Back in Florida

We have had limited exposure to Florida and have been pleasantly surprised by the number of energetic, pretty communities along the ICW in central and northern Florida including Cocoa, Fort Pierce, New Smyrna Beach and St. Augustine.   In Cocoa we shopped at the fascinating 130-year old, multi-building Travis Hardware.  Authorities would have closed the store as a fire hazard in Maine, but it was great as you can see in the pictures.  We told them that they should charge admission.

Cast iron cookware is 21 1/5% off!  We were told that helps the 80-year old
owner remember the discount,

Does anyone need a wagon wheel?

Is this walkway between
buildings safe?

Defrosting the refrigerator.

The boat is now 100 pounds lighter.

We enjoyed three days in Fort Pierce, shopped the great Farmers’ Market there, performed various maintenance projects and packaged and shipped four boxes home including the one thing that we found made in the Bahamas – rum cake in 6 different flavors! 

South of New Smyrna Beach, we rescued a disabled boat with three adults aboard and towed them 5 miles to the boat ramp where they had started.  We were already low on gas, and the boat owner had arranged for fuel for us at the boat ramp.  He insisted that we take some of his money and treat ourselves to a good meal in New Smyrna Beach, which we did.

Our friends getting ready to depart.

The boating community is generally very supportive and friendly.  Among our new friends are the Allen family, whom we saw briefly at the Boat Basin (months ago!) in New York City, passed in Delaware River and met in Delaware Gap.  We have texted back and forth multiple times about conditions and were pleased to see them again in St. Augustine, where we shared a great meal on our boat, thanks to Ann bringing the food. 




Our boat was the only pleasure boat in the free marina!

From St. Augustine we motored to Jacksonville and much enjoyed our stop there at the free municipal marina located in the shadow of the former Gator Bowl, now the home of the Jaguars, their NFL football team.  The city seems to be up and coming, and we walked around the city, including the Landing, the restaurant and cultural center.  The next day (Friday the 13^th!) we continued up (which is south) the beautiful St. Johns River to Julington Creek for gas.  Another time we would like to continue exploring the St. Johns River, which flows another 150 miles south through the center of the State.

We enjoyed the aroma of the Maxwell
Coffee plant.

Home of the Jacksonville Jaguars.

We still don't have a good dolphin picture!

After a great lunch at the Fish Camp restaurant, we reversed course back through Jacksonville to the ICW and headed north.  Our original destination was Ferandina Beach, but the mooring field there and marina (like many others) was devastated by Hurricane Matthew, and won’t open again until March.  Instead we anchored in the Amelia River, where we watched dolphins swim by the boat, and Molly gave me my first haircut in over three months.

Tomorrow (1/14) we cross into Georgia, but leave Florida with a much improved picture of the state along with the thought that maybe we could live there for a few months a year!  Time will tell.