New Smyrna Beach - What a nice surprise

We were really pleasantly surprised by New Smyrna Beach, we had choosen to stop here primarily because it was a good distance from our previous stop and also because it was cheaper than Daytona which was our other real marina option in this area.  We never like using marinas but we were really desperate to do some washing and also to get some more food shopping and this was a good option.  There was a few blowy days ahead so it seemed like a good idea.

Our first evening at we were just leaving the shower block and bumped into Mike, he was sailing on a boat which turned out to be called ? and we had immediately noticed the boat along the pontoon from us as we had seen her in Port Washington (New York) and again in Sandy Hook (New Jersey) and just a few days ago passing us by in St Augustine.  ? is quite a unique looking schooner which is why she was so noticeable.  Mike invited us over for a few drinks and to meet with Dan the owner.  We had a lovely few hours chatting about the trip south bound along the east coast and how we had followed the same path. Mike and Dan are both great characters and have many a story to tell but we were pretty tired so didn't stop for too long.

Next day we walked across the ICW onto the island which runs on the ocean side, just 30 minute walk and you are at the Atlantic coast.

The resort here is small and surfing is popular, the high street is lined with small gift shops and a few bars, we also found a great little coffee shop which was mainly filled with locals but we sat and relaxed for most all morning making the most of the internet.

We had originally planned to leave the next day but with headwinds forecasted we decided to wait one more day.  We made the most of the location and had a run to the beach in the morning, followed by the best shower we had found in the last year – when you are living on the boat this is one of the things you miss the most and this marina had just the best showers!  We explored the local high street but there were only a few shops so decided to head back over the beach which was actually twice as busy as the previous day as it was running into the holiday season.  There were a few surfers on the beach and one of them had the most amazing VW.