The next morning we set off early for Daytona Beach, FL. We all took a seat on the fly bridge and had a lovely four hour cruise with good weather. One bridge we had to have ‘drawn’ for us was having some repair done and as we cruised under the lifted section, we were surprised to see several men clinging to it protected from falling with nets! After we cruised through, we could see what looked like a mile long stretch of cars a standstill due to our needing to get under the bridge.
We arrived at Halifax Yacht Club and immediately headed off for lunch at Tia’s Mexican restaurant then to the Daytona International Speedway tour. Originally known as the Daytona Beach Road Course it was a race track that was instrumental in the formation of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, or NASCAR. It became famous as the location where fifteen world land speed records were set. Today the speedway includes multiple layouts for racing: including a 2.5-mile tri-oval, a 3.56-mile sports car course, a 2.95-mile motorcycle course, and a 1,320-foot karting and motorcycle flat-track. The track's 180-acre infield includes the 29-acre Lake Lloyd, which has hosted powerboat racing. The stands have the capacity to hold 180,000 fans.
The corner banking was so extreme on the track that if your car wasn’t at atleast 70 mph it would just slide off into the infield.
Back at the boat, boys cleaned the windows then we had cocktails and walked into town for dinner. We went to the boardwalk and got a look at the 23 mile beach where the racing began in the 1920’s. We stopped in an arcade to play a little Skee-Ball where the Rick and Jody team were victorious, which must have angered the gods as when we went to walk further down the boardwalk, the rain came in a wind blown sideways deluge! We scurried in through the lobby of a HIlton and out the other side so we could use the large buildings that line the water as a buffer. We checked out the Hemingway Bar, and then caught an Uber to dine at Zappy’s Italian Restaurant.
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