Florida or Bust!

We left Beaufort, SC and by early afternoon were anchored in Broad Creek at Hilton Head Island.  With an encouraging weather window, we decided to head offshore for Florida and save Savannah for another time.  We had a lovely evening watching dolphins and birds along the marshy side of the creek, and enjoyed the Christmas lights of the houses on the developed side.  The following morning we were almost to the Atlantic inlet when the engine belched a big black cloud out from the exhaust! The engine started knocking and we shut it down, and Fred dove into the engine compartment under the floor.  The air intake was clogged with oil, and cleaning that out seemed to solve the problem. But now we were concerned about heading into the ocean for an overnight run. Reluctantly, we decided to head for Savannah after all, because we could stay in the ICW and find a TowBoat if necessary.  We crossed Calibogue Sound into the Cooper River, and hadn’t gone too far when the MT Pockets crew texted about our estimated arrival in St. Augustine.  As we described what happened, Mike (a diesel mechanic), confirmed what Fred had suspected about the air intake. The engine was actually running much smoother than it had for days (surprise), and feeling re-assured, we doubled back to the Sound to make our exit to the ocean.  During this two hours, Lisa contacted the two closest marinas about scheduling a mechanic (none available until after the holidays), cancelled the St Augustine marina reservation, tried to reschedule the Savannah reservation, notified our daughter of the change in plans, called off the Savannah reservation, rescheduled the St Augustine marina, and re-notified our daughter that we were, indeed, going offshore to Florida. Guess we are nothing if not flexible!  

As we made the jog from the Calibogue Sound inlet into the Savannah River channel, we were watching for ships, and it seemed quiet enough, until the large horn blast from a huge container ship made us jump!  That sound goes straight to the gut.  It was approaching fast from around the bend, and we were glad we were running just outside the channel markers and could stay out if its way!  We were relieved as we passed its stern and crossed the channel, and could see another ship further out making its entry approach.  Happy to be headed away from any congested areas, and looking forward to warmer weather, we headed south down the Georgian shore.

Following seas again made for a bit of rocking, but the autopilot was working better, and we took shifts for the overnight hours. We had a beautiful moonrise about 9:30 pm, and it stayed with us until dawn.  It makes such a difference when you can see the horizon, versus the blind faith you need when it is pitch black and you must rely on the chart and radar screens only.  We timed our arrival to the St John River channel for first light, and entered after the sun came up. This channel to Jacksonville is wide and deep – a safer bet than the St Augustine inlet, which folks warned us needed to be entered at slack tide and whose channel markers were frequently moved due to shoaling, and therefore not well charted.  From the St John River we entered the ICW once again, for the 30-mile run south to St Augustine.   

We arrived at the St Augustine Municipal Marina on Christmas Eve Day, and WOW, we were glad we had pushed to get here. The marina is in the heart of the downtown historic area, and EVERYTHING was lit up for the holidays. Considered the nation’s oldest city (1565!), it boasts Spanish Colonial architecture, narrow cobblestone streets, and the Castillo de San Marcos – a 17^th century fortress that is a National Monument.  Feeling the need for a little tradition, (and probably against our better covid judgement), we attended Christmas Eve Candlelight service at Trinity Episcopal Church, a 200-year old church on the plaza. The wooded, beam supported ceiling was stunning, the stained glass windows had dates from the 1700’s, and it felt great to sing carols (masks on!) and be with others for a change.  Across the street, the plaza was lit up and people were leading carols from the gazebo. Santa drove by on a horse-drawn carriage, and every restaurant and most businesses were open (on Christmas Eve!). It reminded Lisa of Christmas in Brazil. To top it all off, it was 70 degrees!

We spent a few days at the marina getting acclimated. The flannel sheets and heavy down comforter were tucked away. Laundry was done and packages received. We enjoyed walks around downtown, which, despite the holiday crowds, still allowed for some patio happy hours!  We caught up with MT Pockets, our buddy boat from Jersey, and met several cruisers heading south.  We moved to a mooring ball for a few days, with a view of the lights along the promenade. Every evening the tourist pirate ship, schooner, and “booze cruise” barges would tour around the mooring field and along downtown, each with their own soundtrack and happy people.

The municipal marina slips and moorings were all reserved for the New Year’s weekend, so we found a slip up the San Sebastian River, on the west side of downtown. We stumbled on a sweet spot, near all the services (groceries, marine supplies, hardware, on site restaurant with tiki bar, etc.) and also quiet! It has been a lovely respite from all the hubbub and crowds downtown. We will return to downtown on Thursday for a few more days. We hear it has quieted considerably and we are looking forward to visiting the fort and eating out without the holiday crowds. Then it will be onward to the south.

[from Fred: One of the continuing aspects of this life-style is the constant change over of our “friends”.  When attached to our land-based home our friends (and certainly our neighbors) were fairly constant.  We enjoyed that immensely!  Now, that constancy is not so much.  While we were in Beaufort, SC (Bewfort, not Bowfort) my beautiful wife found a T-shirt which she assured me I had to wear.  It stated to the world, “I like my boat and maybe three other people”.

It made me think about what this life style is evolving to.  We have met many people along the way.  I would probably rate them, some of them, differently than my wife.  But generally, in spite of my reluctance to engage in small talk, I have enjoyed them all (OK, not all, but most).  I, however, find that I look forward to seeing people we have met again.  And I am developing the same attachment to some of them as I have to the “older” friends and family we still miss and keep in touch with.

So, the only thing that seems to change is the growing number of friends and acquaintances we love to follow and keep track of.  And that’s a good thing … right!?]

Fair winds, and Happy New Year! – Fred and Lisa