Dec. 31:

The long anticipated time had come to slip the boat into the waters of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway (ICW from this point on). We had arrived in New Smyrna Beach, FL at noon on the 30^th, about a day ahead of schedule. So we had time to explore the region, visit Turtle Mound in the Canaveral National Seashore, and get an idea of what conditions were. Weather was perfect. As we crossed the ICW I looked south and saw flat water as far as I could see and itched to get the boat off the top of the car and into the water.

Where? We studied the charts looking for access somewhere where we could leave the car behind safely. Since I wanted to make the first day a short row to avoid creating blisters on my tender hands, unused for a year, we found a spot named WSEG Boat Ramp on the chart that looked to be about a two hour row from the Haulover Canal connecting Mosquito Lagoon with the Indian River just north of Titusville, FL. We decided it would be a good idea to check out a landing at the other end so we had driven to the drawbridge over the canal and seen that there were plenty of good landings. In retrospect this seems like a waste of time and mileage. The luxury of having the car was becoming obvious. Last year we had turned in the rental car and were not able to scout out landing sites.

We drove to WSEG Boat Ramp, well marked, but with no explanation of WSEG (still a mystery). A recently bulldozed, sandy road went about half a mile in to a turn-around near the water’s edge. A few pick-ups and vans were parked. Fishermen had launched their canoes and left considerable trash around the area. My thoughts about vulnerability to vehicular burglary I did not share with Heather.

It took half an hour to untie and remove the boat from the top of the car. The international orange boat cover that had made us very visible on I-95 was rolled up and stowed. The RoWing was reassembled and installed in the boat and oars were removed from the padded oar bag and leaned against a saw palmetto by the small muddy beach. We packed a small lunch and placed it and the Coast Guard approved PFDs in the boat. WOW! "That is all we need?", I thought. Now the luxury of having the car to leave our dunnage in was really starting to sink in. Perhaps this explains why a Great Blue Heron seeing us parked in the open deliberately strafed our position and scored a direct hit on the car with at least a pint of processed seafood. Appalled by the unwelcoming gesture, I urged Heather that the unfinished bottle of Dasani ($.99) should be used immediately to clean off the windshield and hood of the car. I am sure that bird circled a few times to gloat over his accuracy and delight in our distress. The Dasani was pitifully insufficient. Heather refilled the bottle several times with the briny water from Mosquito lagoon but still the front third of the car was a mess.

Heather climbed in to the stern of the boat after I put the oars in and nestled in her seat. Yes, we did also carry her cameras, binoculars, new Garmin GPS I gave her for Christmas and the chart. At least the vehicular burglars would not get these, I thought! I stepped in, rinsing my muddy feet as I did, and sat down at last on my sliding seat. I habitually checked to be sure the gates on the oarlocks were fastened and reached for the first stroke of our journey. It felt so good to be back I savored those first very light strokes as we found our way out through a narrow channel to the open lagoon and headed south.

Soon it was obvious that the water was teaming with mullet and other fish and creatures that had supplied that Great Blue with his ammunition and were being sought by the people whose vehicles were parked near ours. It was very shallow and we scraped bottom a little. I decided to move off shore and row along the side of the channel of the ICW. This proved to be a faster route as wind and currents seemed to be favoring us. At a very light, blister preventing paddle we were still moving at about four knots according to Heather’s GPS. Then came a few major powerboats. Years ago, as a sculler on the Charles River, I referred to them as Stink Pots. We managed to get broadside to the wakes of the first few and bob up and down as the swells went by. Even the wake of a tug pushing two barges at about ten knots did not bother us. But when we saw the breaking waves of the last one coming I turned away and surfed them in toward the shore route which now seemed to be plenty deep.

It was surprisingly soon that we discovered that we had reached the canal. I had no blisters. It was only 1:00 p.m. and the winds were perfect for a downwind seven-mile row to Titusville. But the temptation to keep going was countered by memories of having to lay over for a day to let open blisters heal after doing just about the same thing last year. This was, after all, a "warm up" day. I had logged 5.4 miles according to the Garmin in two hours with a few rests. I had gotten into the swing again and was ready for the next 7 mile leg tomorrow blister free.

We landed, took the boat out of the water, found Heather a place to sit and watch the numerous bottle nosed dolphins chasing mullet and I walked to the main road where I caught a ride back to WSEG Boat Ramp with some local fishermen riding in the back of their pick up truck. When I returned with the car Heather had been charmed by the dolphins and was well sunburned. We loaded the boat and drove to Titusville. We found a Holiday Inn next to a park where there was a landing. The room looks directly across the water at NASA’s silos. This room rents for ten times as much when a launch is anticipated!