We have been slowly travelling north, enjoying the fact that the frost line is not chasing us as we go. All this has been permitting us to visit some of the places we missed or rushed on the southward journey. Seahawk has been doing great with only complaint being the autopilot not working right, but hand steering her is not too onerous as she tracks very well so hanging onto the wheel all the time is not necessary.
After clearing customs we reboarded and pull the hook to head up the ICW making for Hobe Sound and anchoring there for the night with Fortnight. Not a long trip, but we had a late start and so a modest goal for day one back in US. Jupiter inlet was substantially busier than last visit with hundreds of little power boats and PWCs and the smell of sun tan lotion wafting over the water. Comparatively Hobe Sound was very quiet. Next day off early and headed up to Vero (aka Velcro) Beach where we grabbed a mooring ball at the city marina.
Vero Beach is definitely a cruisers’ haven with good facilities, great protection, and easy bus (free) access to shopping. We spent four days here, going shopping, getting a mail drop, and some sightseeing. We did a walking tour of the ocean side part of town which is a very affluent area with neat restaurants and quaint shops. Had a nice meal overlooking the ocean. The first thing that struck us was the water, which was a dirty blue colour with a muddy surf and a lot of garbage on the high tide mark. The marina was great, with nice dingy dock and great restrooms/showers. When we were there it was relatively quiet with only about 60% occupancy; we could not imagine being there when they are full and have boats rafted up on moorings. This is where we parted with Fortnight, who headed to Titusville to haul the boat for the summer. Once we had our fill of Vero we too headed north, anchoring overnight at Titusville and then pushing on to Daytona Beach. Interestingly we passed under a fixed bridge and it was lined with people looking south. We too looked south and experienced the space shuttle launch that morning, quite amazing.
By the time we reached Daytona the weather had turned nasty with 25 kt winds and a bouncy ride. Fearing our anchorage at Seabright might be full we decided to hit the municipal marina (Halifax Harbor). This is a huge marina with great facilities and dockside check in. Last year we explored the ocean side of Daytona, this time we were on the western side of the ICW and what a difference. The marina is adjacent to the old downtown core and there has been a huge effort to revitalize this area with many great pubs and bistros and some nice shops as well. A great park and huge library are all right there as well. All in all a great place to stop.
Next day with nicer weather we pushed on to St Augustine, one of our favorite Floridian cities. We spent four days here enjoying the city and its many sights and tastes. We once again did the winery, restocking our reds and port. This time we did the chocolate factory tour and indulged in some great chocolate. We bought a fair bit, which is not bad because we are told the health benefits of dark chocolate is substantial so consider this a health food stock vice a delicacy! We also linked up again with Volare, the cruising family we met at West End, was nice to see them again. They had waited at Cape Canaveral for the shuttle launch but after numerous delays left and continued north.
The moorings at St Augustine are in the major river near the inlet so currents are strong. One afternoon we just got back aboard when I looked over to a power boat and saw a guy swimming. While commenting on this being strange we saw the wife dash to the cockpit and grab the radio. This was not a voluntary swim and the man was been swept away in the current. Quickly back in the dingy headed over to the man, fishing him out of the river; by this time we were about 500 m from his boat. Heading back we got him back aboard much to the relief of his wife. Interestingly they had a floating cushion which she had tried to throw, but it had gotten tangled with a rope. Apparently he had stumbled while leaving the dingy, and his shoe had dislodged and in the attempt to try and save it he fell in the water and was quickly swept away. This small incident has made us rethink our own situation. We have purchased some small belt inflatable pfds which we will don every time in the dingy. We use seatbelts every time we are in a car, so clipping on this belt style pfd should be about the same degree of effort and provide us greater protection for an inadvertent dunking.
After our fill of history and food we slipped the mooring line and headed north, next stop Fernandina Beach on Amelia Island. Initially our plan was to push right to Cumberland Island but the wind had come up (on the nose) and so slowed us up enough that we didn’t want to try and get into an anchorage at failing light. Once secure we headed over to the dingy dock and took Maggie for her walk and were suddenly surprised. You see, from the waterway Fernandina Beach you are faced with two factories, fish plant and a marina. Once you get ashore and cross the tracks there is a wonderfully quaint historical town greeting you. After walking Maggie up and down Main Street we decided to spend a day here exploring. Great place for food and history. In a book store found a local book, “Secrets of Amelia Island” which we had signed by the author and Wendy devoured over the next few days. Great read.
So after a great day exploring we settled in for a quiet evening. A relaxing am start and a short 3 hour sail we were in Cumberland Island ready for some more exploring. Florida was once again behind us and we were back in Georgia, home of Wendy’s favorite shrimp!