Daytona

It was rainy and very windy in the morning. Almost considered staying put for the day, but we decide to get going around 8:30AM.

Leaving Fort Matanzas

As we head back towards the ICW we avoid a known shallow area. Since we had to head north, against south bound ICW traffic, I slow down to let a couple boats pass, so not to turn south right in front of them. Well, our courtesy paid off. Linda started to follow “Star Gazer”, who suddenly came to a halt passing close to a green buoy, where there was supposedly enough depth to get by. Well, being on a inlet the bottom has continued to fill in towards the ICW. We swerve towards deeper waters. Not much we could do to help. Fortunately it is fairly close to low tide, but the north winds were pushing him south towards the shoal. He got on the radio and asked a passing power boat to give him a wake. Not you usual sail boat request of a power boat. By then we were around the bend and out of sight. Unfortunately, with his French-Canadian accent the polite power boater replied yes he would give him a slow pass. I got on the radio and explained to the power boater that he wanted a wake to bounce him off the bottom. Obviously this is the first time he has gotten a wake request. After a couple attempts, “Star Gazer” was still aground. For the next hour or so we could hear “Star Gazer” making the same request to other passing power boats.

out of the rain

A couple hours later we pass Palm Coast Marina, where we had considered staying. As we pass out comes “Cracker Jack” another Catalina 36, owners Dale and Carol who we had first met at Ladies Island marina. Being new owners of a Catalina 36, I had been emailing various tidbits of information to Dale. We are both heading to Halifax Harbor Marina in Daytona. Got in around 3:15. This marina is huge. They come and help you dock and handle the paper work right there, because the walk to the office would take 20 minutes, each way. We later walk into town to find a restaurant for dinner. We eat at an Irish bar and pub with a Irish band playing that night. We got to watch them set up and play.