The next leg
11 April 2013
Rockhouse creek-Ft Matanzas-St augustine

It's an early start this morning by 8am. We wanted to do another sector of offshore but our plans were thwarted by bad weather. High winds and swell plus a small-craft advisory warning by the Coastguard was in effect for the next three days.
Strictly speaking we aren't 'small craft' but the reported 6-8ft swell was not appealing and so we continued on the inside route - and why not, it takes a lot of beating.
We had a good wind and managed to sail for the best part of the journey at a soothing 5knots through the Mosquito Lagoon where pink flamingos on the shoreline gave a blast of colour. We see our first turtle of the journey surfacing just 10ft from Alexia. I'm not sure who was more surprised, us or the turtle - he disappeared quickly.
Being Sunday lots of families were out on the water - boats of all shapes and sizes, from pontoon boats to triple kayaks - the most people we've seen for ages. Picnics and smoke rising from BBQs. The area is vast and there are many exposed sandbanks where one can land, set up the campsite and have a great day away from it all.
We anchor at Rockhouse Creek where we have a good view of the lighthouse operating at the Ponce de Leon inlet.
Next day we left for Fort Matanzas where there is a superb anchorage by the old Fort and then on to St Augustine where we stopped at the municipal marina for two days.