. . . NOT OUTRACING OLD MAN WINTER. WE HAVEN'T.
Mr. Heater, our portable propane heater, has been fired up several mornings to take a hard chill off the cabin. We try not to think how warm it still is in Marathon.
Here are our travels in photos:
Bob and Trish were outstanding hosts during our visit to Vero Beach, their second home. They even had Yellowhammers waiting for us when we had dinner with them! They helped us get a phone repaired, took us to the grocery store and showed us the town, parks and beaches. Vero is very impressive. Here Kent, Bob and Trish were looking for manatees in a small inlet.
Live oaks were everywhere in Vero Beach, nicknamed Velcro Beach because people just passing through find they can't tear themselves away, like our friends Bob and Trish. Live oaks are sprawling trees with limbs made for a tire swing. The limbs often are the garden bed for Spanish moss, ferns and other hot-weather plants.
Our first night away from Vero Beach was spent in the gorgeous Eau Gallie Yacht Basin anchorage. Our new boat buddy, Gary (and Alex, the dog) on ToTo Too, whom we met in Marathon, showed us this peaceful anchorage with low or no tides and protected all around from the winds.
The Titusville Bridge anchorage had a beautifully lighted bridge nearby that looks like birthday candles. Coincidentally it was Kent's birthday that day.
The next day was a long traveling day, so we started shortly after sunrise. Nobody is stirring yet on ToTo Too as the sun peeks above the trees.
On vacations to Daytona Beach, Jane's parents took her and her sister, Judith, to hunt seashells in the shadow of the Ponce de Leon Inlet Lighthouse. Now it's open to the public to climb and explore.
Gary and Alex, the boat pup, left us at Palm Coast Marina where they'll stay for the spring and summer. Before retirement, Gary had worked as a precision grinder for the aerospace industry, grinding instruments to within a millionth of a millimeter. We didn't know that degree of precision was possible before talking with Gary.
Dorothy, we're not in the Keys anymore. In South Florida, manatee zones are year-round. In North Florida, the zones are just in the summer. Manatees can't deal with cold temperatures and even get frostbite if not in protected waters when a cold front moves in. Soon we'll be out of manatee country entirely. Although we've only seen one in an aquarium and one in the wild, it's been good to learn how Florida is protecting them and educating boaters. Now if the power boaters would only listen and slow down!
Before reaching St. Augustine, we tried out a new marina -- Marineland Marina, owned by the city of Marineland, Florida -- so new it wasn't even in the Skipper Bob marina book. The people were super helpful and accommodating, the facilities were great, it had free laundry, but it had one major problem -- no Internet! Of course, we could get 53 TV channels, amazingly.
Easter Sunday, we arrived at St. Augustine. To reach here, we traveled through the Matanzas Pass that people had warned us about. Probably thanks to their warnings, we had no problems with those shallow, shoally waters. St. Augustine is the oldest city in the U.S. and has the oldest mission church, the oldest wooden schoolhouse, and the oldest house.
The Bridge of Lions is a bascule bridge that connects the beaches on the barrier islands with downtown St. Augustine. A bascule bridge is also called a drawbridge. Most in Florida have set schedules to open twice an hour, although some in more rural areas open upon demand. Sailboats must identify themselves on the VHF radio and politely let the bridge tender know they are waiting for an opening. We consult books and charts on board to learn where the bridges are for the day so we can plan to be at them close to scheduled openings. Most bridges look plainer and have plainer names than the Bridge of Lions.
North of the bridge is the Castillo de San Marcos, an amazing fort built by the Spanish in 1695. The flags of five countries have flown over it, but it was never overrun or defeated in battle. The ownership of the fort changed only through treaties.
Traveling without stopping now and then to see the sights is no fun, as we learned on the Florida west coast. That's why we stopped at Camachee Cove Marina for an extra day to become tourists at St. Augustine. (Carina is the second sailboat on the right.) We're making a quick stop to smell the roses and hoping Old Man Winter passes us by.
Next: A Whirlwind Look at St. Augustine
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