St. Augustine

Friday, November 18, 2016

Friday morning, the tide was low at 7am, so we were in no hurry to get out early because we wanted to avoid any chance of getting hung up on the shoal across the entrance to Beach Marine.  So we waited a bit.  Bill said his goodbys and called an Uber rideshare to the Jacksonville airport to await his flight back to Maryland.

Once out of the marina, the trip to St. Augustine was pretty easy.  Much of it was wide, and depths were usually pretty good, except for that one time where I let my attention wander and we drifted out of the channel...the depth sounder alarm brought me back to my senses in a hurry! 

As we neared St Augustine, signs of big money started appearing in the forms of large, immaculately landscaped estates along the shores.

Palatial Estates

Our original plan had been to take a mooring ball for a single night at the St. Augustine Municipal Marina, and we had reserved one.  But in talking to the crew of s/v Needful Things, we had learned that Saturday was to be the "light off" ceremony kicking off the city's month-long  festival of lights, where the entire historic downtown, and numerous private businesses throughout the whole city, would light up the white Christmas lights that adorned everything.  We decided we'd like to see that, so when we arrived, we were able to change our arrangements to 2 nights in a slip instead.

We spent the rest of the afternoon playing tourist and walking around the shopping district. In the evening, we listened to a free concert by a local band in the area known as the Colonial Quarter. Temperatures remained mild. All in all, a most excellent evening.

The Bridge of Lions

Cathedral of St. Augustine

Altar

Stained Glass

A fairy Garden of Glassware and  Windchimes

Free Concert

Saturday, November 19, 2016

After showers and laundry, we resumed being tourists and walked the town again, touring the fort, eating a turkey leg, and finally ending up in the park for a '40s swing band concert, and the lighting ceremony.  Another thoroughly wonderful day.

Original Gate Through the Town's Fortifications

Castillo de San Marcos

Cannon Firing Demonstration

Lights,

Lights,

and More Lights!

Tomorrow, we head for an anchorage just south of Daytona Beach, a distance of 55 miles.  A cold front is going through tonight, and it's supposed to get cold and windy.  Time to get moving south again!



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