Last stop in Florida and on to Georgia

Rushing on and getting behind

We made one last stop in Florida after a quick overnite in Jacksonville Beach for a Publix run – a mile over one of those 65’high bridges might have been better as a walk than on the boat bikes. (I made it going over with the wind at my back but needed to walk part way home with my load of provisions  L) We did the bike thing because Steve needed to get back and use his heat gun on the boat while we were tied to a dock.  He has begun the constant task of striping the “bright work” on the boat and re-varnishing as he goes. Hey, the guy has to keep busy. It has been very entertaining  watch….

 

 

We reached Fernandina Beach – the last stop in Florida and a great place to hang out. We spent one afternoon walking the streets and finding another “antique” hardware store that looks like it missed the 20^th century.  The whole historic district is preserved to resemble the late Victorian era with an abundance of restaurants and the Palace Saloon, reputed to the oldest saloon in Florida.  We had to check it out.  The next morning found Steve working on the “bright work” and wench (which self-destructed) while I did the laundry. Then we biked out to Fort Clinch – which literally is the end of Amelia Island and Florida.  We could look across to Cumberland Island, GA. The fort is in remarkable condition since it was restored by the Civilian Conservation Core and was even used by the Coast Guard during World War II.  I took some photos to help you get the idea. The cannon were BIG! We refreshed ourselves at the Crab Trap – a local watering hole near the harbor – we loved the tables with holes in them to dispose of shrimp hides. The food was yum too.

 

 

Today we worked the tides and arrived at anchorage off Jekyll Island.  Although the forecast was for scattered thunder showers, all the rainy bits were gone by early afternoon and we enjoyed an educational ride through historic Jekyll’s millionaires’ village. It would be very easy to wander around and enjoy the mostly FREE tours and atmosphere for several days.   Imagining the rich folk who wintered in these “cottages” was not hard since the scale has been preserved and automobiles have limited access.  The best way to explore here in the historic district is by foot or bike. We truly loved the meandering bike paths – even one with wildlife on the way to our milk run. While this is not a stop for supplies or basics, it is a place not to be missed in my book. For those who love Victorian architecture, I include some more from Jekyll to supplement the more commercial photos from Fernandina.

 Getting the wonderful bikes to shore!

 

Wandering back in time in St Augustine

Wandering back in time in St. Augustine.

On our way to St. Augustine, we stopped in Daytona just before the last bridge along with several other boats who also pulled off for the night.  None of us even put our dinghies in the water – it was enough to hear the motor cycles on the surrounding bridges. We got another early start for the long winding trip into St. Augustine Municipal Marina where we found our mooring ball complete with a view of historic downtown, the Bridge of Lions, and even the lighthouse peaking over the trees. We needed a day off after two 7+ hour cruising days. This cruising is almost “work”!

We spent the resting day doing errands – dare I say TAXES? – and ended with a walk down to the lighthouse.  It was a lot further than it looked so we were delighted to find a short cut on the way back. Steve also walked to the top while I saved my knees for other torture. We needed the exercise since we enjoyed a roast pork meal at a Cuban restaurant and a lunch at the French style Bistro de Leon – both very handy to our boat. St. Augustine is one of those touristy cities that live up to the hype and make pleasant places to wander or even run errands!

 

Before we leave this edition, we need to update you on the mechanical issues.  The new hoses and elbow are holding well and are closely monitored by Steve’s visits to the engine room while we are underway. In addition Steve conquered the loose connection on the TV in the salon – the pictures tell the story.  Now if we could only control the water flow in our ice maker we would contain the unplanned floor and frig washing (flooding?) Perhaps a new frig is in the future…. 

