8 – 11 December 2016 – New Smyrna Beach – Titusville, Florida
Today brings us to one of Christina’s favorite sections of the ICW because we pass through several manatee zones. Manatee zones are good for two reasons, the first being the obvious of seeing manatees, (and dolphins), and secondly because power boats are required to also slow down and make no wake in the zones. This made for a very peaceful day on the water. Bob on the other hand doesn’t care for this section because it seems long, straight and shallow with small fishing boats always seeming to be where we need to go.
Manatees are similar to Dugongs in Australia and are large slow moving mammals that swim just below the surface. They are a protected species in Florida having neared extinction by 1973 due to injury and fatality caused by boat propellers. Due to their protection status they now number over 10,000, and are a joy to see. We usually see them as they flip their tail and go under water, but one was a delight to watch swimming “doggy style” with his head above the water. 
If you think catching a photograph of a dolphin is hard, you should try the manatee. Many attempts were made but with little success. The blurs in these photos are manatees – trust us.
We arrived at Titusville Municipal Marina a few hours ahead of schedule due to our early morning, pre-dawn departure and favorable currents. We tied up with little drama, having to do a 4 point tie to a fixed dock slip which takes a bit more effort than those preferred nice long floating docks we are getting accustomed to. Dolphins frequently were seen in the marina, but this is the only one who was willing to be seen while a camera was in hand.
Tiki bar here we come.
Due to forecasted winds we planned a two night stay in Titusville. We were quite thankful we had made the decision when we woke on Friday to rocking and rolling whilst tied to the dock. There were whitecaps on the Waterway and it was downright cool.
The wind forecast changed again and now it looks like similar conditions can be expected the next two days. Our two night stay quickly became 4 — more phone calls and changes to marina reservations, but also more comfortable conditions for our last two segments of the trip.