Days 32-35: February 18-21, 2023

St. Augustine, FL, goes way back. So far back it was in the 16^th century. In 1565 Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, a Spanish admiral founded the city. It went back and forth between Spain and Britain over the years, but its claim is that it has remained continuously occupied.

Ponce de Leon arrived in 1513 and found the Fountain of Youth in the city. We tried the water. It’s pretty yucky. Has a great sulfur aftertaste. Do I look younger?

Day 1 (February 18)

Our trip from Palm Coast to St. Augustine was pretty smooth though we had a shallow curve to navigate that a local had forewarned us about. Indeed, it was a tricky area, and we were happy to have the first-hand knowledge to get us through.

It’s always fun to see the random sights along the way: a place we’d neither fuel at nor be to towed to, Poseidon watching over us, gorgeous views of the many small marshy islands, remnants perhaps of a restaurant area with a BIG fish protruding out of the sign, a sunken sailboat—one of too many we’ve seen on the trip, and dolphins!

St. Augustine arrival

When we arrived, the wind was whipping. The marina dock was full, but they had space on mooring balls, so we took a couple. Out boat doesn’t allow for ease of bringing a line from the stern to the bow. Therefore, it was a little bit of maneuvering to get it all hooked up. Boris and Mayli dinghied over and helped out get us situated. We were quite thankful for their help during that wind and chop!

We safely made it into town by dinghy to do a bit of strolling. We hit up the oldest house museum right before close as they were having a free day. I’m glad we don’t live in the rustic olden days. After wandering a bit more, it was time for dinner. We hit up the A1A Alehouse. I’d like to say it was amazing, but my rating is just ok. Did I mention it was Sangria Saturday!

On the way back to the boat the wind had picked up even more. We knew we were going to get wet, so we convinced Boris not to make two trips. Probably a mistake as we took a few waves over the stern and quickly found ourselves in ankle-deep water. SOS! We’re sinking! Luckily the dinghy held steady, and we made it back to Lil Sudden where we could bail out the water. Definitely need a bigger bilge pump!

Day 2 (February 19)

On the first full day we planned to take the hop on hop off style Old Town Trolley Tour around the historic downtown to hit the main tourist attractions. Mayli had a list! It started out as planned and we hopped on. The first stop was the Castillo de San Marcos. The Castillo is the oldest masonry fort in the U.S. The Spanish built it in 1672 to fend off the British. The fort was made from coquina—a natural resource found on the Florida coast of a limestone composed of seashells. They liked it for the fort as it wouldn’t crumble when struck by cannon balls. It would just absorb them so they could recycle the balls and send them back at the enemy.

The fort has many cool areas to explore, and since it was Sunday, they had canon fire reenactments. The canon was pretty loud even though they only used a half pound of powder and not the three pounds the Spanish would have used for the same cannon.

The next stop on the tour was the Fountain of Youth. Yes, the actual one Ponce de Leon declared. Again, yuck! The theme area was very living history farm in feel. As we were wandering around, I got a message from my high school friend Turf who we planned to meet for dinner, and he was free earlier. We decided to cut our tour of the town of early and head to meet him at the alehouse.

Bar Hopping Intermission

The rest of the first day was spent checking out various establishments in the old town with Turf. We started again at the A1A Alehouse for a few beverages. Then we hit up the No Name Bar followed by the White Lion. And finally, we trekked further out to the Icehouse for some dinner.

Day 3 (February 20)

Tonia and I decided it was a good morning for a walk to check out the St. Augustine Light House. We started the journey by crossing the Bridge of Lions and checking out the lion statues on each end. Then we found coffee and “hot” cocoa. We happened upon a Whetstone Chocolates shop and had to stop. The lady at the shop was the nicest person and we had some good conversation while waiting for our drinks.

With coffee in hand, we continued walking to the lighthouse. On the way we went by the Alligator Farm. That place looks huge. We’ll have to add it to the list for next trip.

