St. Augustine, FL

28 October 2014

Happy Birthday to my daughter Allison!!!

St. Augustine is a beautiful town, well maintained, all of the architecture is of the period of the settlement. Even new buildings are built to look like the old ones, kind of colonial Spanish. It is very much a tourist town, many shops, art galleries, jewelry stores, and restaurants. ,I have to say it feels a bit plastic. There are many tourists here even for this time of year. We did find a bar we liked the Tradewinds Tropical Bar, a local bar with music all day and night till closing. Mostly country music but very good. 

We are on a mooring ball and went to pay for tonight at the marina office. As we walked the pier we ran into Charles. Charles was the gentleman we mentioned we met in the Dismal Swamp. Charles sold his house and car and bought a 26’ sailboat, dink and bicycle to sail to Florida. He had not boated before. We have thought about him many times wondering how he was doing. He says he is learning on the way and has had mostly good experiences. He is laying up here for a few days for a sail repair. It is good to know his is doing well.

Bella ventured out twice today by dinghy. Once to a protected beach and later in the day to the oceanside beach. Well, we did get too close to shore with the dinghy and a wave swamped the boat a little. So everyone was wet including my nice dry towel and the captain…..I told him a little salt water was good for him. :)

This is the "Love Tree", a palm growing inside a oak tree. If one dies they both die. It is said that if you share a kiss underneath you love will last forever.

Charles, the intrepid sailor. He's doing well on his trip, stopped for a sail repair.

St. Augustine, FL

26 October 2014

We left Isle of Hope Thursday, motored all day and made about 60 miles. We anchored in New Tea Kettle Creek. There were not as many no see um’s there but I did’t take any chances. I covered head to toe, sweatshirt, hood pulled tight, jeans, and socks, with bug spray on my face and hands, to pull the anchor. 

We left Tea Kettle and motored out of Doboy Inlet to some ocean sailing. It was a pretty day on the ocean. It’s interesting that the ocean is shallow, we were 3 - 5 miles  out and it never got deeper than 25 feet, lots of shoaling at the inlets. We actually had to go 3 miles east before we could travel south to get to deep water. The water is pretty clear and we saw thousands of brown jellyfish the size of softballs. There are many shrimp trawlers out. 

We made St. Mary’s Inlet at Cumberland Sound late in the day, the Georgia/Florida border, San Fernandina Beach. FLORIDA AT LAST. We stopped for fuel and to allow Bella to relieve herself, she was most grateful. We anchored for the night in Bells River, happy to have made Florida. In the anchored we noticed a lot of boats and many obviously abandoned.

Some observations… In the lower Chesapeake and through Virginia and the Carolinas the Pelicans are brown, in Georgia they are gray with white heads and in Florida they are white. Do they not cross state lines. Maybe it’s just a change in weather but Florida seems much warmer and the sun is brighter, maybe the sun knows state lines?

We motored down the pretty Tolomato River most of the day, lovely homes. We crossed the St. John’s River, Jacksonville would have been a 19 mile detour, perhaps on the return trip. We continued on to St. Augustine, took a mooring ball near the Castillo De San Marcos National monument, an old Spanish fort constructed in the late 1600’s. It has 12 foot walls, and was capable of holding 1500 residents of the town, with water, nonperishable stores and a latrine flushed by the tides, made it impregnable. Repeated raids on the city had killed nearly a quarter of the residents.

We took the dinghy to shore last night. We had martini’s at an outside martini bar. We went to a pub, met some locals and the Goodyear Blimp pilot, and then went to “Tropical Bar” (many bikers), drank Jack Daniels, and listened to good live music and people watched. My head this morning tells me that like Ponce de Leon I didn’t find the fountain of youth either.

Sunrise at Doboy Inlet

Brown
Jelly

Note number of sunken vessels

Once someone's pride and joy

Boats have the right of way over seaplanes, I wasn't going to argue

Did I mention our mast is 62.5 feet from the water?
Another pucker moment going under a bridge

Even Ronald McDonald waves

A pretty lady I know

Bella going to the beach

The fort

St. Augustine skyline

Isle of Hope, GA

22 October 2014

Anchored in the Wright River we encountered the, now famous in my mind, no see um. These little critters are so small you can barely see them and have teeth that are HUGE. Their bite is similar to a mosquito but you feel it right away. While hauling the anchor I must have been bitten 50 times, mostly on my head. They leave welts that itch for days. I read, “Once you've suffered an episode of multiple noseeum bites, you'll be motivated to keep it from happening again.” Right. This area is famous (sic) for them, we need to get moving soon, but first we need to see Savannah.

Wednesday we took a cab to Savannah, another lovely city. The city was planned by it’s founder in squares with beautiful parks everywhere. we had cocktails and lunch at a french restaurant, walked had more cocktails, and then dinner at the Sapphire Grill. I’ve always thought a Manhattan was a old man’s drink but the bourbon here is great and they know how to make them.

We will press on south today, it’s 49 degrees this morning, will reach 70. Still looking for steady 80 degree days. We should be in Florida in the next two days. 

Wishing Star out of Wilmington, DE. Did I mention I love Trumpy Yachts?

Bridges over an alley on River Street

Marshall House Hotel

Spanish Moss everywhere

The park bench where Forrest Gump talked about a box of chocolates, they moved the bench to a museum!

Sherman burned most of the South during his march to the sea during the Civil War but spared Savannah

The Basillica

Spanish Moss hangs like tinsel from the trees

South of Hilton Head, SC

20 October 2014

Saturday we toured, by foot, Charleston, SC. It is a beautiful town with homes dating to the 1700’s. Most are in an area known as the “Battery”. Many have a picturesque view of the harbor. We shopped, ate, ate, drank, and walked a lot. It was 80 degrees, blue skies and full of tourists, lots to see. There is a strong historical French presence dating back to the Revolutionary War. A French Quarter with many fine eating establishments, some booked until November 3rd and we could not get a reservation. 

We left Sunday morning at 0930 anxious to head south. We motorsailer most of the day, anchoring in the South Edisto River. A secure anchorage that afforded a beautiful sunset.

This morning we left early motoring and motorsailing most of the day making about 62 miles. We are anxious to get to Savannah, GA tomorrow morning. We made a stop at the Harbortowne Yacht Basin in Hilton Head for a quick “bump and 

run” for Bella and fuel. A must stop on the way back (some day) so Robin says.

Bella has been always very curious about fishing but with many dolphin sightings has taken the role of protector of Bellatrix. The dolphin seem to come to the boat from the side (beam), only to dive under, which makes Bella more curious and she runs around the boat barking to warn them off. She constantly stands watch in search dolphin.

We are anchored tonight in Wright River, similar to the one last night, steaks on the grill, Rosemary potatoes and zucchini.

We are learning to enjoy box wine, trying many different types. Those who know us know we enjoy wine with every dinner. We are not expensive wine lovers but like good wine. Box wine is less expensive and stores in small spaces easier than bottles when taken out of the box. We will let you know our “best” choices.

Charleston, The Battery a large section of Charleston with beautiful old homes many built in the late 1700's

The Battery from the water

I love Trumpy yachts, this one is Eagle

Houses on Hilton Head Island

A friendly waver on Hilton Head Island

Homes on Hilton Head, we stopped only for fuel and pressed on. Perhaps a stop on our return trip

Bella is quick to spot the "dangerous dolphin" and to bark loudly so as to protect us from them.

Sunset on the Wright River a peaceful anchorage for the night