Titusville to St Augustine Florida ICW

 We were ready to leave Titusville on May 22nd. It was a great visit. We were up early to move into the fuel dock to top up our fuel tank and fill our water. We didn't have much water left. When we came in, another boater helped us with the lines. As I stepped on the dock, I asked him if that alligator was a friend. He said he had not even seen it. He called to his wife to come look and we all had a laugh. He and I had both been swimming in that water in the last couple of days.

About a 5 foot alligator by the fuel dock. 

We were moving by about 8:15 and headed north on the ICW. There really was not a good option to go outside and the weather was kind of iffy anyways, so we thought we would be in for a long motor trip over two days. 

As we headed out into the open water between the mainland and Cape Canaveral the wind piped up. We put out our genoa and before long we were going over 6 knots. The winds kept climbing and we finally decided to reef (partially furl) the genoa when the wind hit 23 knots. After about 2 hours we hit the Haulover canal. Instantly the wind was gone and we were on calm water. We had to open a bridge about half way through the canal, but that was easy in the calm. Then we exited the canal and the wind was right back, but the good news is we turned dead downwind and were able to sail the next 8 miles down the Mosquito Lagoon. It was fun and we were making good time and burning very little fuel. 

You can see on the instruments, that we are going 5.9 knots. In this shot you can also see our new pillows. We think they match our colors perfectly and they were a freebee in Titusville. Another boat was just giving them away for free. We really like having them in the cockpit, and they are waterproof. 

We then approached New Smyrna Beach. There were modest homes on both sides. It looked like an older section of Florida, but very appealing. 

By about 4 pm we were in Daytona Beach. Just before we arrived we were called on the radio by a big power boat that was ready to pass. They were very nice. In just a few miles we ended up going into the same anchorage. The name of the boat is "Valhalla".

We had a bit of difficulty anchoring in the strong winds. It took two tries, but we got it done and settled in for the night. The winds died down over night and we slept well.

The next morning we were up early, we were thinking we would like to make it to St. Augustine, but when we called to reserve a mooring ball at the city marina they had to put us on a wait list. After clearing the bridges in Daytona Beach we had perfect conditions to sail, so we did. We shut the engine off and sailed along at about 4 knots in flat water. We loved it. Before long we had Valhalla behind us and asking to pass. 

Valhalla making a pass

 We switched channels and talked for a bit. They thought SHIFT looked beautiful under sail and asked if we would like a picture. I said sure, but how would you get it to me? 9They said they would find us in St. Augustine. I told them we didn't have a reservation, but she assured me they would call back. And they did. We had a ball for the night, now we had to get there. 

SHIFT under just her genoa, just north of Daytona Beach

Needless the say, Randy and Gina found us in St. Augustine that evening. We ended up talking for two hours. Really nice folks!

 We motored along all day. The problem was it looked like we were going to arrive at just about 5 pm. The mooring ball we were assigned was on the north side of the Bridge of Lions. That meant we had to open the bridge. They do an opening on the half hour, but not one at 5 because of rush hour traffic. We tried to make the 4:30, but missed it by about 10 minutes. The currents rip in the St. Augustine harbor and we had a strong outgoing current and strong wind behind us. I had to hover around and not get pushed into the bridge for almost an hour. It was a pain, but we got it done. Then when the bridge finally opened, we had two other large vessels, a ferry and a big Catamaran come through the opposite way at the same time. I am down current, so should have right of way, but clearly they did not know or care. The Cat and I squeezed through the open spans at the same time, it was crazy. 

We then had to pick up our mooring ball in about a 3 knot current. It was a test, but Kim did her usual perfect job and we got it done. 

The view from our ball was very cool. We could see the Castillo (fort) and the bridge of Lions and all of downtown. We were excited to spend two nights to allow us to see the sights. 

Here are our views from our mooring in St. Augustine. Directly behind us (when the tide was going out) is the Castillo.

Downtown St. Augustine

The Bridge of Lions in front of us and the marina beyond.

The Bridge of Lions is very ornate, the opening span is where the turrets are.

That is about it for this entry. I have to step up my writing as we are starting to move faster and I have some interesting stories to tell. In my next entry, I will take you on a tour of St. Augustine. We really enjoyed our time there, and would like to show you the sights. I will try to get that entry out soon.