Sunday morning as we left Cumberland Island we saw small group of wild horses roaming the beaches in search of seaweed.
We muscled our way against a 2 to 3 knot current 23 miles up the St Johns River to Jacksonville. Larry was catching his flight on Monday afternoon, so we wanted to be sure to be there. Good thing we left Sunday! The city offers many free spots for dockage, but we arrived at the same time the Jacksonville Jaguars were playing and the waterfront was packed with boaters (so we had no room to tie up until the game was over). Tailgating by boat, while watching the Jaguars play on the big stadium screens was a new experience for us. Not many sober fans or captains by the time the game was over.
,
We had dinner at Mongos, a Mongolian restaurant at Jacksonville Landing. It was new experience and very different from any restaurant we've eaten at before. All the vegetables, meats, seafood are pre-cut, you choose what you want, put them in a bowl, select your seasonings and sauce, and bring them to the chef to be cooked. Entrepreneur Bob thought this would be a good restaurant to open in the North -- we could not believe he was even thinking "North."
On Monday, we moved the boat to Jacksonville Landing, the docks downtown, with current in our favor. We walked a bit, had lunch, and then it was time to say farewell to our friend. It was sad to have to leave him at the dock, knowing that the five days of gourmet meals were over and his company would be sorely missed.
One more time, Larry cast our lines, and we were off, this time to have the current in our favor as we went downriver. We made 9 to 10 knots all the way to the mouth of river, where we turned back into the ICW. We found a good spot to anchor for the night. It's time to move the boat further south and beat the northern cold fronts.
Leaving Tuesday morning, we saw a boat circling back from the fixed bridge, and announced that it was only 63' and he could not go through with his mast. We were nervous, but Bob was confident we'd make it, though he sang "God Bless America" as we inched our way under. Remember that picture from last week -- we really wondered this time whether we would make it (we shouldn't have worried, we had 6 inches to spare). We enjoyed another nice day traveling south in Florida.
After fueling and trying to time the 2:00p opening of the Bridge of Lions Bridge in St Augustine, we wound our way through the markers, only to find the bridge was open for a commercial fishing boat. Bob cranked up the speed and we went on through, continuing our good luck with these bridges!
We were the only boat at anchorage at Fort Mantanzas, where we could hear the surf of the ocean all night. The fort was build by the Spanish in the 1500s to lay claim to northern Florida. It was nice spot but had very strong currents.
With the morning bright, sunny and warm, we left early for a 70-mile day due south. A dolphin swam with us for at least 15 minutes not five feet from rail, and it eluded every picture Maggie tried to take. Here's the best she did. Maggie blames it on the camera, but we know better.
We anchored in Mosquito Lagoon and were sure Larry was glad not to be at this one -- we understood why it has its name! It was a gorgeous night, a full moon and the openness of Long Island Sound. Unfortunately we left a hatch open without the screen, so we were visited by the locals all night. Maggie has big red bug bites on her arms and back as a mementos.
With a front coming through and the wind picking up during the night, we left early Thursday morning. Forecast was for 20kts, so we wanted the protection of the Waterway.
Arriving in Cocoa about noon, and the weather cloudy, cool and windy (we set two anchors for the first time this trip), we stayed on the boat until about 4:00, when Anne and John met us at the dock. How excited we were to see our friends! We met Doug and Patty from Padolu , who have been cruising the Bahamas with Al for 15 years. Al and Jennifer joined us and we all had drinks and dinner at Murdock's, a local pub.
On Friday we walked around Cocoa Village and met up with Anne and John again, who have a car. Cars are now a special treat for us. Ann and John drove us around Cocoa Beach to view one strip mall after another, see the ocean and surfers, and visit West Marine for a clothing sale. We all spent the evening together having a wonderful dinner at Al and Jennifer's; what fun! Their home is lovely, right on a canal with manatees swimming past their porch.
The front still coming through and the
wind shifting to the east, we decided to move from Cocoa into the
protected waters of Dragon Point, which is where Al keeps his boat and
Padolu
was moored. We weighed anchor at 9:25a, with John Orzech at the helm
- we actually sailed the whole way, a novel experience on the ICW (or
we have just gotten so used to running the engine that we have forgotten what
sailing is all about).
We're seeing some unfortunate sites along the way - the effects of Hurricane Wilma has destroyed many boats.
We got laundry done and settled in for a quiet, rainy night on the boat. We'll be heading to Vero Beach and then to Stuart for Thanksgiving, which will be the completion of the first leg of this trip. It's gone so fast. But its great to wake up to 70 degree temperatures and have 80 degree days, even in the rain.