RETURNING TO THE BIRTH CANAL

May 8, 2012  Dateline: New Smyrna Beach, FL USA

I left the marina early this morning (before 9 AM) and headed west to the Canaveral Barge Canal Lock.  It is a small lift lock between the Banana River and the Atlantic Ocean.  Its lift is only 3-4 feet depending on the level of the tide.  I had to wait a few minutes as a tow and what appeared to be a fishing boat were east bound in the lock and had to clear it before I could go in.  The passage went smoothly and off I went down the Barge Canal.  After I left I heard the lockmaster yell at the next boat that went in after us telling the captain to get his deckhand off the lock wall and back on the boat.  Unhappy lockmasters are not nice people.  The Canal is straight and very unimpressive as can be seen by the accompanying picture.  I went passed a factory plant that Sea Ray built so they could construct their “new” 680 Sundancer.  The plant was never occupied.

Further up the canal I came upon Sykes Creek where I first entered the water world.  My birth canal is a narrow overgrown creek through which all boats that are delivered by water must pass when they leave the Sykes Creek Sea Ray plant, the plant at which I was born.

Now comes the interesting question, when does one complete the Loop?  When they complete the full circle or when they return to the point at which they started?  There are potentially three outcomes to the questions above.  Rich and I have now completed the Loop since he took delivery of me at the Sykes Creek factory and he has traveled all the way to New Jersey by water and so have I.  Carol will not complete the Loop with me until she gets to Norfolk, VA and the final scenario is that we complete it in Cape May, NJ.  Oh, the thoughts to ponder.

I happened to see this building on the edge of the canal by the Sea Ray plant---I wondered if it was an old plant.

As I went up the Intercoastal Waterway (ICW) I came upon a mooring field in Titusville, it gave a really interesting pattern on my radar screen. Though there were only a few boats in the field all of the balls bounced back my radar beams.

The ICW was boring today as we traveled at only 6-8 knots but it did give Rich and Carol a chance to look around and see the scenery.  They noticed this house with an eagle or osprey nest on the roof.  Boy, I bet that is a safe place to raise your offspring.

After 47 miles I stopped at New Smyrna Beach for the night.  I have no idea where the two of them found this marina but it was frightening getting into and I am a mega yacht in it.  I am told that I will leave tomorrow for St Augustine.  More ICW----I want deep water where I can go fast.