| N 29 53.6 W 81 17.5
We made it to St Augustine around 20:00 Thursday night. We made the turn at the entrance buoy into the setting sun and some major ebb - the surf in was exciting and a bit hairy. We turned left into Salt Run and anchored in 8 feet. The tidal range here averages 5 feet - anything less than 12 would be trouble for us. This anchorage is really nice - no current, behind a barrier island with a view of St Augustine's Conch House Marina and the Lighthouse.
We had an exciting ride up from Ft Pierce. We arose at dawn on Wednesday and when we pulled the anchor found that the chain was fouled. We called the Towboat US guys and got Capt Larry and his diver Bob. As the diver was down, Larry told us that boats get stuck here every week - sometimes 5 a week. The locals have sunk barges, refrigerators, stoves, pretty much anything to get a reef going for their fishing. Of course, nothing on the charts about this! We should have gotten suspicious when some fisherman dropped a hook 10 feet off our stern and wouldn't talk to us. Anyway, Bob unwrapped our chain and said "Man, there'd be no way you'd get off that'un". Very nice guys.
Since we were delayed up-anchoring we timed our exit through the inlet to match the ebb and got some real rollers on the nose. As we were plowing through them the engine got hotter than ever and kept creeping up. We set the jib and rolled out of the inlet as soon as we could and shut off the engine and sailed on up the coast. We set all three sails and jetted with 10-15 easterlies all the way to Cape Canaveral where the wind died. We sat there for several hours looking off at the Space Shuttle getting ready for its Saturday launch and listened to the dire consequences ($250K fine and boat forfeiture and 6 years in prison) from the Coast Guard if they found us in the security zone. About 04:00 we started the engine and, at low rpms motored up the coast.
Around noon, the northerly moved eastward and we set all three sails again and beat up all the way to St Augustine inlet. Two beautiful sailing days but we were beat after just a couple of hours sleep each. And, it is now official, Karen is the best driver on the boat! You know she has the groove on when you hear her accompanying the wind off the sails with her special humming song.
St Augustine is such a nice place. The day after we arrived, a couple came by in their runabout and chatted it up with us. Later they came back by and Amelia asked us if we wanted to join her at the farmer's market the next day. We met up with her and Bill at their dock in the morning and went off to the market. Amelia asked if we needed anything else and she carted us to the liquor store. When we got back Bill offered us his car and dock if we wanted. Great folks!
Saturday afternoon we were sitting on the poop deck when the space shuttle took off from Cape Canaveral - WOW! Spine tingling seeing the rocket shoot off into space.
On Sunday we took the bikes in the dinghy and rode around the old town of St Augustine - the oldest continually inhabited city (by Europeans) in the US. Founded in 1565, it predates Roanoke by 21 years and both Santa Fe and Jamestown by 42 (of course, Puerto Rico has older settlements). We saw the castle while the local drum and pipe corps played and then checked out the old Ponce de Leon Hotel - now Flagler College. After a great lunch at the A1A Brewery and a cocktail at the Tini Martini, we came back to the boat. When we got back we met another nice guy - Fred Schmidt - out rowing in Salt Run. We really like this place!
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