Persistent morning fog delayed our departure from Amelia Island until 10:00AM. Daily temperatures in the 80s over cooler water creates the fog and also has the boat's air conditioning operating daily. As we crossed the St.Johns River, we encountered, and gave way to, several inbound ships. Once in the very-long Tomotolo River, we passed many homes - some were near-castles, others were shacks. Idling through an interminable 10 mile cut, we spent nearly 90 minutes looking at houses. We have seen hundreds of playful dolphins swimmimg around our boat every day
Near St. Augustine's Inlet, the outgoing tide created swift currents which made maneuvering around the constantly shifting shoals at the harbor's entrance interesting. Once past Castillo San Marcos and under the Bridge of Lions, which is being repaired, we headed toward southern St. Augustine into San Sebastian Creek. Halfway up the creek, we moored at Saint Augustine Marine. They'll lift the boat out of the water, block it on land, wash and wax it and keep it until we return in January.
After renting a car, we toured the historic Spanish sector after supper. It is beautifully lit for Christmas. We left the marina at 9:30AM, drove straight through to Virginia Beach, arriving home at 8:00PM ... a 675-mile trip in 10.5 hours. Good to be home, even if we have a pile of laundry to wash.
Ebb Tide II underway
