June 7, 2014 Tourist Day in St Augustine

I was able to connect with our possible new insurance agent to answer a few more questions.  He is going to check one more thing for me by Monday, then we should be ready to go with our new company, Pantaenius through Casey Insurance.

Today, I decided to see a few sights in St Augustine.  Dave actually likes to do some projects where he doesn’t have to worry about me trying to move about the boat.
First, lunch at the Mill Top Tavern across the road from the fort that I was going to tour.  Great outdoor atmosphere with a guy playing songs I recognized :)

tourist lunch

view of the fort from  the restaurant

Then off to the Castillo de San Marcos.  It was built between 1672 and 1695.  It has flown the flags of Spain, Britain, Spain again, then the US.  The fort was never taken by force, only military agreements or political treaties.  The walls were made of coquina, a type of shell stone indigenous to the area.  It absorbed the cannonball blasts rather than crumble.  It’s amazing how much of it is still standing today.  On the weekends, they have cannon blast demonstrations.  I watched it from outside and below the wall and then again inside.  I was here with Dave and my parents in 1980, but I don’t remember any of the interior.  Probably just walked around the exterior.  My mom wouldn’t have paid for sour cream if it was extra :)

View of Bridge of Lions from the fort.  Our boat is on the other side of the bridge

cannon fire

cannon demo

inside fort

moat and walls

After touring the fort, Dave joined me on land.  We returned to the Columbia restaurant to have their paella.  We had their awesome salad and their mussels and andouille sausage appetizer.  Then we shared their house special paella.  I am sorry to say that we were disappointed.  Their menu tells you that it will be a 30 minute wait for special preparation.  Well, it ended up tasting like a SD casserole.  Very disappointing.  We remember paella in Spain over 30 years ago and were hoping for that same experience. (and Dave undercooked the rice the last time we tried it at home)

Today was the 425th anniversary of Sir Francis Drake’s British raid on St Augustine.  There is a reenactment of the raid.  There were military camps set up near Ponce de Leon’s Fountain of Youth.  Then at 7:00pm at the City Gates there was a sacking and burning of the town.  Then Drake’s forces drove the Spanish from the streets (where we were waiting on St George St), then everyone followed them to a plaza where there was a battle.  Lots of shooting of historic guns. 

After Drake’s men looted and burned the town, the Spanish Colonists returned and rebuilt the city.  So this is the oldest continuously occupied city in the US, since 1565.

After the demo, we had ice cream (doesn’t keep in our freezer) and returned to the boat.

 Spaniard being driven from the streets

British army

Spaniards

June 6, 2014 Boat Day in St Augustine

Today Dave worked to connect the AIS-automated identification system- with the chart plotter.  That way we can identify boats that are seen on our radar.  We can all them through DSC which sends out a signal to the other boat.  Also, at this time, we have the AIS in the Navigation station below deck.  When it picks up another ship, it starts to beep very loud.  If you aren’t on watch, sometimes you are sleeping.  So Dave is also trying to have that on/off switch outside, too.  His day ended in ordering a $100 part that will make the connection easier. 

I needed to go to shore to find a notary public for a piece of paper I needed to become a Florida resident.  Our bank wasn’t within walking distance.  And the first bank I called said I had to be a  member of their bank to use their notary.  I found a place yesterday, but the notary wasn’t in for the afternoon.  So I called today before leaving.  He was leaving shortly, but would be back at noon.  You hesitate, you lose!  So at noon I went to shore and walked about 6 blocks to find him at Cartridge world, a mail center and print shop.  Then I had to hustle back to the boat to have this document scanned and e-mailed back to South Dakota, so they could e-mail me something that I could print.  This explanation is just to show you how complicated things can be when you live on a boat and don’t have a car.  We are really glad we have a portable scanner and printer on board.  I’m not sure where we would have gone to do all those steps. 

I spent part of the afternoon cleaning the heads.  With that being done, I felt better about being a tourist this weekend.  Late afternoon, I went to shore to pick up a package we had sent to the marina.  When we know we will be in one place for a few days, we order the things we have on a list.  As I was returning to the boat in our dinghy, I was shot at by a cannon on shore.  It was on the shore where I could see an American flag and several cannons.  There was a group of people there and all the building had red, white and blue banners.  I think it was a veteran’s group commemorating D-Day.  I didn’t take it personal.

