Perpendicular Docking

Next morning, we sadly sad goodbye to Cumberland Island.  I could have stayed there a week!  Good thing is that we were on our way to St. Augustine and hoped to see a few friends there and maybe find that elusive sunshine.  Because the St. Augustine Inlet is considered to be such a terrible way to come in from the ocean, we took the ICW down. 

Even though it is slower going down the ICW and you have to motor (and you have to negotiate tides just to barely slide under those freakin' bridges), you can throw a jib up to give you an extra knot.  I love houses, so for me, just seeing the different types of architecture is so much fun.  I also love seeing people doing their works or recreating by fishing or boating. 

Getting to St. Augustine was just a day trip, but we were held up by a high tide at one of the bridges before Lion's Bridge, which was an opening bridge.  We anchored until the water dropped sufficiently for us to slide through and then made our way under the Lion's Bridge and into our marina.  We had directions to get into a slip between two larger motor yachts and it seemed like it was easy peasy. 

Sure.  Just as we were getting close, though, the current grabbed out boat and pushed us up against the pilings behind the boat that should have been to the left of us.  People rushed over to help and with Gary's quick thinking, we were able to push off the pilings (one of them concrete--yikes!), pull on the right lines, and slowly make our way into the slip.  Sheesh!  That was a little scary.  And of course, the boat we could have damaged was a million-dollar boat.  Oy!  Thankful they didn't have a dinghy hanging off the back; we had a clear lay, but still....

After those first minutes of hard-core adrenalin pumping excitement, I looked down the finger pier, I saw my friend Cheryl standing there.  I gave her a shoulder shrug and a laugh and got her on board quickly for a big hug.  She had asked me earlier if I needed anything, so she was loaded down with a few bags of groceries and wouldn't let me pay for them.  I am grateful for that generosity.  I hadn't seen her in years.  We had been friends when she lived in Fredericksburg and it was great to see her again here.  She looked fantastic; how is it that some people just do not age?  We spent time on the boat getting caught up and then decided to head into town to look around and possibly find a place to get some dinner.

We ended up walking many blocks (so worth it) to a great pizza joint called Carmelo's.  We ordered a giant pizza and laughed and laughed while we tried to eat.  More catching up on the way home and then a goodbye at Cheryl's car; I wish we had more time, but she had work the next day.  Like Elliott is known to say:  Dang it!

The next morning, I snuck out early with Elliott and we had our own little excursion around old town while Gary stayed on board and did the work that's helping to pay for this excursion of ours.  My only goal, really, was to find a place with baked things and we found a Spanish bakery and all was as it should be.  Great bread, rolls, pecan and sweet potato pastries.  Oh yes! 

We had arranged to meet up with our friend in the early afternoon.  Carol, another Fredericksburger, splits her time between St. Augustine and the 'burg and offered to show us around.  She's a really cool lady and is a birthday twin to me.  I could tell it was her from the end of the dock because she has such a lively gait. 

Lunch was the first stop and we chose Polish over Cuban, mostly because in Florida, a Cuban restaurant is pretty easy to find.  Not so much Polish.  Great choice, if I say so myself.  Pierogies, salad, soups; everything was wonderfully delicious.  A little pricey, too, but mostly because we bought multiples of things with our big eyes!

After saying goodbye to the owner and the great person who was our server, we walked around town and took in more sights and galleries.  Our social director, Elliott, had made arrangements to meet up with a lovely young woman named Meriam.  He walked us over to the Fort and we parted ways until later in the evening. 

Carol was able to get us in for no fee at the fort; the Ranger letting us in with her said, "Hmm, it seems that they owe you a steak dinner!" 

The Castillo San Marcos National Monument is quite a site to behold.  It is the oldest masonry fort in America.  The material used to build the fort, a rare limestone substance called coquina, is layers and layers of shells.  It had the amazing ability to repel shot; while a cannon ball fired at a granite wall might cause the granite to shatter, the ball was kind of  "absorbed" by the coquina as it was compressed.  It also uses the star-shaped design for the outer walls of the fort so that cannon can be placed in such a way to provide coverage for every direction that may be needed in warfare.

The walls were very thick, and we learned so much about the history of the fort and region.  I crawled into one room on hands and knees.  Felt claustrophobic immediately.  Found out it was the armory, but the lack of free-flowing air and light really bothered me.  The craftsmanship was and still is considered outstanding for a military compound.

After this tour, we did more of a walking tour of the city, with Carol telling us about personal favorites or her friends' favorite places or places they played music.  It was great to put names to locations I'd only read about before.

We got back to the boat in time to meet Elliott's new friend, Meriam.  They had plans for dinner already, so we parted ways again.  While we were discussing ideas for dinner, I said we should watch our money a little and Carol's eyes brightened.  She offered that if we were willing to walk to her van, she'd take us to a cool little place she'd just become acquainted with; we were game.

We ended up at the Back 40 Urban Cafe, just a little ways out of the main part of town.  They bill themselves as the "Oldest City's Newest Secret."  What a find!  Carol had told us about their burrito, so Gary ordered one.  It was a behemoth!  And he loved it, saying it was the best burrito he'd ever had, as he savored every morsel.  I had a salad with a buttermilk curry dressing that was so fine I wish they'd had pints to buy--I would have stocked up!  They stress vegetarian food there, with meat options if you desire.  Delicious, AND inexpensive!

Afterwards, Carol offered to take us to a nearby grocery store, too.  That was wonderful, as the fresh stuff always dwindles quickly.  Got plenty of canned and packaged goods in stock, but there's nothing like having fresh fruit, especially on an ocean run, when you want something quick and nutritious and easy on the belly.

Thus ended our time with Carol and St. Augustine.  It was fun and again, I could have stayed much longer.  I promised to come down again in the land yacht (camper) and meet up with Carol later on for some inland hiking and more adventures, though, I do have to say that when she told me of the alligator whose tail was on the path she was walking, I did flinch.  And Carol, being Carol, took it nice and easy as she stepped over the alligator and continued on her way.  Oh boy, she's something.