The route we took didn’t lead us directly to the lighthouse, so we probably walked a mile out of the way. Oh well, good for steps! I booked tickets online while walking up to save 10%.

With the lighthouse complete, it was time for lunch. We spied a taco shop on the walk over, so we had to stop there. The tacos were double decker (bravo) style—my favorite, like Taco John’s. Tonia’s mahi burrito bowl was also super tasty. We’re liking these local places.

The rest of the afternoon was pretty chill. Tonia did her work thing and I played a round of mini golf with the Hodak clan.

Turf recommended a restaurant on the water called Conch House so that jumped to the top of our list and we zoomed over in the dinghy to try it out. It’s neat. Has a bar area out on the dock with cool wood and holes in the floor to view the water below. They were revarnishing when we were there, so we didn’t get to check out the upstairs, but it looked cool. The restaurant portion is on the land and has tiki hut tables lining the water.

Day 4 (February 21)

On the last day it was time to find a way to address Tonia’s allergies. The trees were blooming earlier than she was used to in WA and earlier where we were with the warmer-than-usual weather. We popped on the trolley to get closer to a pharmacy. We hopped off and walked over to get more medicine. On the way back, we hit up Hazel’s Hot Dogs for some lunch grub. Then we wrapped up the trolley tour of the town.

All in all, a great historic town to visit with lots to see and do.

Tonia had fun spying the many horses of St. Augustine, though managed to miss the real-live horse and buggy pic!

Adios St. Augustine

Day 32 Trip Details:
Palm Coast, US to Saint Augustine, US
Time: 3 h 37 m (12:30 to 16:08)
Distance: 22.38 nm

Days 29-31: February 15-17, 2023

Traveling to New Smyrna

We had a nice travel day from Titusville to New Smyrna via the Indian River. One of the interesting points of the trip was Haulover Canal, which is a ~5-mile man-made canal connecting the Indian River Lagoon to the Mosquito Lagoon. The name ‘Haulover’ comes from pre-canal times when Native Americans and early settlers carried canoes and small boats across land to get from one body of water to the other. The canal is now a popular spot to view manatees as they congregate in the warmer, shallower waters of the canal. We saw many though they are still camera shy!

We continued along the Intracoastal Waterway seeing the Goodyear Blimp on its way to the Daytona 500 (we cruised on past that likely crowded destination) as well as a few interesting houses and finally a couple sailboats that had seen better days.

New Smyrna

We made it! After anchoring and rafting, we popped over to the nearby Riverview Hotel & Restaurant for some bites and drinks. They had a dock to pull up the dinghy and a great view as well. Tonia, Mayli and Annette took a short stroll from the restaurant to the Atlantic beach side to check it out. They’d hoped to hit up a sweets shop though it closed earlier than posted. They did, however, find some alternate Treats on the Beach. 😉

While in New Smyrna, Tonia was able to reconnect with Cindy — a colleague from her former job and a PM (passionate mom). She treated us to beignets that were especially delicious!! She likened them to the best in New Orleans so we are looking forward to this on the future stop on the trip. It was a short visit though packed with memories, catching up (she shared her grandkitty Smush), and recalling how inspirational each was to the other. At the end, Cindy took us on a brief tour of the Riverview Hotel Spa where she works with its waterfall and heated pools! Luxurious!

Hammock Beach in Palm Coast

Our next stop was Hammock Beach Marina, which had added privileges to the resort on the Atlantic side. The resort had a waterslide for the kids, a lazy river, multiple pools, and beach access, along with golf and more. We were able to get a bit of relaxation poolside, some gelato, and a stroll along the beach. When we were leaving the crew for Dale Earnhardt Jr. was setting up for his arrival to promote his vodka brand.

European Village

Before heading out on departure day, we trekked over to a “European Village” with Mayli and Annette. Except it was too early in the morning and only a barber shop was open. Annette was quite disappointed that the cafe with boba tea did not open until 11am. We walked around a bit and then headed back to the boats to head out for the day. At least we got our steps in!

