Monday 1/26 & Tuesday 1/27 Halifax Harbor – Daytona Beach
We got underway at 09:30 after returning the car to Enterprise and saying a few goodbyes to some of the folks at the marina. As it turned out, we could not have left much earlier anyway due to some morning fog. Just south of the draw bridge we saw a bunch of Dolphins that seemed to be hunting for their breakfast and just north of the bridge we spotted a trawler leaving the anchorage. After a brief conference Polly and I agreed that it was another Monk 36 so we gave them a shout on VHF channel 16. The other Monk was a boat named Hullabaloo and we had met the owners last spring in Solomons Island, MD. We chatted on the radio for nearly 30 minutes and learned they were headed for the west coast of Florida and also that their home port is in the Coan River (VA) in a slip that is right next to another Monk36 owner that we have met at a rendezvous. Once again, it is a small world on the waterway.
It was an easy cruise up to Halifax Harbor where dock man Bill helped us at the free pump-out station and then into a nice floating dock slip (I-29) in the south basin. After we got things settled on the boat we took a walk along the main street that fronts the water and checked out a West Marine store and the Aquarium restaurant, where we plan to have dinner with the Morris’ the next evening. The fellows at West Marine were friendly and of course they were also boaters who gave us some inside tips on things around the waterfront at Daytona Beach. One of the tips was that the food in general (and shrimp in particular) was very good at the Aquarium which is located right next to the store. We were ready for a late lunch and found a patio table at the Aquarium where we had the lunch special of fish & chips and a couple of Yuengling drafts. The lunch was very good and even better when the check arrived – lunch for two - $19.00 including the beers and a tip!
We remained at Halifax Harbor Tuesday and in the morning we got our bikes onto the dock and took a ride across one of the bridges to the beach side of town. We quickly discovered that we were not i
n a great area for bicycles. We returned to the boat for a light lunch then Polly settled in for some reading and I (RCB) launched my kayak for a paddling tour of the large marina basin with a side trip out into the river and the ICW channel. That evening we walked to the Aquarium Restaurant to meet Sue and Steve Morris and found them just getting out of their truck as we crossed the parking lot. Based on the info we got from the guy at the West Marine store, Polly and I both ordered the fried shrimp and we were not disappointed. They were large, fresh, and cooked perfectly with a Panko crust. They were also served in generous portions, generous enough that our left-over’s served us again the next day. The Aquarium is definitely a must-do place in Daytona Beach.
We got underway at 09:30 after returning the car to Enterprise and saying a few goodbyes to some of the folks at the marina. As it turned out, we could not have left much earlier anyway due to some morning fog. Just south of the draw bridge we saw a bunch of Dolphins that seemed to be hunting for their breakfast and just north of the bridge we spotted a trawler leaving the anchorage. After a brief conference Polly and I agreed that it was another Monk 36 so we gave them a shout on VHF channel 16. The other Monk was a boat named Hullabaloo and we had met the owners last spring in Solomons Island, MD. We chatted on the radio for nearly 30 minutes and learned they were headed for the west coast of Florida and also that their home port is in the Coan River (VA) in a slip that is right next to another Monk36 owner that we have met at a rendezvous. Once again, it is a small world on the waterway.
It was an easy cruise up to Halifax Harbor where dock man Bill helped us at the free pump-out station and then into a nice floating dock slip (I-29) in the south basin. After we got things settled on the boat we took a walk along the main street that fronts the water and checked out a West Marine store and the Aquarium restaurant, where we plan to have dinner with the Morris’ the next evening. The fellows at West Marine were friendly and of course they were also boaters who gave us some inside tips on things around the waterfront at Daytona Beach. One of the tips was that the food in general (and shrimp in particular) was very good at the Aquarium which is located right next to the store. We were ready for a late lunch and found a patio table at the Aquarium where we had the lunch special of fish & chips and a couple of Yuengling drafts. The lunch was very good and even better when the check arrived – lunch for two - $19.00 including the beers and a tip!
We remained at Halifax Harbor Tuesday and in the morning we got our bikes onto the dock and took a ride across one of the bridges to the beach side of town. We quickly discovered that we were not i
n a great area for bicycles. We returned to the boat for a light lunch then Polly settled in for some reading and I (RCB) launched my kayak for a paddling tour of the large marina basin with a side trip out into the river and the ICW channel. That evening we walked to the Aquarium Restaurant to meet Sue and Steve Morris and found them just getting out of their truck as we crossed the parking lot. Based on the info we got from the guy at the West Marine store, Polly and I both ordered the fried shrimp and we were not disappointed. They were large, fresh, and cooked perfectly with a Panko crust. They were also served in generous portions, generous enough that our left-over’s served us again the next day. The Aquarium is definitely a must-do place in Daytona Beach.
No comments:
Post a Comment