Saturday, May 16
Mosquito Lagoon (Cape Canaveral Seashore) – Halifax Harbor Marina (Daytona Beach)
29.28 NM – 5.5 hours underway
Day 3: The Case for a Second Head
When you’re boat shopping, there’s always that ongoing debate: one engine or two, one head or two. You can make a solid case either way. Two engines give you redundancy and peace of mind, but one keeps maintenance simpler with fewer things to break. The same goes for heads—more convenience versus more systems to maintain.
Today, we officially became Team Two Heads.
With our only head not fully functional, we didn’t have much of a choice. Instead of a leisurely cruise day, we were suddenly on a mission: find a marina, find a fix, and find it fast.
Thankfully, the day didn’t start with stress. A beautiful sunrise greeted us at anchor. We were up early, eager to get moving before the weekend chaos hit New Smyrna. If you know, you know—once the “weekend warriors” get going, it can get a little crazy.
Anchor up went smoothly, and we picked our way through crab pots back into the channel like pros (or at least like people who have learned a few lessons the hard way). This stretch of water felt familiar—our previous northernmost point had been New Smyrna—so there was something special about pushing beyond it this time.
The route itself is classic Old Florida. Fish camps dot the shoreline, and long No Wake Zones slow everything down in the best possible way. It’s quiet, nostalgic, and a reminder that not everything has to move at full speed.
By the time we reached Daytona, the temperature had climbed to a perfect 83 degrees, and we pulled into Halifax Harbor Marina. From the moment we arrived, the dockhands were incredibly friendly and helpful. We even had an extra deck hand greet us! The marina itself checked all the boxes: clean facilities, laundry, and easy walking distance to restaurants. Definitely a stop we’d recommend.
While Heather took advantage of the laundry—Kevin went into full problem-solving mode, working the phones to find someone willing to come out on a Saturday afternoon. Not an easy task.
Eventually, we secured a temporary fix… and let’s just say epoxy has never felt so expensive. We’ll leave it at that.
With the head situation stabilized (for now), we were able to relax a bit and enjoy the evening. Dinner and drinks at Mama Foo Foo—just a short walk from the marina—were exactly what we needed after the day’s adventures.
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