksonville on Thursday.