Relaxing in Jacksonville

Everyone has had just the best time over the last few days with Gayle and Cameron in and around Jacksonville.

Dulcinea at St Augustine Marina

We left the boat on the mooring at St Augustine and Gayle picked us up at the weekend as planned.  Gayle has two lovely nieces, Sara and Lacy, and they took the kids almost immediately whisking them off to a local amusement park.   Gayle, Nic and I then went to the local Yacht club to have dinner and watch the sun go down.  The club is in the grounds of a place that used to be owned by DuPont.  It was very extravagant - huge grounds and buildings.  We sat in the bar and relaxed with a beer and some food catching up with Gayle.

The concert was next.  It was held in a local theatre in Jacksonville so the crowd was not too big.  It was an amazing show and anyone out there who gets the chance to go and see Eddie Vedder should take it.  He was alone on stage most of the time with just a selection of guitars, mandolins and ukuleles but the sound was awesome.  He also had a great rappor with the crowd and chatted a lot.  All in all a really entertaining show which was all the more enjoyable given that its the first time we have been out to an event in about 6 months.

The next few days we borrowed Gayle’s car and ran a lot of errands while Gayle or Sara and Lacy looked after Sam and Calley.  It was great - the kids did not want to shop with us so they enjoyed either hanging out at Gayle’s place or visiting local attractions and we could move around a lot quicker.  On the Monday, Calley went into Cameron’s school to meet his classmates and talk about the trip.  Gayle was with her and said she did an awesome job.  She was standing up in front  of the class explaining what we were doing, the route, the boat etc and then answering questions.  The kids were just amazed at her stories and really interested in what she had been doing.  Must say thanks again to Gayle for organising and to Mrs Weaver, Cameron and class for making Calley feel so welcome.

Calley and Cameron at school

Sara, Lacy and kids at Alligator Farm

While the kids were having fun, Nic and I were trying to complete a lot of shopping.  We are getting close to the time when we will be leaving the US and that means leaving the convenience of getting whatever we need, whenever we need it.  Honestly the US is incredible in terms of the stuff that is available - if not immediately then certainly overnight or within a few days.  We decided to stock up on dry food as much as possible and so armed with a store card borrowed from Gayle and a full wallet we visited Costco and got enough food to fill a Volvo SUV.  I had ideas of spreadsheets listing out consumption per person per day corrected for ambient temperature and mood but instead we just wandered around grabbing items.  Nic would say “how many of these do you think” holding up a 2kg bag of flour, I would take a stab in the dark “ooh four or five” and then after going back and forth for a few minutes like an auction we would settle on a random number hopefully somewhere near to what we need.  So we will either be starving halfway across the Pacific or be setting up a food shop when we get back.  I actually think we have got enough dry goods for around six months and will need to stock up again in Pananma but some things should last us longer.

Some of the provisions

While we were out and about we picked up various outstanding gear for the boat as well.  We had already ordered most of the spares but there is always something else and undoubtedly we will end up forgetting lots.  There are the obvious things like engine spares but then also need light bulbs for every different type of light, consumables like oil, transmission fluid, filter elements etc, everyday items like printer cartridges and batteries, cruising guides, tools for all fasteners etc, etc.  The list goes on and on.  On the fun side we also got a kayak and a stand up paddleboard as toys for the boat.  Hope these will give the kids and us some fun and exercise.

Although the shopping was a bit of an ordeal, the loading of the boat was even worse.  We shifted the boat into a slip at the marina and then started moving all the food from Gayle’s house.  It was a big job as we had to load the car, then unload the car and load the trolleys, then push the trolleys out the jetties, then load it onto the boat, then carry it down below and then store it away in various recesses.  Eventually everything was stowed away but its hardly in seaman like fashion.  Again I was envisaging lists detailing exactly where every item was cross referenced with a schematic of the boat.  What we have got is food jammed in where it would fit.  Plan is to unpack it all in the Bahamas and do an inventory. Thats the plan anyway!

On deck we had to find a place for the kayak.  Almost as soon as it was onboard I started cursing it  for being in the way.  The only good place for it is in the water but during transits we will stow it either lashed on the rail forward or across the stern.  Nothing is ideal.  The paddleboard is inflatable and so not so much of a problem.

After stowing all the gear Nic and I went for dinner and a wander around St Augustine.  The night was really pleasant  and we found a simple outdoor restaurant to eat at.  The town is really pretty as you can see from the photos below.  By the way, there are people there but we took these early in the morning.

St Augustine

Old city Gates St Augustine

On Wednesday afternoon we said our goodbyes to Gayle and sailed out through the Bridge of Lions and across the St Augustine bar.  As usual the weather had turned colder.  Its like our cue to keep heading south.  The wind had picked up from the day before but had some west in it which made the passage across the bar ,while still rough, nowhere near what it had been during the entrance a few days before.  We set a course for Cape Canaveral with a good Northerly blowing.  The sea was still pretty rough which made for an uncomfortable ride but with 20kts of wind we were off Cape Canaveral by early morning and moored in yet another marina by 0900.

We have a few things to do here, the first being a surprise visit for Calley to see Winter the dolphin at Clearwater Marine Park.  He is the one from the film “A Dolphin Tail” about the dolphin which gets an artificial tail fitted.  Calley was really taken with the film so she should be really excited.  Also trying to catch up with friends Nina and Walt in Bradenton.

Finally a huge thank you to Gayle, Cameron, Sara and Lacy.  We all had such a great time and really enjoyed  our stay in Jacksonville.  Hope we will catch up again sometime, somewhere - Galapagos?