Nov 14

Sunday, Nov 14

Our two week anniversary.  We left Beaufort two weeks ago today.  It's been an interesting and educational journey thus far.  A few frustrations - alternator -, lots of excitement - sailing in BIG seas, and something new - sailing offshore overnight.  I hope the rest of the journey is equally exciting and educational.

We did not get offshore.  The seas are still running real high, even though the wind has decreased to around 10 knots.  We decided as we went through the inlet at St. Augustine that we didn't want to be rolling in those seas with such a light wind - so we sailed a loooong day in the ICW.  If there is one part of the trip that is the least fun, it is sailing on the ICW.

However, we did get to see St Augustine.  We wish we had planned a day or so there.  There waterfront is among the most beautiful I've ever seen - and they have mooring balls to tie up to.  Lots of them.  It is a shame that Beaufort doesn't have mooring balls.  The harbor would be so much more attractive to transient boaters. 

Along the waterway, it continues to amaze me the fine homes and boats along the waterway.

We went a long way today, and it really is a drag listening to the engine all day and watching the homes and swamps roll by.  But it's the price you have to pay to get where it's warm.

We had a special visitor for a while today.  A couple of dolphin swam along with us for a while.

And it's actually beginning to get warm.  This is the first evening that we can be outside comfortably. 

We've found that our cell phones, both of which have Navionics charts on them are our best GPS system.  We've turned off the boat's GPS system - it doesn't have Florida charts on it anyway.  But the charts on the phones are great.  We've even found a good use for the radar on the boat.  It holds the holder for the cell phone.  This is the first time we've seen the radar useful.

However, with old eyes and small print, we've also come up with another essential piece of boating equipment.

We stopped tonight in the Halifax Harbor Marina in Daytona Beach.  It's a real fine facility.  Our little sailboat gets lost in the big (expensive) boats that are here. 

As we think about tomorrow, we both feel we want to get back on the ocean, so we hope to go out the Ponce de Leon Inlet a few miles South of here and stay on the ocean a couple of days.  Maybe the seas have calmed down a little.  We'll see.