Finished with Florida

One of our favorite spots is Vero Beach so it is hard to get away from it. We spent six days there. We had been on a mooring with Sloop John Dee and they rented a car for a day to do their chores. 

Denise and John from Sloop John Dee

We benefited because they took us to a Mexican Restaurant called Costa Azul in Fort Pierce which was recommended by the agent who rented the car. It was his sister's place and it was fantastic for a little place in a tiny strip mall. The guacamole was the best I ever had and tried like crazy to get the recipe but they would not budge. All of our meals were delicious and doggy bags were needed.

Luscious shrimp fajitas.

Al helped John go up the mast to try and fix their problem with VHF radio. They discovered it was the antenna because when John put our one year old AIS antenna on the mast, their radio worked fine.

Denise and Al winching John up the mast.

John up the mast replacing the antenna.

 Al offered our antenna to them, and they paid for a new one for us. That way, they did not have to go up the mast again, or wait for an antenna to be ordered, and they could be on their way. They were more in a rush to get home than we were. So Al ordered the antenna and had it shipped to St. Augustine marina where we planned to stop.

We also got in a visit with Harriet and Skip Hardy who gave up sailing last year and bought a house in Vero. We updated each other of what we did this winter and what our plans for the summer are. It was good to see them again.

 

 

 

 

Fleece in Florida doesn't seem right!

We have been on the move since. We stopped and anchored north of Titusville. The next day was the same in Daytona. It has gotten a lot cooler to the point that Al put on long pants and his fleece jacket in Florida!  Luckily the cold did not last too long.  

Trying not to hit the manatees in the canal.

Through the Haulover Canal we had to be careful because we spotted several manatees.  I was only able to catch the tail of one before going below the surface.

We did stay one day in St. Augustine but otherwise it has been motor, motor, motor. 

Al enjoying his goulash soup. I am enjoying the sangria!

We got to our favorite little bistro called King's Bistro,  in St. Augustines  for lunch which also ended up being dinner as well. 

El Galeon at St. Augustine until July 2014.

The ship whose picture you see was at St. Augustine's Municipal Marina. El Galeon is a replica of the vessels that traveled the coasts of Florida between the 16th and 18th centuries, transporting men, goods, culture and ideas, creating ties between America and Europe. We should have toured it but did not due to time restrictions.

Another pretty sunrise.

Leaving St. Augustine with a pretty sunrise it was once again a long day to Cumberland Island which is just north of Fernandina Beach, the northern most Floridian city on the coast. 

Don't see this too often.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Passing by Fernandina we saw this interesting work platform. Now that's a way to anchor a boat! 

Shrimp boat at Fernandina.

We also started seeing shrimp boats at the dock which I love to see because that means my favorite food is plentiful!

We did not go ashore even at Cumberland Island because we had done so on the trip down. Because weather was predicted to be ugly for the next 4 to 5 days we could not go out in the ocean to by pass Georgia, so we are joining the no-see-ums and passing through with long days seeing nothing but marsh grasses and mud flats and a few bridges here and there.  We always get greeted by the pelicans at the bridges.  

Pelicans galore in Florida and Georgia.

Everywhere you look, marsh, marsh and more marsh with a few trees here and there.

  It can be pretty on sunny blue skies day, but in raining gray, ugh! (Can you tell this is not my favorite spot!)  We hope to be in Charleston for Easter weekend.