Cruising Florida

Originally, we had planned on one long passage from Charleston down to our crossing-over point in Florida. Then, once we were in the Bahamas, we would start leisurely cruising. We've had a shift in our mentality and are happily resigned these days to slowly creep down the Intracoastal Waterway of Florida enjoying the sights with comfort as a top priority. We are like turtles, carrying our little home around on our backs as we wander the world!

We left Fernandina Beach last Wednesday (Jan. 28th) morning after all of our technical difficulties were resolved and our confidence restored. We decided to take a detour up the St. Johns River to Jacksonville and see what the city had to offer. The Jacksonville Landing is a festival-type marketplace and has 72-hour complimentary docking right in the main downtown area, so that's where we went. Let me first say that the skyline of this city is magnificent: lighted bridges, tall palm trees, interesting architecture-beautiful from a distance. We had a delicious dinner in a riverside restaurant that looked right over our boat, so we could hear people commenting on our sweet vessel! Now, the drawbacks of being on the main drag in a big city. We hardly slept a wink due to the constant whooping and hollering of drunken hooligans right outside our boat. Also, the Landing played really loud 80's soft rock music ALL NIGHT LONG. Now, those of you who know me know I like to whoop and holler with the best of them and will dance to Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston 'til the cows come home. But really, it lasted all night long and was still going on when we departed in the cold, drizzling rain the next morning.

Next on our agenda was a weekend in St. Augustine. I loved it before I stepped foot off the boat. The city is the oldest European settlement in the U.S. and from the Mantazas River you can see Castillo de San Marcos, awe inspiring cathedrals, and cozy, narrow streets lined with antique buildings. One of our best friends, Adam, and one of Chili's best friends, Ringo (another Jack Russell terrier) came from Charleston to stay with us for the weekend. It was delightful to have company and Adam always makes everything feel like a party, so we partied! St. Augustine has it all going on. We had big breakfasts on the boat, then set out to explore in the afternoons. The boys went to the historical landmarks and did the intellectual thing. I broke away from the pack and aimlessly meandered the streets, sipped coffee, peeked in eclectic shops, and sat in the sunshine in parks-yes, actual sunshine! We intended to try different places but kept on finding our way back to A1A Brewery near the city marina. 3 days in St. Augustine and 3 visits to A1A-we were all addicted. Good atmosphere, tasty brews, fresh seafood and awesome live music-doesn't get much better than that. No doubt about it, all of us were a bit blue when Adam and Ringo left to go home Sunday-we miss you!

We left St. Augustine this past Monday (Feb. 2nd) morning and have covered major ground the past two days. Yesterday it was cold and rained every minute. Dreary, the kind of gray where the land and the water just blend together and there seems to be no horizon. Last night we stayed at Halifax Harbor Marina in Daytona Beach and I got off Tranquility just long enough to give Chili some exercise and land-time. Nothing much to report from Daytona Beach-I did get a splinter in my pinky finger :)

Today we covered about 50 miles (seems to be our average) and are currently docked at Titusville Municipal Marina so that we can again have a heat source. Temperatures are supposed to drop into the 30's tonight and the 20's tomorrow night; at least a couple more days of being uncomfortable. All of the locals around here are bewildered by this unexpected cold snap and swear it's never like this! Even as we are dressed in 4 layers of clothing, I finally feel like we are getting close to our warm, tropical destination. The waters are a shimmery emerald green now, the sands are becoming whiter, and the pine wood stretches of home have been replaced with wild mangrove tangles.
-Caitlin