Day 29 Trip Details:
Titusville, US to New Smyrna Beach, US
Time: 4 h 58 m (10:09 to 15:08)
Distance: 33.93 nm

Day 30 Trip Details:
New Smyrna Beach, US to Bon Terra, US
Time: 5 h 11 m (09:41 to 14:53)
Distance: 37.04 nm

Days 26-28: February 12-14, 2023

We got up bright and early so we could voyage up to Titusville by lunch time. It was another example of getting out early to beat the wind. The forecast was again saying that the afternoon breezes were going to be too much to handle, and they again proved to be correct. Shortly after we docked in Titusville, the winds picked up to 40+ knots and we were all glad that we were safely tied up. We opted for a marina during our time in Titusville as we knew the next few days were going to be spent off boat and an hour away in Orlando – so less worries about boats at anchor.

Cape Canaveral

In the afternoon of arrival, we headed over to the nearby Cape Canaveral’s Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex to see if we could be launched into space. Sadly, they didn’t have room on their schedule for us, so we had to settle for tours and exhibits.

There is a lot of cool stuff to see: all the history of the space program from the original push to the moon to the plans for Mars—a geek’s paradise.

Every time I look at the space shuttle, I’m surprised at how small it was. I know, it’s not really that small but growing up I pictured something that was at least twice the size.

It’s crazy to see the capsules and the spaces the astronauts have to be in for extended periods of time. I get cramped up just sitting on a boat for a few hours. And I can get up and walk around anytime I want there.

When we got back to the marina, Michael found a horseshoe crab molt. Ugly creatures but they are pretty cool and prehistoric! He’s saving it for his collection. Of what? Random things found on the beach.

Universal

The next morning, we headed an hour west to Orlando to spend the day at Universal. All I have to say is the new VelociCoaster is the best. The Hulk used to be my favorite coaster but there is a new top contender. You gotta try it!

We spent a bit of extra money and did a group tour. They have two types of tours: private and group. On a private tour, you get to dictate the day and pretty much ride whatever you want whenever you want. On a group tour they have a basic schedule and hit all the popular rides in both the parks. With both they take you right up to the ride and there is very little waiting. It also included breakfast and lunch. You can get spoiled with the tour. Highly recommended if you are only visiting once or infrequently. It is worth the money to get the most out of a day trip.

Tree Trek

On the final day in the area, we headed back to Orlando to hit the Orlando Tree Trek Adventure Park. The Trek is not a normal obstacle course. The catch is it’s suspended in the air. It took me a few obstacles to get over my aversion to heights, but I managed to complete the four courses included. Michael was so excited that he was now tall enough to do the adult course. He’d been talking about it for days and I think he may have been more excited for it than Universal.

Oh yeah, and we had donuts before heading to the Trek. Tastee Donuts wasn’t much to look at from the outside though the donuts were pretty tasty.

Day 26 Trip Details:
Merritt Island, US to Titusville, US
Time: 2 h 8 m (07:05 to 09:14)
Distance: 14.10 nm

Days 23-25: February 9-11, 2023

Melbourne

The next stop on the trip was a one-and-a-half-day layover in Melbourne (Florida). We originally planned for a day but that stretched to two to give us a bit more down time. On the arrival day we did a bit of provisioning. There was a marina close to our anchorage and only a block away from the Publix grocery store as well as a few department stores. Always good to have close access. The checkout boy at the store told us to borrow a cart so we used it for the block back to the marina.

We spent some time fishing off the boat and caught a few hardhead catfish. Not my favorite fish because they are so slimy, though the kids had fun and it occupied their time for quite a bit.

The second day in Melbourne we decided to check out the downtown area. First stop was to Jacqueline’s Bakery for some coffee and tasty treats, and hot chocolate for Tonia, of course. After a nice morning snack, we strolled the town, checked out the shops, and had a nice morning.

When the fun was had shopping, it was time for lunch. And when there is a place named Squid Lips, you have to go! It was a fun restaurant and we saw a manatee surface from our dining viewpoint.