Today our package was our new bug screens to block the No-see’ms.  Yeah!!  What we have now is a rigid screen that is on the inside of the boat.  Each one has 8 little toggles to hold it in place.  But they don’t seal very well around the edges.  Plus if it starts raining, you have to remove the screens to close the windows.  The new ones sit outside over the top of the hatch and have lead weights to hold them down on the deck all around the hatch.  We’re not sure how well they will sit there in a high wind.  So we’ll probably bring them inside anyway.  Dave found out that there may be bugs on the outside of the screen, so you have to check that when bringing them in.  Plus if it has already started to rain, they may be wet.  So far we have just put them in the head when we bring them in.  I guess there are trade offs with everything. 

The wind was starting to pick up when I went to shore for the packages, so we decided to skip the music at the Irish Pub and spend the night on board.

June 3-4-5, 2014 To St Augustine

Tuesday: We left the marina about 10:00am.  We went about a mile north and stopped at a marina for fuel.  We hadn’t fueled since we left Marathon.  We followed the intracoastal waterway again today, because the inlet at New Smyrna Beach sounded like it had a lot of shoaling that changed constantly.  And tides could make a strong current, too.  Plus we could stop where we pleased instead of trying to make another inlet. 

Pretty uneventful day.  There were 11 bridges.  Only 5 were draw bridges.  And only one of them was on a 20 minute schedule.  The others just opened upon our request.  Very little traffic.  We enjoyed looking at the homes along the ICW.  We anchored about 5 miles south of St Augustine in a very quiet bay right off the ICW.  We did hit bottom entering this bay in one spot.  But we easily backed off of the  sand bar. 

Because of our incident with biting bugs recently, we decided to eat dinner inside the boat.  After dinner, I could see some brilliant colors in the sky.  So I took a chance and went outside to watch the sunset.  It was worth it.  The sky was beautiful.  And there were dolphins surfacing near the boat.  And you could hear morning doves cooing.  SO peaceful.

Wednesday: today we only moved the boat about 5 miles to the St Augustine Municipal Marina.  When we were in sight of the marina, we called on the VHF radio.  They gave us directions to a mooring ball.  We were settled by noon.  We spent the afternoon planning our trip to Green Cove Springs to become residents of Florida.  We have to have 2 pieces of mail arrive at that location from some business to show that is a permanent address.  So we spent the afternoon trying to get that set up.  We also spent some time changing addresses since we had wifi again.

We went to shore late afternoon, paid for our  mooring ball, then walked around town.  Before we left the dock, Dave had to fix our dinghy motor.  The water discharge was clogged with barnacles (little ones).  We found a paper clip that he could insert to clear it. 

There is so much history here.  St Augustine is the oldest continuous settlement in the US, about 445 years now.  So the part of the old town, which is near the marina, has narrow streets and old buildings.  St George St had only pedestrian traffic.  There are lots of shops and a few restaurants.  We ended up at the Columbia.  It is a Spanish restaurant that was started in Tampa in 1905, with only 5 locations now.  I had eaten at one in Clearwater Beach, FL about 10 years ago and remembered how good it was.  We had their Sangria that is mixed table side with fresh fruit, brandy, an orange liqueur, and a white sparking wine.  Dave had their Spanish soup (a bean soup) and I had their 1905 salad.  This was also mixed table side. Their unique ingredient was Worcestershire in their dressing.  Very good.  Dave had a combination dinner with 3 meats and I had Merluza “A La Rusa”-Spain’s favorite fish, breaded with Cuban bread crumbs and grilled, garnished with a Russian sauce of lemon butter, parsley an hard boiled eggs (chopped), served with yellow rice and vegetables.  Wow!  We had a very heavy box of leftovers.  And their signature dessert was Flan, which is Dave’s favorite.  Another reason we took half of our meals home.  We want to return to try their paella.  They also had hot Cuban bread with the meal. 

Needless to say, we went for a long walk after dinner.  We continued along St George St then headed towards the water to see the fort built in the 1600’s.  Too late to tour, but walked the perimeter.  We headed back to the boat along the water.  But we heard Irish music coming from an Irish Pub.  So we stopped for one beer.  The music was only a recording.  But they will have live music Friday night, so we may go back.

Thursday: boat projects

We plan to wait out some rough weather this weekend then go to Green Cove Springs on Monday with a rental car.

2 Spanish Galleons docked in St Augustine. the smaller darker one had been in Ft Myers Beach while we were there

June 1-2, 2014 Marina days in New Smyrna Beach

Sunday: I found a church I could walk to if I had left early enough.  I ended up taking a taxi there and walking home about 1.5 miles.  It was a beautiful walk and I enjoyed looking at the homes along the river.  I spent the late afternoon doing laundry at the marina.  I made it there just in time to miss a downpour.  I guess that was the weather we were waiting to hit before leaving the marina. 

