An early start on Friday morning had me running to the grocery store, and returning the rental car. All this before 8:30 when we we on our way. We passed a ton of wildlife on our way .... manatee, lots of dolphins, and even flamingoes. It is surprising to have a big pink bird fly past your boat!
Just south of Daytona, we heard a boat call for help from SeaTow, a marine towing company. As we neared, we could see that they were hard aground, and the tug that came to help was only successful in helping to level the boat, so they weren't on such an angle. Regardless, it seemed like it would be a stressful couple of hours before the tide came up again to float them.
At 4:15, we put the anchor down in Daytona Beach, and launched the dinghy so we could meet up with my parents for dinner. We found them flying kites with a local at a park on the water's edge. Before we headed to the restaurant, another boat had grounded not too far from where we were anchored. Wow! These guys should check their charts more carefully!
Dinner was at the nearby marina, which had a marine-themed restaurant. Many aquariums graced the walls, the plexiglass table tops were lit from within with bubble motifs, and the menus lit up when you opened them. There was live music, and we escaped the threatening rain at just the right time. By the time we were finished, the clouds had passed, and we had a few more minutes of light to fly kites again before heading back to Cee Jem.
Here's Greg helping Madeline fly a 2-line kite, and just to the left of them, you can see Cee Jem anchored on the far side of the canal.
