Saturday November 21, 2015

Saturday..............departing Amelia Island cruising to St. Augustine

We left Amelia Island with the goal to get to St. Augustine.  The weather forecast was  afternoon storms with heavy  rain and winds expected overnight.   This is the third day this week, we ended the day with a downpour, but timing was on our side and we were safe when it hit.    Since we were headed to St. Augustine, we thought  it would be a good place to lay over for a day or so until the weather passes.  It was a long day but

Sunny Morning Leaving Amelia Island

Railroad Bridge

Homes lining the ICW

Wooded Beaches lining the Intercoastal

Ship called "Squall"

Arrived Just in Time

We traveled for about 7 hours today and enjoyed the scenery of the ICW.  One side of the ICW was lined with beautiful homes and the other side untouched wooded beaches.   We spent hours cruising along the scenic route.

Wooded Beaches lining the Intercoastal

One section of the Inter-coastal required us to cruise along a shipping channel and we spotted an unusual type ship.  We have never seen one with that design.

Ship called "Squall"

Unfortunately as we traveled to St. Augustine, we began to notice a dark cloud that seems to have been following us.  We barely had time to dock at the Conch Marina, when the downpour started.

Arrived Just in Time

Fortunately, the rain only lasted for about an hour and then subsided in time for to catch up with one of Mike's Fire Department buddies.  Cindy and Bill Ward caught up for dinner and then took us on a tour of the City.

Timing was perfect,  we arrived in St. Augustine, the oldest city in the country to enjoy the "Night of Lights."  Tonight, the city would throw the switch to light up the city with over 3 million lights.
Bill toured us through the city Square where Ms. Santa Claus was singing to the crowd and musicians were playing Christmas carols  in the Gazebo. It's amazing that we stood where people stood over 450 years ago! After Bill,   drove us through the crowds of the city,  we returned to the boat to share stories and catch up.   Cindy and Bill were great hosts!