Fernandina Beach, Florida
sunny Floridian vacationland welcomes us
another typical laundry day
Tuesday, Nov. 30th:
We're 13 miles short of St. Augustine (but who’s counting). Although not planned, we are continually crossing paths (anchorages, museums, ICW canals) with just about the only other green sailboat we've come across, whose boat is named Lunatic. In other words, we seem to be looking at a mirror image labeled Lunatic - what does it all mean?...
We've been starting to figure our Bahamas stint. Out of the 700 plus islands, we've eliminated 517 of them. The Abacos seem to be the islands of choice - closer to Florida, closer to each other, and closest to the recent hurricane damage. Actually, Skipper Bob (why does that name ring a bell?) - our primary travel resource - recommends these islands for first time Bahamas cruisers. What?! Does he think there’ll be a second time? West Palm Beach would be the departure point. I’m checking with my friend Lisa (dating back to the 3rd grade), who lives pretty close to Miami, as to whether there is a possibility of camping out on her couch (good thing I brought that tent), while Tom makes the crossing (hopefully “buddy boating” - as it is termed - with others - Lunatics, for instance).
We put another 50 miles and 8 hours under our belts today. It is on these long passages that Jonas alternates between eagerly offering to be of assistance and flipping out when his plastic spoon breaks. It's sort of incredible how far we’ve come (mile 765 plus all those pre-Norfolk miles) - I remember the outrageous distance from there to here being laughable when we began - although traveling all the way back again is still somewhat incomprehensible. Ronna (or Dogbite) was right about the days going slowly but the seasons zipping past (or some such thing) - August came in like a turtle (derivation from that March metaphor), but now we seem to have traversed 3 seasons - summer, autumn, and winter/summer. I hope this makes more sense to you than it does to me...
Saturday, December 4th:
We’re anchored in the coveted dead end creek (does that make it not a creek?), overlooking a cement plant – I hear there’s great anchor holding here (ha). We’re about 20 miles from Daytona Beach – anticipated mail stop and raceway avoidance.
Oh yes, travelogue…so the voyage to St. Augustine had reminders of Long Island, but besides that, upon arrival, the view from the water of the Spanish style architecture and fort were quite inviting (although I don’t think that was the fort builders’ intent). To enter its tourist center you walk aboard a sailing vessel (how different for us), and watch its very complete historical video (to which the noisy ladies nearby did not let it interfere with their conversation). It’s the nation’s oldest city and provided a safe community for fleeing slaves – the rest of the details you can get from that other competing, anecdotally-challenged website. While here, we toured the fort, historic streets, grand hotels, not to mention miniature golf course, adjacent to the (yes another) laundromat (Max is outa control). The waterfront park is quite special – with its 2 lion statues at the bridge entrance (reminiscent of NYC?) and the “traditional” holiday light decorated palm trees. It’s a very picturesque, walkable city – with the tacky tourist exception of a Mystic Village Spanish look-alike section.
We spent the second day at the Resort de Walmart. Our all-inclusive package featured lunch buffet (in the grocery), shopping, and entertainment (the television section was showing a Disney movie). Upon our return, I don’t know whether I should brag more about the 9 hour voyages or 4 hour Walmart expeditions. One highlight included a cell call from Tom, to plan our convergence at register 13 – who I could see at the other end of the aisle talking on the phone. Our departure was commemorated by the attentive Walmart staff by the alarm set off by one of my purchases.
After a bit of research, it looks like Fort Lauderdale will be the departure point – more efficient use of the Gulf Stream, not to mention closer to my friend Lisa’s home – she naively said that we could stay a few days (-I asked David to contact her about how he prepared for our visit, regarding the numerous and memorable ice cream pints). The mail portion of one of the guide books mentioned that first class mail averages 10 days (give or take 3 weeks) – at which point those ShopRite coupons will have expired – UPS and FedEx take 1-2 days but are 6 times the expense – the author notes that he never had mail lost altogether, although one item took 2 years – that’s comforting. And, if you include anything besides mail (cassette tape, antioxidants…), they’ll open the package (good thing antioxidants aren’t a hot item with the customs staff) and tax you. The mail is usually addressed something like Ellen Kleckner or Tom Picinich, General Delivery, Green Turtle Cay (pronounced key – as opposed to Beaufort), Abacos, 3rd palm tree, Bahamas. The author therefore advised that we introduce ourselves to the mail clerk, during the one hour per day, once a week, that the post office is open, which probably differs from the posted operating hours. So, how’s that bottle collection coming?
St. Augustine City Hall
downtown St. Augustine
Bridge of Lions, St. Augustine
Monday, December 6th:
So why don't any of those guidebooks for “sailing” the ICW with children suggest watercolor painting in the cockpit as an acitivity while traveling with 2 young boys? “Mom, can we use these watercolor paints?” “Are you nuts?” she thinks. “Great idea,” she answers. “Am I nuts?” she thinks. Why does this remind me of that Saturday Night Live skit where the surgeon performs a briss (where's that Yiddish spell check?) while in a moving vehicle - as an advertisement for some smooth riding automobile? Was our experience demonstrating the calm ICW passage, the smooth sailing vessel, or my repressed anxiety level? Didn’t those passing motorboats with excessive wakes see we were painting?
WATERcolors while underway to Daytona Beach
How much is that rubber chicken in the window - Daytona Beach
Monday, December 6th:
So we hurried to one of three Daytona post offices, eager to pick up our Hanukkah celebration kit for ICW sailors - a highly demanded commodity. To our dismay, the US Postal Service doesn't accept UPS packages (- my brother's present to us). What was I thinking, not to pack my menorah! - oh yea, I guess I decided that space would be more efficiently utilized by my sneakers. What! ...you mean now I'll have to rely on my creativity and ingenuity instead of commercial, prepackaged accessories? Well, I embarked on that path of preparation - using the mail (from you) that we did receive, I unsuccessfully tried folding the Beth El Synagogue newsletter into a dreidel, but only managed to come up with an El Al paper airplane - I guess we'll have to postpone that high stakes dreidel game to next year. Well, I did come up with the brilliant solution of creating an aluminum foil menorah with none other than Christmas candles, gold paper wrapped sand dollars (subsituting for seaside gelt), and adapting 5 legged chocolate starfish with an extra leg apiece - borrowed from an expendable (hopefully regenerative) starfish, making 6 pointed stars. On the bright side, we did receive the replacement part for the boat's oil lamp - we thought it'd arrive in one day but our wait miraculously lasted for 8 days.
For some reason, Daytona Beach reminded us of good ol' New London. With a pervasive fishy background odor, we strolled the streets lined with numerous wig shops, a pranks and tricks store, a one-half hour photo place, a sporting goods store that had nothing but jewelry, and a theatre featuring Moby Dick the Musical. We figured the least we could do was purchase a rubber chicken at the prank shop for the Hanukkah chicken matzah ball soup. Well after this wonderful downtown experience, we figured we'd continue to move south - hoping to beat the strong Christmas winds - the Hanukkah winds come at a different time each year.
fa la la la la - Daytona Beach
how did you know I wanted a sea lion for Hanukkah??