We ended up trying a local restaurant, Dolphin View, that we could walk to.  We shared a  burger and flounder.  Both were good.

Monday:  we walked to a drug store downtown about 6 blocks away for a late breakfast.  It was an old establishment with a diner that was recommended by other sailors.  If you were looking for the old diner experience, it was great.  Dave even had a milkshake.  But if you were looking for a great breakfast, there may be others to choose from. 

We worked on boat projects again today.  Dave met another couple that were on a trawler (motorized boat) that were interesting to talk to.  We ended up joining them at the same restaurant we went to the night before.  We then went for a walk downtown to show them the diner/drug store.  Then we returned to the marina, visited a little longer and with some other sailors.  Everyone seemed to be out on the dock tonight.  I guess our good weather was here.  So we called it an early night to be able to leave in the morning

Dave's milkshake-we wanted the diner in the background

May 31, 2014 New Smyrna Beach

I started out the day walking to a Farmer's Market just a block away.  I have missed the weekly one in Ft Myers Beach.  We were out of all of our perishable items.  So I bought vegetables, fruits, breads and even farm eggs (paid for the convenience).

We invited the Sweeney's over for breakfast so they could see the boat.  Since Rita, Brian's mom, is 85 and moving a little slower, we had a picnic at the shore.  There was a picnic table with shade.  We made coffee and brought it in a thermos.  We had fresh fruit and cinnamon raisin bread.  They even brought some fruit, too.  So it was a yummy spread.

I showed Rita photos of the boat.  The we took Kathyrn and Brian to the boat.  They loved it and wished they had time to go for  sail with us.  We'll have to check with them on our way south this fall.
Then we went with them to see Rita's condo on the beach.  It's a time share condo that she has been going to for a week for 30 years.  Very nice place on the 7th, top, floor overlooking the ocean.  There was a nice pool and great beach right out the front door.  They allow cars on the beach, which seemed strange to me.

They had to run to Walmart and the liquor store, so we were able to pick up a few things, too.  Sure was handy for  us.  Then we had lunch at Firehouse Subs.  We hadn't been to one since we left Alabama and  missed them.  Wonderful subs if you ever get a chance to try one.

We all said our good-bye's and they headed back for Orlando.

We took short naps.  That was a busy day for us!  Then we started on computer work, like catching up on my blogs.

There was an Irish pub within walking distance that we had considered going to.  But again, we were lazy and since we had shore power, WE COULD MAKE POPCORN IN THE MICROWAVE.  Boy have our priorities changed.  

Breakfast picnic at marina with Farmer's Market goodies

they hope to sail with us on our return trip

sign outside of our marina

Rita's condo at the beach

they had to go to Walmart, so we picked up a few supplies.  This is a dock cart for use by anyone in the marina

May 30, 2014 Visit with the Sweeney's

We had been conversing through texts with friends of our from Orlando that we met through Ski for Light about 20 years ago, Brian and Kathryn Sweeney.  It has been about 5 years since we have seen each other.   We originally planned to go straight to St. Augustine, about 50 miles north of here today.  Then spend a couple days there as tourists and catching up on computer and boat projects.  We were hoping they could meet us there over the weekend.  They were going to be spending Friday night to Sat noon in New Smyrna Beach with Brian's mother at her condo that she had for the week.  So we decided to spend Friday at the city marina in New Smyrna Beach so we could get together there.

We moved the boat about a  mile up the ICW into New Smyrna Beach (NSB) marina.  They only chagre $1.25/foot, so we splurged and got a slip.  With a slip, we can hook up to the shore power and water and use all the electricity and water we want.  Woo hoo!

Dave did some work outside cleaning the boat.  I started a bread recipe we have been wanting to try since we were in Alabama.  Our friends on another sailboat gave us some to try and the recipe.  It is a flat bread you make in a pan on the stove.  A cross between pita bread and a tortilla, made with yogurt.  I mixed it and let it rise while I cleaned out our refrigerator.  I made a pasta salad for lunch with most of the last of our fresh vegetables and some ham.

I also got Dave started on looking up figures of all the things we have added or upgraded on our boat.  The new insurance company wants those figures.  I'm not sure I want to see the total.

