St. Augustine to Jacksonville

     Can't decide if it is good or bad but we're heading north!  Our stay in St. Augustine was very productive. Not only is the bottom clean, shiny and blue, but the topsides got an acid wash and a professional wax job.  We also had the name replaced, so that is also shiny and new (and a bit larger.)  As soon as we were hauled we checked the cutlass bearing and found that it needed to be replaced.   Camanchee Cove Yacht Harbor did an admirable job and we were splashed on Thursday afternoon (a day late due to a very very rainy blustery Tuesday.)  We made good use of the time ashore to restock the boat and luckily had some Trader Joe's supplies that Amy brought down from Raleigh.
     After a send-off breakfast at Jay and Pegg's we loaded the boat and headed up the ICW because the wind was from the NE (on the nose) and blowing close to 20 knots.  We had an uneventful trip up the ditch- - -only one little bump (ACK! not our new paint job) when Dan got too close to shore.   We left the ICW for a few miles to return to a good anchorage we had found on our way back from our Thanksgiving trip up the St. John's River.   We dropped the hook at 4:30 and discussed options for tomorrow.  We'll see...~~~_/)~~~D&M
Google Earth track file

Here's the latest addition to the crew list on Brunelle. Amy (no longer house sitting) is joining us for the first leg of our journey north.

Ahhh! Can you hear the sigh of relief from Martha when she can finally have flowers aboard. Amazingly we couldn't find or pick any in the Bahamas.

Another new addition, a topsy turvy tomato grower! We rigged it as we set off this morning, but Dan being Dan he had to engineer it better! Voila!

HAPPY EASTER!

Just a quick note because I wanted to share our manatee sighting with everyone!  We have been wined and dined ever since we arrived here in St. A.  Jay and Pegg included us in all their social activites this weekend, two parties and an Easter Parade!  We ended up missing the parade because we spotted the manatee just when we should have been leaving for the parade and spent quite a while watching this gentle giant.  We are ready to have Brunelle hauled in the morning for a new coat of bottom paint, and we're not in a great hurry to leave this beautiful weather until we hear that it's a bit warmer back home.  ~~~(\_~~~D&M

This guy had more furry growth than Brunelle's bottom(and a barnacle on his tail!) Of course, Brunelle has been moving faster than this manatee moved. He seemed to be enjoying his back rub, and nibbling on the growth around the dock.