Seven Seas Marina, Daytona Beach, FL

The alarm went off at 5:40 a.m. and I was so tired that I turned it off and went back to sleep! Mistake. We were to leave at 7 a.m. and Chuck fell asleep last night without setting his alarm. He woke up at 6:45 a.m., got dressed and stepped outside and Patti and Wayne were ready to go. I heard Chuck open the companionway doors and saw it was 6:50 and jumped out of bed. Not a good way to start your day.

We pulled away from the dock at 7 a.m. and I made coffee with the stovetop percolator and made breakfast while under way.

We motored through the San Sebastian River and into the Matanzas River. We went under the Crescent Beach Bridge, a bascale bridge that opens on demand. At 11:20 a.m. we went under Palm Coast Parkway Bridge and then the Flagler Beach Highway Bridge, both fixed 65 ft. clearance.

At 12:05 a.m. we went through the L.B. Knox Highway Bridge, another bascule. Winds averaged no more than 5.5 knots, so we didn't bother with the sails. We passed through Ormond Beach Bridge at 1:27 p.m., M824.9. At 2 p.m. we went through Seabreeze Highway Bridge, another 65 ft. fixed bridge.

At 2:12 p.m. we went under the Main St. Highway Bridge, the Carlton Black Highway Bridge. At 1:18 went went through Memorial Bridge at M830.6. The pillars have beautiful murals of dolphins and manatees and scallop shells at the top of the bridge. Really beautiful (see photo).

We arrived at Seven Seas Marina, right off the waterway, so the boat is rocking from the wakes. Boats can go up to 25 mph here, so it will be a rocky two days.

There's a little restaurant here that serves breakfast and lunch, so we'll probably go there in the morning. Then Patti and I will go to Publix to stock up on groceries. I'm jumping ship tomorrow afternoon to visit my mom who is recovering from a bad car accident and I have an appointment with a hand surgeon for Tuesday afternoon in Ocala. I'm still fooling around with a growth, a cyst of some sort, on the back of my right hand that popped up on Aug. 25 and my doctor suggested that I get the nodule removed by a hand surgeon.

Meanwhile, my brother-in-law, Malcolm, will join Chuck to keep moving the boat south while I'm in Ocala. On Tuesday, my nephew, Hayden, will switch places with Mal and travel with Chuck for 4 or 5 days. So I may be having Thanksgiving with my FL family.

Chuck will give me updates at night to post on the blog while I'm away.