The Space Coast

Titusville is not Cocoa – but the KSC (Kennedy Space Center) IS cool. We enjoyed a day off from cruising at the KSC – we travel there by CAR – what a unique experience to rent a car after several months on the water. The visitor center is truly worth the entrance fees. Lucking into a perfect weather day, we roamed the rocket garden and toured the Apollo launch center with a brief stop for lunch with a view of the famous shuttle launch pad #39. We also were IMAXED with a trip to the space station and the Hubble both in 3D! All in all KSC was a massive display of American engineering. It made our patriotic pride bubble over. In the town of Titusville we also visited their memorial park which featured my father’s company (Garret Air Research) on several plaques. I also noticed his company was mentioned in the VAULT at the Apollo exhibit. It brought back memories of touring my father’s company and his work on the space program. Now, we are set for an early run to Daytona – lucky for us it is BIKE week – not. We plan to stay on the water – varoom. Here are some photo highlights and some scenes from the ICW – inter coastal waterway. Skip the ones not of interest if I posted tooooo many. :)

 

 

Vero to Cocoa

Cocoa and Vero – We blew out of Stuart with the sunrise and waited at the mooring to see the railroad bridge finally lift after the two early trains. We made our way back out the St. Lucy River to the ICW and north to Vero Beach Municipal Marina Mooring Balls – a scenic stop after a longish run – mercifully uneventful in every mechanical way.  I even managed to snag the ball without too much drama. This marina is called the Velcro marina because people stop and get stuck.  The bus has a stop in the park where the marina is located which conveniently provides access to important stuff like Publix and West Marine.  Although we did not need those services or even the excellent laundry available. we did enjoy a few hours of social life on shore at the mixer organized by the local marina hosts for the cruisers. We got to meet and search the brains of more experienced travelers and kept our feet on dry land longer than 15 minutes.

Then we pushed on to Cocoa a delightfully restored village on the Indian River.  This was a long run, but we made it in great time and again no mechanical hiccups to speak of. Because we had an excellent mooring inVero at the far end of the field just minutes from the ICW under the lite bridge linking Vero Beach to the mainland, we were able to drop the ropes and get a very early start. The early start meant more time to enjoy Cocoa which was as picturesque as its billing – with an extensive array of shops and restaurants to choose from in the 50s retro architecture. 

One of the high points of a visit to Cocoa is the Travis Hardware store.  Steve spent a mere 30 minutes and only a few dollars, but had to drag himself away from this warren of dusty aisles filled with every conceivable tool and widget known to man. The photos only hint at the delights since I think I missed capturing the rusty pressed tin ceiling tiles hung with a corroded version of Spanish moss.  They were happy to let me take pictures as long as I didn’t steal their ambiance. (Their word.) Some of the multitude of helpful worker bees were intensely interested in my Ipad – from the look of the stuff in that store, they may not have discovered the computer era just yet. Greg Cobetto these photos are for you! We think this is the store for you if you haven't already been here.

Our friends of many years from Aramco, Norma and Tim Akert, popped over from Orlando with last minute notice from us when we realize just how close to them we were going to be on a non-working day (we are having some trouble remembering what day of the week it is, although thanks to the phone we usually know the date.) Tim and Norma came to Cocoa – in spite of delay to repair a nail in their car tire – to have lunch with us and catch up. They are timeless and never seem to age like some of us who shall remain nameless.

 

In Cocoa we actually tied up to a dock for the first time since Jan 24^th. It took me a few minutes to remember what I had to do with those ropes – and of course I still have not mastered all the knots Steve thinks I need. (Ask him about the pump out man in Vero who had to tie off his boat because I couldn’t do it well enough for everyone to feel secure! – but my story is the guy also sprayed our boat while executing the pump out so do we really trust him anyway?  Oh, yes, Steve was in the dink during all of this and here is his photo… need I say more?)

At the Cocoa Village Marina we also enjoyed a gathering of cruisers and again gleamed several great stopover ideas and made new friends like the Fullens who most kindly lent us their Prius for an early morning Publix run. A lot more supplies can be stuffed in a trunk than on even two bikes!

We plan to move on to Titusville and visit the Kennedy Space Center – beware my next entry might be educational!