St. Augustine, Florida

November 16, 2021

We arrived at the St. Augustine channel under motor. We had an exhilarating sail most of the way from Charleston to St. Augustine until the wind died. It was nice that Bill experienced Daggers Down under sail!

Since the wind was light and the sea state was calm, we entered the channel without difficulty. We have heard that it can be quite treacherous at times when the seas, current and wind are not aligned. Even at first glance the city of St. Augustine seemed enchanting. We were very excited about exploring the oldest city in the US.

We were unable to reserve a mooring ball close to the city, so we anchored just north of the inlet by another Catana, SV Perseverance. We had met Adam and Natasha in Sarah’s Creek last summer and it was great to catch up with them again.

Robert on his Catana, Journey, joined us a little later in the evening. He was dog tired as he made the last two passages from Wrightsville Beach by himself because his crew determined she had a propensity for seasickness and left the boat.

After grilling some pork chops for dinner and visiting with Bill, Ben and I hit the sack as we also were tired from our 30 hour sail from Charleston.

November 17, 2021

This morning we moved to a mooring ball closer to the city at the Municipal Marina. Our reservation was on the south side of the Bridge of Lions, so we entered the draw bridge around 12:30.

We met Robert in town and ate lunch at Nero’s where they were decorating for the Nights of Lights that would begin on Sat.

After lunch Robert gave us a walking tour of the city. We walked around the Castillo de San Marcos National Monument and through the town’s cobbled stone streets.

Robert even took us down the oldest street in the US.

It was lovely town with lots of cool Spanish and English architecture. St. George street was closed to traffic allowing pedestrians to leisurely stroll along window shopping and people watching.

November 18, 2021

Bill was leaving today to head home for the holidays. We really enjoyed getting to know him and he was a great help during this last week as we made our way south.

Before he left, we decided ride the Trolley Tour to learn about the history of this quaint town that was founded in 1565. It was hard to believe that it burned down 9 times. The fort was originally built of wood, but they finally wised up and built it of stone. The Spanish built one story buildings and when the English conquered the town, they added second stories to many of the buildings. There was so much history everywhere you looked with lots of traditions and legacies.

After lunch at the Prohibition Kitchen, Bill took off in his Uber to the airport and Ben and I headed back to the boat to relax.

November 19, 2021

Since we had a little time before Cousin John arrived about 13:30, Ben gave me long overdue haircut. He did a marvelous job!

For dinner, we dinghied into St. Augustine. Wow what a difference a day makes. Yesterday was beautiful and the dinghy ride was totally uneventful. Today the current, wind and waves assured that we took buckets of water over the bow of the dinghy as we headed to shore. I was so happy that I had the foresight to put on my waterproof pants. John, however, got drenched!

We ate at a OC Whites that was located on the waterfront in an old house. The food was great, and the service was impeccable. It was a nice place to dry out a little after the wet dinghy ride.

After dinner, we walked around town and bought a new American Flag for the stern of our boat. Our old flag was getting somewhat tattered, and I told Ben it was disrespectful to keep flying it. We had to buy a bigger flag because the flag store had not received any shipments in two years. According to the shop owner it was hard it to obtain material and labor with COVID. Just another reminder that the world was not yet back to normal. We find ourselves so removed from these daily reminders, that they still surprise us sometimes.

We enjoyed sauntering around town as the sun set and the lights of the town began to come alive. The holiday season was another thing that had snuck up on us. It was hard to believe that next week was Thanksgiving, but all the holiday decorations around town were a blazing reminder that Christmas was also just around the corner.

The dinghy ride back was not as wet this time because we were going with the wind and waves instead of against them. However, the current was running strongly down the river. So landing the dinghy upstream to the boat was slightly challenging. Ben and John handled it well and everyone boarded safely.

November 20, 2021

Our mooring ball reservations had run out, so today we moved the boat to the Conch House Marina. We thought that being at the marina would be a good place to get the laundry done and have a land shower. In addition, we had friends who were joining us, and it would be easy for them to board the boat from the dock

However, the dock they put us on was open to the channel and the wind and waves kept smashing us up against the dock. It was extremely bumpy at best.

