Days 317-321

Titusville FL - St Augustine Municipal Marina, St Augustine FL

• Start 6:45 AM
• End 6:00 PM
• Underway 11:15 Hours
• Distance 88 Miles
• Total Miles on Trip 5005
• Av Speed 7.8 knots
• Weather Cloudy , 65 Degrees, Wind Knots 18 W

What a day! This is one of the longest travel days we have had in a long time both in distance and time. Over all it was a fairly easy trip even though we had 18 to 20 knot winds the entire time, with gust over 25 knots.. Most of the trip the wind was directly on our bow, and there were not any waves to deal with but the few times the wind was on our side the boat definitely heeled over. There was not a lot of spray that we could see, so I was very surprised when we got to port, to find the entire boat covered with a fine layer of salt. It has been a constant battle cleaning the salt off the boat. I have started using Salt-Away to rinse the salt off, but that is not very good for what little wax is left on the boat. Once our journey is over the boat is going to need a good cleaning and waxing. The question is, do I do it myself, or have it done by professionals. When the time comes I will have to get some quotes to have it done. I know if I do it, it will take me at least a couple of weeks.

The section of Florida from Titusville to St Augustine was very scenic. We are past the outlandish mansion, and passed everything from your giant "shore" house to parks with manufactured homes. There was one section we passed where each house had covered docks, and they looked like they were all built by the two builders, one on each side of the river. All of the docks on each side look alike, but very different looks on each side of the river.

The best part of the trip was going through Haulover Canal. We had to see at least a dozen manatees. While we did snorkel with them in Crystal River, and have seen them at places like Sea World this is the first time we have seen them from our boat and underway. It is very easy to understand how so many manatees are hit by boats. While driving the boat, you only see them when the stick their face up to breath, you have to look for the swirls in the water as they swim right below the surface. The move very slow, and unlike dolphins, they do not dive fast enough to avoid boats. The entire time in the canal we mostly drifted, putting the boat in gear just long enough to get some forward motion.

Sunday we were surprised to find out, that there was a Blessing of the Fleet Celebration. It started with Mass at Cathedral Basilica, then there was a procession along the Plaza de la Constitución to the St. Augustine Municipal Marina. Once the procession reached the main dock in the marina, the boats would drive alongside of the dock and the Bishop of the Diocese of St. Augustine would bless their boat. Anyone was welcomed to have their boat blessed. We watched as several dozen boats paraded up for the blessing. After the Blessing of the Fleet Angel and I explored the town, of course stopping at the local distillery and brewery.

Monday was a very low key day, starting with me helping Dan & Cheri (Cheri Baby II) load their rental car for to head home. They hope to be back on the loop in a couple of weeks. We also were excited to have Mark & Karen (Kay Dee) arrive, after not seeing them since mid-January. Once again we will be running with them, it is great to have them back with us.

St Augustine claims to be the oldest city in the US founded by the Spanish in 1565. Throughout the town the Spanish architect and history is very evident. It is also very much a tourist town with several days' worth of things to see and do. One of the first places I had to check out was West Marine, wait that is not a tourist trap, just a money trap! Our binoculars would no longer focus, and they are a necessity while making our way up the ICW (Intracoastal Waterway). They are needed both to find and read channel markers, and to read the names of boats, when we need to hail them so we can pass them.

Tuesday Mark, Karen (Kay Dee) Angel and I went to tour Castillo de San Marcos National Park. Castillo de San Marco is the oldest masonry fort and the best-preserved example of a Spanish colonial fortification in the continental United States, Construction started in 1672, and took 23 years to complete. The fort was built to protect the town of St Augustine. The town was attacked 3 times over 40 years by the British, while the town was burnt to the ground; the British were never able to penetrate the fort. Tuesday night we hosted docktails, on the dock behind Nothing To Plunder and were joined by the crews of 9 other boats. Two of the boats just started the loop in the last couple of days. It is hard to believe that we are coming up on the end of our trip. We have traveled over 5000 miles and made 135 stops, and we only have two months left in our trip.

Thursday Jim & Norma (Dorothy Gail) joined Mark & Karen, and Angel and I for the days adventures. We had planned to take a trolley tour through town and get off at several stops to do our sightseeing, but at the last minute we decided walking would be a good idea. (not sure who thought it would be a good idea…. We ended up walking 6 miles) We started our tour at the "Old City Jail" it was an interesting tour, but a little over priced. The jail was built on the outskirts of town, because Henry Flagger did not like the location of the original jail, which was right next to his fancy hotel. From the jail we went to the Ponce De Leon, Fountain Of Youth. We did have a drink from the Fountain Of Youth, and contrary to popular belief, we did not feel any younger.

A quick PSA, everyone should know what to do if they find someone choking. From knowing the signs, knowing when to act and what to do, trust me your friends will really appreciate it. We had a little excitement at lunch but it ended well.

From the Fountain Of Youth, we headed back towards the marina stopping at the Pirates Treasure Museum, that is one stop we should have passed on. It was in the Old Town section of St Augustine. The Old Town section is full of shops and attractions. We passed on all of the shops.

Our next stop is Jacksonville FL, were we are going to try to get a slip at one of the towns two free docks. One has electric hook ups, for $10, and the other has nothing but is closer to the center of town. It is about 20 miles off our path, but it is on Mark's bucket list to go there by boat.