Saturday, April 17 to Wednesday, April 28, 2021
I could make up a lot of excuses for not posting anything for the past three weeks but the truth of the matter is that I didn’t feel like I had much to say. But, as those who know me best will agree, that never lasts for long.
Sailing back up the east coast has been a bit like reading a novel you’ve read before (and really enjoyed)—but backwards. The pages in the cruising guides are in the wrong order, the charts must be flipped the other way so that north is still at the top of the map (although the type is then all upside down) and the order of our memories has become confused. (Truth be told, that’s not a new problem....)
We returned to Cocoa Village Marina (where we had spent six weeks last winter) for a couple of nights. It was nice to be remembered and a pleasure to walk the familiar streets especially in warmer weather. We went to our favorite outdoor barbecue spot, Cryderman’s, and visited the secondhand book store to “reprovision.” The marina’s resident heron even came by to say hello:
When the weather cleared we headed to New Smyrna Beach, a charming town we had not stopped at on the way south. We weren’t able to get to the eponymous beach but we did explore a bit around town. Scottish doctor Andrew Turnbull was granted a large tract of land back in the mid-1700s where 1300 workers from Minorca, Italy and Greece grew rice and indigo on his plantation. The operation collapsed after nine years and the 600 surviving workers moved to St. Augustine and New Smyrna went into a bit of a hibernation. However, the fort-like Turnbull Ruins, made of coquina stone, are still explorable, just a short walk from the marina. The foundation was used again in 1859 when Jane and John Sheldon built a large hotel on the site which was “destroyed by cannon fire from Union ships.” After the Civil War, Jane Sheldon built a smaller structure that served as a general store, port collector’s office, boarding house, and print shop until 1900.
I appreciate the plaques that have been mounted on the ruins which made these silent stones come alive with the real events they witnessed.
The weather gods were with us so we motored out the New Smyrna inlet and sailed the 60 miles to St. Augustine, avoiding the anxiety-producing low bridges and Fiery Tentacles of Hell near Daytona. Waking up before first light in order to take advantage of the tide, we heard (and felt!) the loud rumble and then saw the SpaceX launch of the the astronauts bound for the International Space Station. The aura created around the rocket was truly awe-inspiring:
This is not my photo but similar to what we saw.
We ate outside at The Floridian (fried green tomatoes, pickled pepper shrimps, and a Dixie burger—not bad for a dyed-in-the-wool Yankee, eh?) with Lesley and Gary on Happy Together, one of our original 6 Bimini boats. David and I window-shopped Old St. Augustine and visited the Castillo de San Marcos National Monument.
These “mer-man” ornaments made me chuckle. Which one would you choose?
Closed during our first visit, the Castillo de San Marcos was now open to 100 masked visitors at a time so we toured the uncrowded battlements, casements, watchtowers and the drawbridge. It is the oldest masonry fort in the United States and the original walls date back to 1672! Coquina stone doesn’t shatter but rather compresses under fire so the fort was impenetrable. Although never taken in battle, the fort changed hands many times at the treaty table so Spanish, British and American flags have taken turns atop the flagpole.
We sailed out that inlet behind David on April 26, entering at Fernandina, our last port in Florida. I remembered seeing this complex in the pre-dawn fog on November 13. Back then I thought at first that it was some kind of amusement park with roller coasters and cool slides. Nope, it’s a paper mill!
There have been people living on Amelia Island at the mouth of the St. Mary’s River for over 4000 years but the seaport of Fernandina Beach dates back to the 1850’s when the railroad first appeared. The 50-block area of historic gingerbread houses and shops reminded me a bit of the architecture of Martha’s Vineyard. We met up with Happy Together again to enjoy Mexican food. Our friend was competing on Jeopardy that night, having won twice in a row. The restaurant willingly turned one of the TV sets to the game and everyone cheered when he won again!
We took to the Atlantic again on April 27. There’s not always a lot to see out there but sometimes you’re surprised. We were 3+ miles offshore and saw scores and scores of pelicans just hanging out in pods or “briefs” waiting for the next fishing boat or school of herring to pass by....
or maybe something larger:
Far from the Florida crowds and the paper mill, we went back “inside” at St. Simons Island, Georgia, and wound our way up the Frederica and MacKay Rivers to a secluded anchorage on Buttermilk Sound. Here’s a video to give you a sense of the sounds of the Sound:
We were treated to a glorious double sunrise/moon set experience the next morning. I remember viewing a simultaneous sun set and moon rise over the Grand Canyon some 30 years ago. There must have been a few hundred of us gathered in silent awe at the majesty of the event. Then someone broke the silence with the cry, “Do it again! " The crowd erupted in joyous applause and appreciation.
Living under the heavens for nearly nine months now, I can attest to the fact that Nature does, indeed, do it again, and again, and again.
