Finally Florida

We were getting a little tired of cold weather after three nights below freezing in Beaufort SC. So, despite Beaufort’s manifold attractions, we decided to take a run for it and get to Florida as soon as possible. It sounds a little easier than it is – we had ice in the cockpit when we left Beaufort in the early morning on Friday to take advantage of favorable tides and winds and then sailed 36 straight hours, bypassing all of Georgia to rejoin the ICW at Jacksonville and end up in St. Augustine, Florida late Saturday afternoon.

Thirty-six straight hours of sailing requires sailing overnight, and that means that Dave and I rotated two-hour watch shifts all night and both days. I can personally attest to the ugliness of the 2:30 am to 4:30 am shift. It was pretty lonely out there – only a couple of passing boats far away, and a few very distant lights on shore.

We rejoined the ICW by entering the St. Johns River inlet at dawn, and had an extremely rare treat – just beside our boat we spotted a northern right whale. These whales are nearly extinct – only 350 are thought to exist in the Atlantic. Soon after we spotted him, the radio was abuzz with the coast guard and others warning all to be on the lookout and very careful.

We are now relaxing in St. Augustine, which is one of the oldest settlements in the U.S., having been settled by the Spanish in 1565. Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon believed that he found the fountain of youth here and the site of his discovery is now an archeological dig and tourist site. There is a well preserved fort – the Castillo de San Marcos – which we toured today. Here’ s a picture of us on the ramparts. The town has a strong Spanish heritage and there are numerous other attractions, which we hope to explore tomorrow before wending our way south.

Now that we’ve crossed the border into Florida, Amelia has become very excited about Disney World. Of course, this has been the major attraction of our trip for her all along. We are doing a little planning now, and hope to park the boat so that we can fit in a short Disney excursion. In the meantime, we’re enjoying the warm Florida sun.