Crew Log for December 12th, 2022
Trip Summary:
• Palm Coast to Daytona
• Trip Distance of 29.1 NM, Total Distance To-Date of 2,332.0 NM
• Departed at 08h30, arrived at 13h30
We were never huge fans of NASCAR, but I knew enough about it to know that one of the premier events on the racing calendar is the Daytona 500. Other than being home to a famous race track, we knew very little else about the city. However, like so many other times during this trip, we learned some important facts about the places we visited.
The trip from Palm Coast to Daytona was uneventful. We were even getting better at anticipating and dealing with the currents, particularly those around marinas.
Our boat is registered in Halifax, Nova Scotia. So when we noticed the Halifax Harbor Marina in Daytona, we knew we had to visit it. The folks there were fantastic. We radioed the marina to tell them we were on our way in. Once we cleared the fuel dock, a little runabout darted out in front of us and radioed us to follow them. They directed us to our slip, caught our lines, welcomed us to Halifax Harbor and gave us a welcome package of information on the marina and Daytona.
We did think it was ironic that we had left Halifax, Nova Scotia and, 4 months later we were back in Halifax. Other than the name, Halifax, the Halifax Harbor in Daytona Beach has very little in common with Halifax, Nova Scotia. We headed off to explore the area since the weather was supposed to turn ugly the following day.
We walked along the waterfront and were surprised to see the Jackie Robinson Baseball Field. Jackie Robinson was of course, the first African American baseball player to play in the major league. Robinson was born in Georgia and so I was confused why there was a ball park here with his name on it. As I did some more research, I found out that Robinson’s connection to Daytona has a Canadian connection.
In 1946, Robinson went to Daytona, Florida for spring training with the Brooklyn Dodger's minor league affiliate, the Montreal Royals, of the Class AAA International League. Robinson’s presence on the team was a problem in a racially segregated Florida in the 1940’s. The Dodgers didn’t have a spring training facility and so they were at the mercy of local communities, most of who refused to allow the team to use their facility if there were black players on the team.
The ballpark in Daytona opened in 1914 and had been hosting minor league baseball since 1920. However, the ballpark’s most important place in history happened in 1946. It was in that year that the City of Daytona Beach ignored existing Jim Crow-era segregation laws so Jackie Robinson could play there with the Montreal Royals. Robinson played the entire 1946 season with Montreal and was a significant contributor to the team’s success in winning the International League Championship.
Jackie Robinson went on to have a Hall of Fame career with the Brooklyn Dodgers. Over his 10 year career, he earned Rookie of the Year honors, was a 6 time All Star and was the League MVP. He played in 6 World Series Championships and was a member of the 1955 Championship team. Despite his success, Robinson constantly dealt with racism and was often subjected to violent and aggressive behavior on and off the field.
Unfortunately for us, the field was undergoing a massive renovation and was closed to the public. However, if we come back through Daytona on the way home, we hopefully will have a chance to visit this newly renovated, important place in history.
Daytona was also home to Mary Jane McLeod Bethune an educator and civil rights activist. Among her many achievements Bethune was well-known for starting a private school for African-American students in Daytona Beach, Florida. It later became the Bethune-Cookman University.
As we made our way past the ballfield, we came to the Riverfront Esplanade, a recently redeveloped 31 acre, multi use recreational space in the heart of downtown Daytona Beach. The park features outdoor event space, a waterfront running trail, benches and swings, pond ecosystems and focal fountains surrounding the city’s performance venue and concert hall. And while it was decorated for the holiday season, we were having a tough time dealing with neon Christmas palm trees, blue herons and dolphin decorations.
It was in the Riverfront Park that we met a Park Security lady who immediate knew we were “from up north” since we were strolling around in shorts and flip flops at this time of year. She wanted to hear all about our trip and told us all about her career in security. The extent of her rules enforcement equipment consisted of a souped up golf cart, with official looking markings. She wished us well and sent us on our way.
Of course, we stopped at the local post office on the way back to the marina, which was in an historic old building on main street. It was busy place, which gave me time to read the rewards for various infractions. Not only was a surprised that they would post a list like that, but was also amazed at the scope of infractions covered.
We spent the rest of the evening video chatting with the kids, which always boosts spirits on Elizabeth M, and watching the Patriots game, which lately has been more often than not a mood killer. They were playing Arizona and managed a win, but it was painful to watch.
The forecast for the following day wasn’t great, so we decided to stay in Daytona and catch up on a few chores and plan and organize the remainder of our trip down to Lake Worth (Palm Beach). Judy also replaced the gaskets in our opening ports and started the unenviable task of inventorying and organizing our food stores in anticipation of our Bahamas crossing.
We were off, early the next morning for Titusville where we would have a front row seat for the first double rocket launch.
But more about that, next time.
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