April 6, Day 285 – In Daytona Beach

After breakfast this morning, we decided to raise the anchor and move to the anchorage on the other side of the river which was a little closer to the bridge and in a “No Wake” zone. We found last night’s anchorage to be a bit bumpy as several boats went speeding by. After getting settled in again we jumped in the dinghy, picked up Michael and Jana and headed to the dinghy dock that was available in the complex where West Marine was located. We walked up and down the main street. It was very pretty, but several of the storefronts were vacant. We have found this to be the case in many of the towns we’ve visited. We stopped for pizza at Stavro’s. It was yummy and since we ordered a large, there was plenty left over for a second meal. We walked back to West Marine where we picked up a few items (it’s amazing how we can never get out of there without buying something) and headed back to the boat.

Our next adventure was going to the “beach” part of Daytona Beach. We tried to find a dinghy dock on the east side of the Intercoastal, but couldn’t – everything appeared to be private with no trespassing signs posted. So, we improvised a bit. At the Daytona Beach International Speedway Bridge there was a cement wall that appeared to have access to the road and sidewalk. We tied and chained the dinghy to the fence and then climbed out onto the wall. Not the easiest docking experience, but it worked. From there we walked about a mile to the beach. It’s definitely still spring break as the beach was quite crowded. However, it seemed there were more families or high school kids instead of college kids. It was windy so there were lots of people playing in the surf. We walked the beach, people watched and got ice cream. After a couple of hours we headed back to the dinghy, hoping it would still be there. It was and the tide was a bit higher so it wasn’t bad getting in.

There are not nearly as many boats in the anchorages tonight. We think that many boaters watched the shuttle launch Monday morning and then headed out – with Daytona being a stop for most of them. Only 4 boats here tonight and, so far, this side is much quieter.

We moved to the east side of the river this morning -- this was our new anchorage spot

Walking down the main street in Daytona -- that's the firehouse on the right

Looking down the main street

Oh look, the courthouse

Entrance to the park that runs along the intercoastal

Here's our makeshift dinghy dock -- tied up by the bridge

Here's the bridge where we tied up the dinghy -- we'll pass under it tomorrow.

The entrance to the beach -- humm -- according to them it's the world's most famous

Have to admit, it is unusual. The sand is very packed, so it's hard and flat -- almost like walking on the sidewalk.
They have unusual signs -- for a beach

That's because they drive on it

In addition to motor vehicles, there were lots of bicycles and four-wheelers

Michael decided to wade in the water to soothe his feet. He had lots of mosquito bites. Unfortunately, with the warmer weather the bugs are back.

The Daytona Beach Pier

Looking through the pier up the beach

We spotted an ice cream shop on the boardwalk

... and a ride called the Slingshot (we didn't go on it)

An interesting fountain at the shopping plaza at the beach

One last look at the boardwalk before we headed home.