Saturday - Monday, April 7 – 9, 2019
The trip from Telemar Bay to New Smyrna Beach is 68 miles (7 hours at our typical speed). The weather was very good and we only hit a few no-wake zones. We got to pass relatively close to the space center (Cape Canaveral / Cocoa Beach) and tried to get some pictures of rockets on the pads (see photos). Our Looper friends from Nebraska had positioned themselves near the launch site for the upcoming SpaceX rocket launch. Unfortunately, the launch was delayed, so they decided to move on. However, in a strange twist of fate, we happened to be sitting outdoor at an Irish Pub in Saint Augustine (next post), and were able to see the launch from there. More on this in our next post.
New Smyrna Beach is a pleasant little town located along the west bank of the Indian River, opposite one of east coast Florida's relatively few inlets. It was originally founded in 1768 by a Scottish doctor, Andrew Turnbull, when he established a colony of 1,225 immigrants mostly from Minorca (Italy) and Greece on plantations through land grants from England. He named it New Smyrna, after his wife’s birthplace in Smyrna, Greece. The goal was to produce crops such as indigo, hemp, rice, and cotton. The original settlement ultimately failed (for a number of reasons), but the 600 or so survivors decided to walk to Saint Augustine rather than remain in New Smyrna under Turnbull’s rule.
New Smyrna is a working town without a lot of tourism influence. Brian had good access to auto parts store for supplies (mainly oil for an upcoming oil change) and other mechanical items. Our best entertainment was the cat living at the marina and another awesome thunderstorm.
The cat (see photo) has no fear of barking dogs. He would sit without much concern and stare at Bo as he tugged on his leash.
The thunderstorm that hit New Smyrna Beach provided a little more warning than our storm in Old Port Cove. Brian once again took up a position on the sundeck to take videos of the storm in case it got really-good. He was not disappointed. The first couple video attempts did not seem to capture the storm. The third attempt provided much better footage (see the video). The only thing missing was a good lightning strike to go along with the wind and rain. Well guess what. Brian got his lightning strike wish just as he was reviewing the third video attempt on his phone. The strike had to be within a few hundred yards of the marina. The flash and sound were instantaneous. While Brian enjoys a good thunderstorm, abandoning the video attempt and moving to a lower level in the boat seemed like a good idea. Bo had already assumed his position in his newly defined storm cellar. (See the last set of photos.)
The marina was located across the street from an old fort (or hotel). There is an ongoing debate in New Smyrna if the ruins are from an old fort, or part of an old hotel. They seem to enjoy making it a bit of a mystery. Either way, it was a very nice open area and very well maintained. The people in town were very nice and Bo had an abundant supply of grassy areas.
After three days in New Smyrna it was time to move on to Saint Augustine. We need to get to that fountain of youth!