Start: 7:30 AM - Spoil island in ICW near Titusville
Finish: 5:45 PM - Spoil island in ICW south of Daytona
Time: 10:15 (with 2:00 of break time) 8:15
Daily dist: 41 miles
Total dist: 2,455 miles
Companions: None
Weather: Very nice, partly cloudy with a good tail wind and warm temps
Notes: Landed at River Breeze Park and took advantage of beach shower to clean up and fill water bottles. Also cooked lunch.
Finish: 5:45 PM - Spoil island in ICW south of Daytona
Time: 10:15 (with 2:00 of break time) 8:15
Daily dist: 41 miles
Total dist: 2,455 miles
Companions: None
Weather: Very nice, partly cloudy with a good tail wind and warm temps
Notes: Landed at River Breeze Park and took advantage of beach shower to clean up and fill water bottles. Also cooked lunch.
With a somewhat later start than I had hoped for this morning I broke camp and headed north under the railroad bridge I was camped near then veered east toward the Haulover canal that links the Indian River to Mosquito Lagoon. I learned from a sign there that the location got its name from the days when Native Americans and early Europeans dragged their boats from one water body to the next. Conveniently some industrious folks dug a ditch a long time ago and I was able to paddle through.
Once inside the Mosquito Lagoon I enjoyed a soft tail wind as I kept pace with a sailboat for two hours as we both made our way north. That sailboat was one of dozens of yachts (sail or motored), like flocks of geese, heading north to summer waters. The Mosquito Lagoon starts out wide at the Haulover Cut but within eight miles is squeezed into a maze of mangrove channels. The ICW flanks the west edge of the mangrove area with numerous “fish camps” set up on the main land side. These RV or trailer parks cater to people who come to enjoy the river each with its own dock to allow guests to tie up their boats. It was on one of those docks that I encountered three men from Canada who commented on my heavily loaded boat. A quick explanation of my trip prompted an offer of a cold beer from one of the group. Being a non drinker and in need of putting in a few more miles I politely refused and moved on.
Who wouldn't want to have a beer with these guys?
Jake with Richard & Glenda
About a mile or so further up the river I heard my name being shouted from a dock I’d just passed. A hurried question “Are you the Wisconsin guy?” followed. I stopped and turned to see a gentleman running down the dock, camera in hand, to get a picture of me. It turned out that Richard and his wife Glenda are the parents of a kayaker from Mobile, Alabama who told them about me and my trip. When they checked my SPOT location last night they were surprised to see that it was only miles from their place in Titusville. Today they made it their mission to try to catch up with me. It was a thousand to one chance that they would, but after stopping at likely spots all along the way they finally managed to catch up with me.
It is encounters like those I had today that I had envisioned when I decided to share this trip. It’s great, now that the weather is warmer, to finally see people out and about and to get a chance to say hello to people I cross paths with during the day.
My day ended on a spoil island south of Daytona. With a view of dozens of high-rise condos across the channel it is far from wilderness camping but the city lights have their own beauty and it is a nice camp spot just the same.
My day ended on a spoil island south of Daytona. With a view of dozens of high-rise condos across the channel it is far from wilderness camping but the city lights have their own beauty and it is a nice camp spot just the same.
Spring Break in Daytona for Jake!
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