Dave helped me when it came time to heating the dough in a pan, because it was a little too sticky yet and I was messing with adding more flour.  Well, we tasted the first couple ones and decided they were too salty and we wouldn't eat it anyway.  I remember as I was adding ingredients thinking that I didn't remember the last time I had to measure out a tablespoon of salt.  Well, I think it was a misprint.  So we ended up throwing it all away.  And I think it's a little too labor intensive for the 16 pieces it makes.  I think I'll stick with loaves of bread.

I cleaned the heads, we took turns showering and were ready for dinner with the Sweeney's by 7:00.  They picked us up and took us to their favorite restaurant, the Garlic.  It was a fun place with several bars and almost jungle like atmosphere in their outdoor section.  The food was great.  When they bring the bread with the oil and vinegar, they also bring a plate of roasted garlic.  We all took leftovers home.

 It was great catching up with them and hearing about our mutual friends.  Just love those friends that you don't see for years and you pick up right where you left off.

This is the largest bird nest in the world near our boat in the marina.  It's great as long as they don't decide to do their business on our boat. Looks like even the birds live in condos in Florida.

friends for over 20 years

At the Garlic-specials were written on a piece of lasagna

Brian, Kate, Mary, Dave, Rita-colorful place

May 29, 2014 Cape Canaveral to New Smyrna Beach

We pulled up anchor at 9:40am, the earliest yet!  We decided to stay on the ICW again today.  There were possible thunderstorms, so wanted to be able to stop if needed.  We used a channel on the VHF for an automated radio check.  Our radio sounded very static-y.  But the bridge tenders haven't complained.  So we'll have to check that further.

Today we passed the John F Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral.  There is going to be a launch in about 2 weeks.  So I scanned the horizon with binoculars and saw the rocket in place already.  I'm sure they have plenty of preparations to do.  It would have been quite an experience to watch the launch from our boat. 

About 11:30 we saw a lightning bolt  out ahead of us.  So we took all our hand held electronics and put them in the microwave.  A metal box is supposed to protect them if you are hit by lightning. 

Today I put about 8 CD's in our stereo.  It really helped the time pass.  When we had a good view of the Space Center, Elton John's "Rocket Man" came on.  Had to laugh at that.

We also listened to Kenny Chesney.  I hadn't really listened to the words of this song before, but it hit home today.
"Soal of a Sailor"
I was born a son of the sea
I can't be still, I can't be tied
The only time I feel alive is
When the wind fills my sail
Riding on a lifelong swell
Let my heart take me where it wants to go
That's the soul of a sailor, the soul of a sailor

We passed under a draw bridge where the bridge tender told us to go slow because there were manatees in the area an area.  We saw their tails flipping at the surface.  But by the time we reached them they had gone under water, so no photos today.

 We anchored at New Smyrna Beach just off the ICW about 6:00pm.  While checking out the depths to decide exactly where to anchor, our keel touched bottom and the boat stopped.  Dave was able to back it off of the sandbar that we hit.  We then moved a little further south and anchored.  We ate dinner in the cockpit, just leftovers.  Once inside the boat, we heard a noise from the anchor chain and went out to investigate.  Here is the technical explanation: the snubber came off the rode which caused the chain to jump off of the windless gypsy.  That's what made the noise.  So- the anchor is attached to a chain (rode) and the snubber is a line that makes a bridle coming from both sides of the bow and attaches to the chain.  It take the pressure off of the windless, which is the mechanical device that raises and lowers the anchor. The gypsy is a channel that grabs the chain or rope, whichever you are using.  Here is the reason:  the wind was from the south, so that is the way we point our bow when anchoring.  But we were in a river that had a current running the opposite direction and turned our boat 180 degrees.  We decided to reset the anchor.  This time we faced the boat west to set the anchor, we swung 180 degrees and faced the east and set it again.  We had a feeling we weren't done for the night. 

We both showered and got ready for bed.  We realized that we had left a screen off of the hatch above our bed and put it in place before getting into bed.  Well it wasn't long before both of us were swatting and scratching.  We turned on the lights and there were hundreds of little bugs in the boat.  We call them No See'ms.  They bite, but don't leave any marks.  We quickly closed up all the hatches and started our generator so we could run the air conditioning all night.  We then spent the next hour trying to kill the litter buggers.  Finally, we felt comfortable enough to sleep.  I actually felt a little sea sick from looking up at the ceiling so long with a little rocking motion of the boat. 

What a night: we got stuck, had to reset anchor and had bugs biting us.  Always and adventure.

The Falcon 9 rocket is next to a red tower.  Next launch is scheduled for 6-11-14

JKF Space Center