St. Augustine - Daytona Beach

We are getting closer to our destination.  After 800+ miles on the ICW it finally happened … I ran aground.  Fortunately: a) I was going very slowly and b) unlike Georgian Bay, sand and mud is very forgiving.  We were able to back off and proceed with no damage.  Interestingly, 5 miles further on, we came to an inlet where the marks were very confusing.  As I stopped to reassess, a boat headed northbound hailed me to let me know the red mark had shifted out of position and was on a shoal.  A correction to course prevented a second grounding! 

Queen Anne-style home.  Notice their dock.

We continue to see damage from Hurricane Matthew as we progress further south.  The difference being that while St. Augustine and further north had major storm surges, here it was indicated they only had a 3-foot surge but very high winds.  This is why many of the homes we saw had their roofs completely covered in tarps as all or most of the shingles had blown off.

Homes on stilts

This stretch of the intracoastal is certainly more populated but most of the track today was in completely dredged channel and you must stay between the marks.  

Extensive boat house

Development along both shores

There are very few opportunities to go fast because of all the development.