Back in the U.S.A.

I think that might be a good title for a song…Hmmm, maybe Born in the U.S.A would be Better?! Anyway, yes, we are back on the US Coast, anchored off the Shore of Cumberland Island, which is on the border of Florida and Georgia. Our arrival here was definitely bittersweet…sadness about leaving the Bahamas, but happiness about being home again and seeing our loved ones. We felt the difference immediately upon reaching the home shore. Traffic and dirty water were the first impressions. We stayed a few days in Vero Beach to relax a bit and check back in with customs. Here we hung out with Carol and Bill on Interim (the fourth boat in the flotilla). They saw us off after hosting a yummy chocolate chip pancake breakie.

We have since been enjoying the trip north and continue to see interesting and sometimes beautiful places. Amidst anchoring and passing through lovely, serene marshland, we have stopped at several great towns. We first stopped unexpectedly at New Smyrna Beach. We had intended to anchor out that night, but we were concerned about crossing a particularly shallow spot at low tide. That and the high wind convinced us that we should seek shelter at the marina. This turned out to be a good choice when we discovered that it was St. Patty’s day and the town was celebrating. We started out at Maloney’s where, you guessed it, they were Irish! We sidled up to the bar, ordered a Guinness (Cindy and me that is…Lynn had a coke) and listened to the Irish duo playing folk (or were they drinking) songs. All the elements for a good time were there, including “Hurling” on TV and the boot of Guinness passed around the bar for the patrons to drink. I found out it is bad luck to put the boot down after I placed it down on the bar. We also partook of the awesome seafood chowder, made to order by Jim, the owner, in unique steam kettles (only 8 of their kind in the US). The fun was topped off by the band playing “Alice”…with the refrain “Alice, Alice, who the f*%& is Alice?” shouted loudly by everyone in the bar. We had a blast…it was one of those spontaneous perfect occasions that you could not repeat with a year of planning.

We left the next day and headed north to St. Augustine, Florida, which is the oldest city in the nation. They obviously have a lot of history, including the fact that Martin Luther King organized one of his first peaceful demonstrations there. Although it has become rather touristy, there is still great old charm. We even saw an anti-war demonstration, so not much has changed I guess. It was discovered by Ponce de Leon, so there is a strong Spanish influence. We all really liked it and even had fun viewing the city in the cheesy red tour train. We spent a little time carefully picking out a cowboy hat for me in a cute store in the walking district. We finished the day sipping sangria on a balcony overlooking the busy main street…another gastronomic success!

We departed the next day and picked our way north to Georgia. We are waiting out the day with a plan to leave late afternoon to traverse in the ocean to Beaufort SC to stop off for a short visit with David and Gini. It appears that the stars have aligned. The wind and sea predictions are good, it’s a full moon so we will have lots of light, and the tides are favorable. We will leave around 5 PM and should get to Beaufort by around noon tomorrow. Although it means another nighttime cruise, we will happily avoid the ICW shallows in Georgia. So, next stop South Carolina!