Skip to content

North Florida, East Coast

Our cruising itinerary for the northern part of Florida was planned deliberately to move each day but still enjoy some sights. We have an appointment at the end of the month to get the boat hauled in VA to have the stabilizers fixed. In order to make this happen, we need to put quite a few miles behind us

This is the fourth time we have cruised this route so we don’t feel we are missing much by rushing. We are trying to stop at places we have not seen and wish we could spend more time at these places but with water slowly seeping into the boat, that has become our priority.

We traveled from Ft. Pierce, to Fernandina Beach, FL. (218 Nautical Miles) in five days stopping at: Melbourne, a first time stop, Titusville, a repeat stop and Daytona a first time stop.

Titusville, FL

Thursday, April 4, 2024

The 36 Nautical Mile (5 hours and 10 minutes) cruise from Melbourne to Titusville was uneventful. Since we have stopped in Titusville numerous times, we were hoping to stop in New Smyrna Beach or Cocoa Beach but no room at any marina in either place.

Even though the cruise from Melbourne to Titusville was filled with the hustle and bustle of the ICW: boats whizzing by on both sides, constant radio chatter, wakes and derelict boats, it can be gorgeous.
Stopping at Titusville meant a meet up with Willie Dawes! We last saw them in Georgetown Bahamas. A great dinner (and desert!) at Pier 220 Seafood, even better company and the chance to pick their brain about everything boating and navigating.
Wish we could have stayed a few more days! We decided to be adults and not try the 12 beer flight for $45.00 and just sampled a few.
We broke our rule of repeat visit since this is the only gig in town and a favorite!
A sad reality that the wind was killing us and we needed to put the canvas back up!

Daytona, FL

Friday, April 5, 2024

A new stop for us and docking at the Halifax Harbor Marina put us in the middle of the action. We were able to explore the Riverfront district which is filled with cute shops and restaurants.

The 42 Nautical Mile (6 hours 22 minutes) journey took us through Haulover Canal which is a man made canal that connects Indian River Lagoon and the Mosquito Lagoon. Manatees and birds are prevalent in the canal and fun to spot and watch.
After exploring the Riverwalk, we decided to walk over the International Speedway Bridge and take a walk on the beach. It was a 8 mile round trip walk but of course, we stopped at a brewery.
Tracy broke her rule of only having the local brewed beers because she could not resist this! It was definitely worth breaking the rules.

St. Augustine, FL

Saturday, April 6, 2024

Saturday, April 6, 2024 we traveled 46 Nautical Miles (6 hours 10 minutes) picking up a mooring ball at St. Augustine Municipal Marina. A repeat stop but one of our favorites and so much to offer!

Researching new to us restaurants we found this and it did not disappoint. It was a bit off the beaten path but provided a nice decent walk.
Looking for a cocktail and dessert stop we stumbled across Bar Harbor Cheesecake Company. The outside was beautiful, the inside weird and the cheesecake beyond delicious.

Fernandina Beach, FL

Sunday, April 7, 2024

We dropped the mooring ball at St. Augustine at 7:23 to catch the 7:30 opening of the Bridge of Lions. Being Sunday, the ICW was busy with lots of folks out enjoying the nice weather. We timed the currents, bridges and tides and the 54 Nautical Mile journey took us 7 hours and 14 minutes. Once at Fernandina Beach the mooring balls were full so we moved up to Bell’s River and dropped the anchor. We decided to stay on the boat and relax since we have explored Fernandina Beach during past trips.

Our calm, peaceful anchorage
Even though we are headed into nice weather, we will not need the Bahama clothes which consisted of a ton of bathing suits and PJ’s! They were all vacuumed sealed and some sweatshirts and socks were pulled out.
A paper mill in Fernandina Beach off the Amelia River. An interesting process but it smells!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *