Florida in images!

Mooring Field

From Fort George creek to St Augustine. That's 44.1 Miles!!  Another great day with the current and breeze in my favor. It's almost to much to ask.

Looking back at going through St Catherine's Sound in Georgia with fog that rolled in and I couldn't see the bow. Of course it didn't matter much since I was against a 8' tidal ebb. At 1.8 knots I wasn't worried about having to make those razor sharp quick decisions in a second's notice!

But here I am, not only in St Augustine but in a mooring field, hanging on one of those moorings, (for free) with a huge old light house behind me. And then with the Atlantic ocean crashing on the beach only a couple of hundred yds. in front. 

I'm very tempted to stay - for just a day or two.....

But I got to get going again tomorrow and be at the bridge at slack so my little boat can get thru the big currents that run here. 

Great if there in your favor but a bear to go up against. 

They say the breeze will be in the east again tomorrow - one can only hope

Sent from my iPhone

The Race! No Motors!

Last day at the Morning Star marina, got to get going again. Even two days is to much without moving!

Roger the owner of the 40' Cat threw down the gauntlet. He came by and asked when the last the time the sailcover had been off. Ok maybe three weeks but I had used the jib almost every day. Really - I think...

Rogers a real sailor and the look in his eye made me cringe. I had become "one of them"- I didn't mean to, it just happens. It evolves that way. One day you stop using the main and the next thing you know the jib hasn't been out in days. Come to think of it I did start looking longingly at some powerboats. 

Ok, enough is enough!  I challenged mister big catamaran sailor to a race out the harbor. He was going all the way out to the ocean. I had to turn right to continue down the ICW. But that still left us a couple of miles to find out who was best. ( I had a sneaking suspicion who that was). No matter it was on, except Roger being Roger added a twist. We would take off from the dock under full sail. No motors. 

Ok fine-- except it was mid tide(8'full) coming in against us at a full rip, and the cold front had just gone thru so the wind was dead behind us out of the north but  was light an well light!  

Just getting the sails up was a challenge for me seeing as we were down wind. But the mainsail on a 40' cat is huge, boy was he going to have a time of it!  Oh gee too bad!

It's amazing how things get easier with an electric winch( the rules commity has my protest)

Saint Simons Island

Brought the boat into the dock at the Morning Star Marina on St Simons Island this morning. 

There is a big cold front coming through with lots of rain and big wind. Don't need to be out in the open harbor for that one. 

I have been invited to go on a tour of the island given by Chuck and Deb, with Roger the owner of the big catamaran we sailed on yesterday. 

We drove around the island and because Chuck and Deb are looking for a new house, we got to go to all the places you might not take someone on a small tour. 

There is needless to say a lot of money here(at least 5-6 golf courses). If you were looking for a place to retire to this would definitely be one of them. 

We went to a historic site where Fort Frederica and an entire community was established and it's all gone now except for some foundations that were found in the 1940's. Between this place and Wormsloe I'm getting a good history of the Sea Islands. 

It's about 9:00pm and I for one am very glad to my boat at a dock right now. It's starting to blow and even at the dock were starting to bounce around. 

Make Southing

Endless Beautiful Marshland

A short clip to show how huge this marsh area is it just goes on forever. 

Now That's Some Tide!!

Chuck is actually a lot bigger than he looks!  

Saint Simons Island, GA