When we last checked in, we had just arrived in New Smyrna Beach, capping off our first weekend on America’s Great Loop with an incredible cruise filled with wildlife and a celebratory dinner at The Garlic. Our week in New Smyrna Beach was a bit rainy, but we still enjoyed our stunning anchorage between the mangroves and a sandbar that Ripley absolutely loved. While in New Smyrna, we purchased two electric scooters to assist in grocery runs and expand our exploration radius in all the towns to come.
After three full days of productivity and a little bit of fun, we made our way to Halifax Harbor Marina in Daytona Beach on Thursday. Here we took full advantage of the laundry, unlimited hot water showers, shore power and water to clean off the build-up of salt spray on the boat. This marina is in the heart of Daytona’s historical district, which we had a grand time exploring Friday night.
We started our night at Madeline’s Wine Bar for pre-dinner drinks, then savored some sushi at Ronin Sushi Bar, stumbled upon the Zanzibar Speakeasy where we danced to an incredible jazz band, and capped the night off at One Horse Saloon. Despite all the fun, we still managed to beat the sunrise and start our cruise to St. Augustine on Saturday morning.
Although this was only our sixth cruise of the journey, the scenery from Daytona to St. Augustine was our favorite yet. With a narrow path that shielded us from the wind, beautiful houses to admire and of course no shortage of dolphins, we never found ourselves feeling bored at any point. As we neared historic downtown St. Augustine (where we would be staying for the next week), we were reminded of the weekend we spent here six months ago for our third wedding anniversary. St. Augustine is a special place filled with so much history, extraordinary architecture and, of course, wonderful food.
We can’t recommend the St. Augustine Municipal Marina enough, as our backyard view is the downtown district. With easy access to the dinghy dock and less than a block away from the nearest restaurant, we are looking forward to our week here. We recently posted our latest video on YouTube showcasing the final prep before departing and our first cruise to Jensen Beach so be sure to check that out here.
Cheers to continuing the adventure!
Exploring mangroves in New Smyrna Beach
Our slip at Halifax Harbor Marina
History on Florida Sign in St. Augustine
Downtown St. Augustine
St. Augustine Municipal Marina