Nevertheless, after lunch at the marina restaurant, we completed the laundry and Ben reseated a bolt on the alternator that had started squealing as we motored to the marina.

Since it was a little chilly and the wind was howling, we had a simple dinner of potato soup and homemade dill bread that I made in between laundry loads.

November 21, 2021

I was excited today that Jacintha, an occupational therapist I used to work with was coming down from Jacksonville for a visit. I hoped that the wind would lay a little by the time she got here so that she could board the boat. The waves were slapping and bucking so much against the pier, I was not sure if she would feel comfortable stepping on the boat.

I met her out by the front gate and suggested that we go to the grocery store first as she had graciously agreed to take us there for provisioning. In addition, it turned out the West Marine was only two doors down from the Winn Dixie. So John and Ben came along as well.

After provisioning, we carted everything down to the boat, where Jacintha boarded and Ben gave her a tour of our “tiny house.” I think when people saw the boat in person, it helped them understand what our “crazy lives” were all about.

It was great to see her again. I was sorry when our visit was over, but I knew she had a long drive back to Jacksonville.

Tonight, our next guests would arrive around 20:00, Allan and Torie. They would be with us until the Friday after Thanksgiving. We hoped to make West Palm by Thanksgiving if the weather would cooperate. Right now, it looked like it might be Wednesday before we could head out again.

November 22, 2021

One thing we knew, we were not staying on this dock any longer. We had endured the waves beating us into the dock long enough. We reserved a mooring ball in Salt Run. After refueling, we headed away from the Conch House Marina. I wished when you made reservations, the marinas would tell you that you would be on an outside dock with little to no protection. The same thing happened to us in Norfolk. By the time we arrived, it was too late to rethink what we wanted to do. Apologizing after arrival was not helpful.

Once we were moored, the rest of the gang went into town, but I decided a nice quiet afternoon in this lovely cove was exactly what I needed. I delighted in watching the kayakers, the birds, and the clouds.

When everyone returned, we had some chicken taco soup that I had made and frozen when we were on the hard. It was warm and hardy on this chilly night in Florida. It looked like we would spend another day on the mooring ball as tomorrow the cold front would pass leaving us with 30 knot winds and 12 foot seas in the Atlantic. So we will stay put until Wednesday.

November 23, 2021

We had been having some trouble with the starboard water pump for the last couple of days. So after breakfast sandwiches and taking care of some business back home, Alan and Ben replaced the pump. I was glad we got this done, because the other day while everyone was gone, I tried to take a shower, but the water shut off just as I got all soaped up with shampoo in my hair. Not a fun shower at all!

Once John finished up with some business, they also replaced the seawater pump for his toilet. This would conserve our freshwater as he could again use seawater to flush his electric head.

Since we had to stay here another day and we were not sure when we would leave for West Palm or what time would arrive, we decided to have Thanksgiving dinner tonight. After each person expressed something they were thankful for we dug into our dinner of grilled steaks, roasted butternut squash, green bean casserole, Hawaiian rolls, and for dessert, we had cheesecake. There was lots of reminiscing about past sailing trips and laughter as we shared with Tori some of the more memorable antics.

November 24, 2021

This morning we conversed with SV Perseverance to determine how the inlet looked to them as they were anchored close to it. After some deliberation, we both decided to give it a try and headed out. We left with incoming tide and east wind which made the sea state somewhat less raunchy, but it also made for a slow go of 3-4 knots. There were breakers on each side of us and we had to stay directly in the channel. It was rough, so we all donned life jackets, but with Ben’s expert helmsmanship, we made it out. Perseverance cleared the channel directly in front of us.

In the Atlantic the wind was blowing about 20 knots from the northeast and the swells were about 7 ft. We traveled at about 7.5 knots down the coast.

After a sporty 26 hour sail we entered West Palm without incident at about 12:30. We were all tired, but happy to be spending Thanksgiving anchored in Lake Worth looking at the beautiful sunset.

We Were Blessed!