Good night!

On the move!

And lovin it!

We left St. Marys around 9:30 this morning after fueling up and pumping out.

Had a good trip overall but had to get through some skinny water at Jekyll island.  We draw 4.5 ft. and my depth sounder was reading 5 Yikes! Took our time and picked our way along withouttouching once.  Tonight we are anchored out at N. Lanier Island.  Hopefully a nice quiet evening!!

Our next stretch of coastline

Jack of Hearts

One beautiful boat!

Mike and Dianne on Jack of Hearts

Waiting....

We have been waiting out this last cold front so we can get moving.  We need to cross St. Andrew's Sound and it can be a nasty crossing with the wind blowing.  So we wait! it's all about the weather and tomorrow looks to be the day

 

It is a glorious day today and i did some biking.  Headwind on the way out but pleasant back in. Gonna head over and visit Mike and Diane on Jack of Hearts.  Gotta socialize! :-)

Ooohhhhh, sunshine feels so good!

See what I mean?

I'm waiting for the fishing boat to come and feed me from today's catch!

Hold on to that rail, Joanna!

Big tides in Ga

This is the marina ramp at low tide. At high tide there is almost no incline.

Long Night

Around 2 am the wind picked up and a nasty storm blew through. The boat was really rocking here at the dock and I had to get up and keep an eye on things.  Not the most fun in the wee hours but made the best of it. Cloudy and rain here today but at least the temps are mild. 

Went up to take my shower in Siberia this morning and had to wait as it was occupied.  Soon a stranger came out, got in his car, and left.  Hmmm..... i guess everyone has a right to a hot shower!!!

Today will be our last day at St. Marys as we will begin the big push north tomorrow. Good weeather window and I am getting antsy to move on. 

Friends from home!

We spent a delightful afternoon with Gary and Jackie Mahar who live near us in NY. We also went to high school together a very long time ago! It feels good to be with Friends you know from way back!  I'll drink to that!  The Mahars are in St. Marys visiting Jackie's mother and brother. They look great and are just as much fun to be with as they were 47 years ago!

Cumberland Harbor Point

Looking out toward St. Mary's inlet... A good place to fish right here!

A wonderful day!

With Menzer and Rena

St. Mary's Park

The park entrance

Looking peckish!

We're talking fresh here!

The men's room at Lang's

I don't think I need to show any more!

Why we come to St. Marys

We were on our first trip down the ICW in 2006 when Joanna"s stepmother died.  We were closing in on St. Marys, GA and a visit with good friends Menzer and Rena from Pierrepont Manor, who helped make it possible for Joanna to fly out of Jacksonville to attend to her father.   

That is how we discovered Lang's Marina.  It is a nice safe place to leave a husband or a boat, or both in this case.  Joanna flew to Vegas to be with her dad for ten days and I stayed behind to take care of Cats and boat.

Lang's has nice floating docks and a real treasure of a guy named Nat who is the dockmaster.  83 years young and married to the same woman for 60 years.  Now that is consistency!!! 

Unfortunately, Lang's also has the ignominious honor of having the nastiest bathrooms on the east coast!  Yes, the showers are hot, but my feet NEVER touch the floor in the bathroom here.  I will post a photo to prove my point.

But wait, i am getting off topic as this is supposed to be Why we come to St. Marys.

OK, here is why:  Rena and Menzer, Friendly Lang's, close to airport, great little Italian rest. The best seafood around at Lang's rest., cozy old time little town where you could write a novel, near Cumberland National Seashore (Cumberland Island). 

Like I said, I will post some pictures, but I think you are getting the point.  And maybe you see the bigger picture also:  Why we cruise the ICW!!!!  

 

On the road again!

Adios Florida!

The interior of Mary Heather

Looking toward the bow

Ken and Donna

We enjoyed them immensely. Hopefully we will meet further up the ditch. Ken and Joanna can work out some more world problems together.

The Mary Heather

An old restored wooden Chris Craft owned by Ken and Donna

Georgia on my Mind

This is our last day in Florida as tomorrow we are hoping to cross the state line into Georgia.  Sunny today but one more blow tonight has kept us here at Sisters Creek an extra day.

Today I decided to take the bike and grab some supplies.  It turned out to be the Batann Death March as I had to pedal 12 miles round trip to find a store. I'd swear it was uphill both ways! Finally located a Quik Stop and it worked out cause they also had a lunch counter run by a little old lady who makes terrific fried chicken.  This enabled me to return to the boat a hero with fresh game slung over my saddle. 

Have had fun getting to know our neighbors, Ken and Donna, from Guelph Ontario. 

Hopefully by this time tomorrow we will be in St. Marys, Georgia at Langs Marina!

Harpo,Chico,Groucho,and Zeppo!

The pelican will eat all it's belly can!

Hunkered down

Another front is pushing through so we are settled in to wait it out. Got a book to read

Another day in Paradise!

Joanna is on deck with a chapeau to protect her internet tan!

Scamper kicks back after a long day of travel

Naval dry dock.....Jacksonville

Joanna got a shot of one of the pirate ships coming through the bridge

A Pleasant Surprise

It has been quite a few years since our last stop in St. Augustine and we were pleasantly surprised by the friendly energy of America's oldest city. Lots and lots of tourists and traffic and fancy boats and people, but everyone was friendly. This marina is well-run and top notch. 

It was a warm sunny day and people were making the most of it. We need to move with a favorable weather window tomorrow but next time we will stay longer!

Go Syracuse!

Gotta love it!

I had the grouper.

Dinner with Nonna at Nonna's

St. Augustine

Downtown

St. Augustine Marina

Aaaaaarrrrrggggghhhhh!

We are in St. Augustine where a Spanish ship of the line has come to visit.  More pictures tomorrow when I have time. Right now I AM consumed by madness!

Ahhhh.....Madness! Thank you Diana!

Marineland holding pond

Nice black drum!

Amazing bike path!

More biking today

Another 10 mile day!

And the answer is...

Clothesline

Marineland Marina

A great stop for us!

Hunkered Down

The wind blew and the rain pattered hard on the deck last night.  The boat bobbed a little here at the dock, but not so much that we couldn't sleep soundly.  This morning was gray, breezy, and chilly enough for me to don a flannel shirt so we could go to the farmers market here at the marina.  It's where the boats meet the buys and buy we did!  What a great idea!
Just finished reading "The Lifeboat" by Charlotte Rogan.  It was a page turner, so thank you Mary Ellen for sending it my way via Robin.
After relaxing all day yesterday I am ready to get out and move around.  the weather is breaking and I am stiff and need to loosen up.

The Market

Every Tuesday

Farmer's Market Day

More farmers market

We bought mahi mahi, soup, hot sauce, calzones, fruit, bread, and baked goods. We eat like kings tonight!

Joanna's new toy

Can you guess? Hint: it has nothing to do with the internet

Rainy Day Schedule

You folks up north will be pleased to hear that it is a miserable day here in Florida.  Damp, breezy and a steady rain have turned this into a rainy day schedule for me. No recess means time for some Bracketology regarding the upcoming NCAA tourney. Hard to say how the Orange will do until we see a game from them.  I think Wichita State is the real deal.

The rest of the day is gonna revolve around a good book and some goofing off!!!

Aaarrrhhh matey!

Matanzas Inlet at low tide