Northbound Adventure

Heading home again, after day sails to Rodriguez Key and Key Biscayne, we headed north  and  into the Gulf Stream. At about 9pm, we waved goodbye to Sand Castle and veered west to angle over to St. Augustine. We were sailing at the time, in about 15 knots of wind, with lightning on the horizon, and Cookie went down below for some sleep. At about 11, the boat suddenly heeled, throwing her to the floor, and then banging against the table in the salon as she tried to get to the cockpit. An unpredicted wind had gusted to the mid-twenties from no where. Guess who panicked and demanded the sails be lowered and who insisted everything was fine. These are the moments that sometimes occur, in the dark, on overnight cruises. It's not all smooth sailing.

We did make it to St. Augustine, motoring much of the last hours on perfectly flat water, not a ripple to be seen. St. Augustine is a regular stop for us. We love the town, we have family and friends nearby, the city has put in mooring balls that make life easier. We chose to dock at the municipal pier however, since we planned to have company on boatd, go out at night, and do lots of laundry. Paul and Manila Clough picked a great restaurant for a dinner together.

We also saw Cookie's cousin Suzette, husband Lee, and their two children, Sophia and Isabel. And of course toured again, this time a replica of the Golden Hind, the ship Magellen, sailed around the world, and also another interesting early house/inn from the 1700s.

Onward to South Carolina, where on the way, we passed Jacksonville, Florida, a port getting busier all the time. Passing the channel, we had within our sights, a Navy Warship, two anchored cargo ships, a cruise ship, a blimp, a tug towing barges, a couple of moving cargo ships, and a huge pod of 30 or more dolphins.