St. Augustine Florida

We would have loved to spend more time in Palm Coast with friends Al and Lora Robarge Feldman but we had to get to St. Augustine for our scheduled haul out on Thursday, June 29th. Our original plan was to leave Mystic in Indiantown, just beyond the Lake Okeechobee crossing, on the St. Lucie Canal. We had arrived at Indiantown two weeks early and decided to head out to the ICW, move north to visit friends in Melbourne then make our way back to Indiantown for haul out. The southern winds pushed us north and each mile made us rethink our plan. It would be a little harder to get back to Indiantown than it had been to get to Melbourne, so we began to form Plan B.

Mystic at Indiantown Marina

Indiantown Marina office

Boats on the hard at Indiantown

Blue Bay from Lakeland, Minnesota
on the hard at Indiantown

Dave started calling marinas in Jacksonville. He found a spot called Green Cove Springs. It was very inexpensive but the reviews were dotted with complaints about boats on the hard being broken into. It was not safe enough for our liking. Our Minnesota friends, Tiffany and Luke Whiting moved to Jacksonville last year. We were looking forward to visiting with them and sharing our experiences, each of us on journeys of our own, so very different but really very similar in many ways. We are each experiencing new things, some wonderful, some challenging.

Beth & Tiffany at Big Wood Brewery
White Bear Lake, Minnesota

After lots of research and many phone calls, we settled on St. Augustine Marine Center on the San Sabastian River. The cost was higher than Indiantown but the area has much to offer. St. Augustine is the oldest town in the United States and is home to the oldest church, the oldest schoolhouse, the oldest EVERYTHING! It's a lovely place to explore and it has several microbreweries. In addition, my high school friend, Wayne Barber, lives there. I haven't seen Wayne since graduation in 1978.

We are ready for the final leg before haul out. Lora and Al had talked to friends who know the ICW. They warned us of shallow areas that we would pass during our trek to St. Augustine. Dave had done all the research, every mile, every shallow spot and tidal information was written on a sticky note that was taped to our chart. I texted Lora as we left Palm Coast Marina so she and Al could walk down to the docks at their condo to wave us off.

Lora & Al on the docks

Lora & Al waving us onward

My nerves were on edge but we moved through mostly deep water. Dave's research indicated that the worst shallow spot, created by Hurricane Matthew, had been dredged. We had no trouble at all during our 24 mile trip.

Osprey having a snack

Abandoned Cat along the Matanzas
After Hurricane Matthew, it sat in the ICW channel.
It was moved during recent dredging.

Aiming for the middle of the span

Tikki Bar

Sand Dunes along the Matanzas River

Pelicans

Beachfront Mansion

Fish Camp on the Matanzas

Funny dismasted sailing vessel from Duluth
on the San Sabastian River, St. Augustine, Florida

We arrived at St. Augustine Marine center and met our contact Mark Robinson. Once our paperwork was complete we took showers and prepared for a night out with Tiffany, Luke and 11 year old Logan. The picked us up at the Marine Center in a heavy downpour. The afternoon rains are routine to us now. Our umbrellas are always along for the ride. We went to Hopzinger Bier Garden for dinner and brew and had so much fun catching up. Logan is delightful, funny and smart. He fit right in with our conversation and had so many questions about cruising. When we got back to the marina the Whitings came down to Mystic for a visit. Logan was especially interested in our composting toilet. We shared a few laughs over this unique setup.

Luke, Tiffany, Beth & Dave
Photo by Logan

Tiffany, Logan & Beth