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Apr 10, 2007: On the Intracoastel Waterway

12°C / 54°F

Position:30° 01' N-81° 21' W

Wind: 10km/h

The daily mileage on the Intracoastal Waterway is between 40 and 60 miles - we can only travel on the channels during the day.

We are following a cultural way through names of several antique and Christian heroes on the intracoastal channel - from Titusville to St. Augustine. The former conquered the city of Jerusalem and the latter wrote about the divine city in the 5th century - "De Civitate Dei". There was nothing in Titusville that reminded us of "Good Friday" (Karfreitag). The city of Daytona Beach seemed culturally more attractive to us; we ended up in a store with antiquarian books run by a long-haired owner.

On the evening of Easter, we arrived in the oldest Spanish town of North America: St. Augustine. In 1565, Don Pedro Menendez de Aviles founded the city. He arrived with 1500 warriors and colonists. The Indians of the Timucuan tribe had no other choice than to watch how the Spanish sequestered their homeland. There is nothing in the town which reminds us of these indigenous people today. Indeed, the city emanates a Spanish atmosphere and is a first class tourist attraction. In the late 1880s, the pioneer entrepreneur Henry M. Flagler, whose palaces dominate the centre, built the railway to Miami; but later, he founded the Standard Oil Company. As a matter of fact, we parked again at the gasoline station in the marina - once more... Now our solar bark is running towards Jacksonville, or even more northwards, towards the border of the State of Florida.

6th April. It's already the fourth day we are travelling to the North on the Intracoastal Waterway - a complex system of channels and lagoons, very different from travelling on the sea. We left the luxury zone between Miami and Palm Beach. The places where we stay for the night are mostly small places - a marina, a shopping mall, a gasoline station, and nearby a railway track with very long cargo trains - two or three locomotives and over a hundred wagons. We hear their honking every night on the boat.

Near the Cape Canaveral - from far away we see the rocket ramps - the waterways consist of large lagoons the size of some Swiss lakes; but the dominant bird here is the brown pelican with its golden crown and its dark brown neck. There are many and very long bridges - great for us that we don't have a mast; so we can pass most of them without waiting for the opening of the bridge.

John Vanleer, our host in Miami, joined us in the marina of Sebastian and is staying with us for a couple of days. We are learning a lot from his vast knowledge and experience.

Other than on the ocean, many people along the waterways see our boat. We are therefore floating now with two large text banners. They were organised and brought to the boat by John. They reveal what this adventure is all about. And the gestures of enthusiasm from the other boat people tell us that they understand.

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