The birds of Melbourne…

Cocoa Village

Up bright and early the next day, we headed for Cocoa. Cocoa had some damage during Hurricane Nicole in November and we knew some of their docks were destroyed. And the docks were only two years old. Luckily the big boat dock survived, though no longer with power or water. Unluckily for us, the wind was strong from the south and the stay was a bit rocky. With a few additional fenders we weathered it decently.

Cocoa Village was an amazing town. Lots of shops and local artist studios ranging from paintings to jewelry. They were setting up for a concert that night in the park as well as a “sip and stroll” through town so you could see that the town does a lot to support the community.

The bonus of Cocoa is we were able to meet up with Mike, one of my close high school friends, and his wife Danielle. The last time we saw them was 6 years ago in Seattle, so we had a lot of catching up to do. We found a nice German Biergarten and had a great time.

Day 23 Trip Details:
Vero Beach, US to Brevard County, US
Time: 4 h 28 m (08:21 to 12:49)
Distance: 33.57 nm

Day 25 Trip Details:
Brevard County, US to Merritt Island, US
Time: 2 h 4 m (07:44 to 09:49)
Distance: 14.79 nm

Day 17-19: February 3-5, 2023

Storms come in many forms. Upon returning from our side trip to Iowa I’d say there were two storms on the horizon. One emotional and the other the Mother Nature type.

One cool thing about the loop and traveling is you get to see people that you haven’t seen in forever. When we were back in Iowa my old friend Sarah reached out and said she saw we were near West Palm from our blog posts. It worked out that we could do dinner the night after returning. It was great fun catching up.

On the morning of February 3^rd, we knew we were on the clock for a weather window to get up the coast. The forecast showed it getting nasty in the afternoon and it was going to last for multiple days. Therefore, we decided to book a marina up by Stuart.

We did a quick dinghy trip over to Peanut Island. It was a great walk around and good to stretch the legs and get back to our morning walking.

Upon returning to the boat, we pulled anchor and decided to hit the nearby fuel barge. Fuel there was $4.99 a gallon, which is a significant savings over the nearby marinas charging $6 plus. While we didn’t need a full tank, it’s always good to get fuel cheaper when you can. Plus, the fuel barge crew were super friendly and tolerated our lively banter.

Being in close proximity to one of the inlets, we decided to go on the “outside” to the ocean instead of the intracoastal. It allowed for a quicker trip with no slow zones. Probably saved us an hour or so on the day. And the timing worked out perfectly. The wind started picking up just as we were docking and if we’d been any longer, we would have been in a full thunderstorm, which was bad. We took the shuttle over to the Atlantic side just in time to watch the hotel employees chasing umbrellas down the beach. One got airborne at least 30 feet and was gone. Since we missed beach time, we opted for the hot tub back at the marina hotel along with some beverages.

We spent the next two days riding out the thunderstorms that rolled thru. It wasn’t the typical Florida storm where it moved in and out in a short time. It was a lingering storm. At one point we walked to get lunch and came back with sopping wet shoes and pants. The rain jackets worked.

Tonia, Mayli, and I checked out the Florida Oceanographic Coastal Center. It’s a small, mostly outdoor, aquarium and activity center that has some cool animals to see. They have three resident sea turtles that are in captivity only because they can’t make it in the wild. It was cool to see them swimming around the lagoon. There are also many ocean fish in there to gander at. We were there at feeding time so got to feed string rays and watch the staff feed the game fish. It was a fun to pet the sting rays, some of which were super docile. 😉

Ok, you’ve read this whole thing and I didn’t mention anything about emotional storms. Sometimes those go behind the scenes. Since our trip to Iowa, Tonia and I have been a bit bummed out. Probably a little understandable with the overload from the last week. This is a perfect time for Jimmy Buffet’s lyric “Breathe in, breathe out, move on.”

Day 17 Trip Details:
Palm Beach Shores, US to Martin County, US
Time: 4 h 57 m (09:02 to 14:00)
Distance: 32.42 nm