April 12, 2022 - Leg #13 Titusville to New Smyrna Beach, FL.

Departed Titusville at 8:30 a.m. What a beautiful day for a boat ride. We traveled 28 miles on the Indian River and through Mosquito Lagoon. A very picturesque day of small island, lagoons, and shoaling. We travelled most of the way with only 2’ of water below our keel. We once again got about a five-minute dolphin escort. That will never get old!

We saw one railway bridge, one manatee, one eagle, a flock of pelicans swooping and diving for fish, an abundance of dolphins and wild life, a peak at NASA looking to the south, and one active-duty Coast Guard boat (first of the entire trip). Daily we hear the USCG announcing on the radio about sinking boats, broke down vessels, capsized boat with people in the water. I would expect to see a USCG presence everywhere. We also enjoyed all the small towns along the way. I love looking at the homes and landscapes.

We arrived at New Smyrna Beach around 1:00 p.m. Great docking, communication and fender placement. After checking in we took the girls across the street to a dog friendly

public park featuring the old ruins of a hotel foundation. Shelby was not happy about having to sit for the photo.

Winds are again picking up. I'm thankful we docked before the wind. An hour later a sailboat came in beside us and had a very difficult time. I was at the ready to fend him off of our bow.

Our evening walk took us to the downtown area lined with majestic palm trees. New Smyrna Beach is a premier destination for boaters. It's close to the historic district and filled with arts, history, shopping and dinning. We had dinner at the Yellow Dog Cafe (they allow dogs but don't tell the girls. We left them on the boat). We ended our evening sitting aboard Saunter, having a nightcap and listening to music from the nearby River Deck Tiki Bar.

This little island is sitting just inside the marina. It's filled with pelicans and egrets.

Another early morning as we head to Daytona Beach, Halifax Harbor Marina.