St. Augustine Has Welcomed Us!

It is now Thursday, April 16. We are still on our mission to get home. On Saturday, we took the dinghy in to Key West Bight Marina and summoned an Uber. Peter and Shalako went to the airport and I was dropped off at a Publix supermarket to provision for another four weeks. Everyone had a mask and people were trying to maintain social distancing, but the store was crowded and this was not always possible.

Our feet back on dry land in the USA

Sunset from Mantra anchored off Fleming Island, Key West

The weather was not favorable for moving from our anchorage in Key West, so we sat there until Tuesday morning, April 14. At 9:30, we got to the dock at the only open marina to fill our water tanks. I had hoped to take a walk while this was happening, but we were forbidden to leave our boat. People who come to shore in their dinghies are granted one hour, but we were confined. How strange it is to not be welcome!

It took over an hour to top off our two tanks, each holding 200 gallons. Then we set off for Lake Worth on the Atlantic side of the Florida peninsula. We found the Gulf Stream and were able to sail close-hauled, making between 9 and 10 knots an hour. Sometimes our speed was 12 knots! Unfortunately, the seas were lumpy and the boat pitched and yawed throughout the day and into the night. When we passed the keys and started heading north, the seas calmed as the direction of the wind and the current became the same. 

Off the ports of Miami and Fort Lauderdale, there were a few cruise ships just puttering around. With all cruise ship voyages cancelled, they have nowhere to go; it seems that there are not enough berths for the entire fleet, so some are just drifting offshore.

We found the anchorage in Lake Worth, which is a large body of water, packed with vessels but the beaches on the Atlantic coast stretch for miles, totally empty. We found a good place to drop the hook at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, April 15. We are waiting until Saturday for weather, and then we will continue north. Occasionally, dolphins or rays come by to cheer us up, but we are still waiting to see the elusive manatee.

Peter is doing various small tasks on the boat. I cleaned the sole of the cockpit and did a couple other minor things, but the hours stretch out endlessly. I cook three meals a day, and I study Spanish and play games alone or with Peter. I have no books to read unless I want to start reading manuals. Our mobile phone carrier is now Google Fi, and we have liked the versatility of it in foreign countries. Unfortunately, Google has disabled the ability to use our phones for hotspots because they are Apple phones. We suspect it is an underhand attempt to motivate us to purchase Google phones (which is not happening). So, we do not have Internet access.

Megayachts at West Palm Beach

I realize that we are fortunate in so many ways, but with boat travel and marina access severely restricted, I can’t help but feel a bit trapped. People in their homes are facing similar situations, but at least they can go out for exercise. (If it is calm enough this afternoon, we may launch the kayak. We saw people on stand-up paddleboards yesterday.) And the majority of people have Internet access, streaming services, projects that have been put aside because of lack of time, and books to read. I have none of these diversions. Still, we are getting by day by day like everyone else.

We have learned that the marinas and boat yards in Maryland are closed, so those are no longer options. Virginia is still a possibility, but things may change. If the yards in Virginia close, we really have no way to get off the boat and leave her in a safe place so we can return to California. I don’t do well psychologically with this type of uncertainty.

Monday, April 20

We are now docked at the St. Augustine Municipal Marina. We can get off the boat and walk around. We have Internet!!! We can get take-out food!

Sailing off the coast of Florida with a Small Craft Advisory in effect

These waves are actually bigger than they look 

Sherri bundled up in foul weather gear and pretending to be having a good time

Despite a small craft advisory, which Peter has ignored more than once before, we pulled up anchor at Lake Worth at 2 p.m. on Friday, Apr. 17, and headed out to sea. We got into the Gulf Stream a couple of hours later and turned off the engine. The winds were light, but the sea state was unpleasant, with waves 4 to 8 feet in height in short intervals. In addition, there were storms lurking all around us. Through the night, conditions only became worse. The winds increased to 18-20 knots with gusts up to 25. By then, we had all 3 reefs in the main. Peter managed on his own for most of the night because my response to chaos is like that of some babies—I just go to sleep. (To insure this, I took a dose of Ny-Quil!) By 6 a.m. on Saturday, Apr. 18, the wind had abated to 12 knots from the south, we were no longer fighting an adverse current and the sea state had improved. By 10 a.m., we were back in an adverse current, slowing us to 6 knots even after we took all the reefs out. When we finally made it through Ponce de Leon Inlet and anchored at 3 p.m. behind New Smyrna Beach, Peter made me swear that I would never, ever again let him set out during small craft advisories!

During the night, waves rose up over the bow, soaking not only the foredeck but our bed. Having the dinghy tied down over our deck hatch did nothing to stop the flooding. Even though the salty water only came in over the end of the bed, the sheets, mattress cover and mattress itself wicked the water to the top of the bed. Lucky for us there is a small washing machine on board. I washed the first load after we anchored on Saturday and hung the sheets on the lifelines to dry, but by sunset they were still wet. I have extra bed linens, but the mattress was still too damp to use. Peter and I slept on the couches in the saloon.

We enjoyed being anchored in calm water and resting on Sunday. I was able to do another load of laundry, and the bright sun, warm air and gentle breeze allowed everything to dry well before sunset.

There were hundreds of pleasure boats out on the water and people on the sand spits and beaches. In Florida, the governor had opened the beaches on Friday, April 17, as well as the boat ramps. There did not seem to be much social distancing on the beaches and no one had masks. One small powerboat came to visit us and chat, but Rodney and Barbara stayed on their boat tied behind us over six feet away. 

In the afternoon, we launched the kayak and spent a couple of hours exploring the backwaters lined with mangrove trees. We were delighted to see that, unlike in the Guna Yala territory of Panama, there was no trash nor flotsam and jetsam among the above water roots. We encountered ospreys, herons, snowy egrets and ibises as well as smaller wading shore birds.

Snowy egret

Snowy egret catching a fish

This morning, we pulled up anchor at 8 a.m. under gray skies and intermittent rain. Out at sea, we hoisted the main with no reefs and the genoa and sailed north on a broad reach, port tack. By 10 a.m., with the wind increasing to 16-20 knots, we put up the staysail and put three reef in the main as thunder rumbled around us and lightning pierced the dark skies. Fortunately, we were out of the storms by noon, but we had reached speeds of 13.3 knots with reduced sail and felt that everything was under control. At 4 p.m., the wind clocked to the north and we rolled in the genoa and turned on the engine for the rest of the ride to St. Augustine.

Nice sailing without a Small Craft Advisory

Luckily, it was smooth going through the inlet with only 8-14 knots of wind and no breaking waves. (The last time we entered we broached and slid down the front of a wave, an experience we will not forget and do not want to repeat.) Docking at the municipal marina was much easier this time. Now, we are ready to get onto dry ground. 

Mantra on a dock for the first time since we left Guatemala

I will add photos later today. Right now I am hungry and Peter is eager to eat anything other than what we have on the boat. Actually, he mentioned getting a fancy take-out meal. I think what he means is that he wants to find meat! Personally, I am interested in ice cream.

St. Augustine at sunset