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 CODA : Winterizing the boat in a land without winter.

19 November 2024

Palm Coast Marina, Palm Coast, Florida 

This is our eastern hurricane barrier.  It should slow the wind a bit anyways.  The other secret is to have no nearby ocean inlets.  This place also has very little tides.

Marc-  I continued some more winter storage preparation including resetting all of the fenders and double checking all of our lines.  Both air conditioning units are now working again (some of the duct work had come undone).  I did some more work on the starboard teak gunwale that had been damaged by the previous owner and only quickly repaired by me before our departure on this trip.  One of the local boaters brought me out to Home Depot to get some epoxy to install a new depth sounder transducer (on the inside of the hull).  

Our biggest event of the day was biking about the miles and miles of Palm Coast trails.  We did some 30 miles of trails and even a short stretch of the King's Highway (unfortunately it was not much wider than it was when built by some royalty: Spanish of English).  The trails themselves are really nice with most being about 10 feet wide and with wide bridges.  We did take a look at some mountain bike trails but thought twice about it ( yes even if Florida does not have mountains) after seeing the various jump ramps at the beginning of one trail.  There is a bike trail that goes to the Post Office that we've used some.

No this is not the bikers highway to heaven, just a new elevated bridge over wetlands.

We are very content with the many wooden bike bridges in this area.

This is not just one trail.  It is the conversion of the main east-west rail line 

and the spur lines here on its eastern end.  All are smooth and have the modern concrete bridges.

There are many sights to see.  We have seen the first three animals and all of the tree types.

This place really is popular with monarch butterflies.

Not quite sure what was scenic about the King's Highway.  Maybe it just leads to somewhere scenic.

Lou- I was delighted to run into my favorite neighbor, a calico boat cat named Willow, on our post-dinner stroll tonight!

Her human claims she's normally very shy, but she's super friendly with us, so we feel special!

He also told us that alligators used to haunt this marina!! Like, they would stalk Willow around the docks! 

She never came to any harm, but one of the boaters did.

Apparently there was a person who thought it was a good idea to feed the gators. She got caught at it several times and was told to stop, but she kept at it, just more sneakily. One night, she was giving the gators a snack and one decided it was hungry for more and took a bite at her! 

17 stitches later, she was ok, but she hasn't been back to the marina since.

As for the gator, Willow's human concluded his story with a mournful, "A fed gator is a dead gator."

Apparently alligators don't come around this marina anymore.

That guy was a good storyteller! As we've stopped moving around, it's starting to sink in that this part of the adventure is ending, but talking to fascinating strangers keeps the spirit of exploration alive!

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 CODA : Another day in Palm Coast

18 November 2024

Palm Coast Marina, Palm Coast, Florida   

A new friend on a neighbor's boat.  This great blue heron poses well.

Marc-  Today was our first day of preparing Coda for her wet storage here in Florida.  Since we have done this before we know what to do.  We've arranged to leave one air conditioning unit on dehumidify while we're gone.  We changed out the dozen damp-rid buckets in all sorts of hidden parts off this boat.  It is early to change the oil so we will wait on that.  I had time to do some varnishing and add special enzyme treatment to the diesel fuel tanks.

Our two trips today were going to Home Depot on foot for needed supplies, and going for a bike ride for exercise.   The bike ride was certainly more fun.  Palm Coast has extensive bike paths that are a web of trails.  Our favorite bike path took us down a four mile elevated 10 foot wide boardwalk in the middle of a tropical forest.  We did several other small trails, 15 miles in total, and then returned home to Coda for dinner.

We saw this exotic purple berry bush on our way to Home Depot.

Enter through here for a magical mystery bike tour.

This sign kind of hints of what's in store for you in Palm Coast (the Monarch butterflies have stopped in on their migration and so have lots of birds).

People here take cycling seriously.  The City has invested heavily in at least 100 miles of bike paths.

Intriguing sky cloud cover today.

We took a walk to this nearby assemblage of shops and restaurants.  Unfortunately is was fairly quiet on a Monday.  There were a few pubs open and maybe a Sushi restaurant.

Inside the courtyard time stood still.

Quiet time.  

To be fair:  the place was quite busy on Sunday with a day long farmer's market and all of the restaurants and shops open.

Lou- My mom asked me what I thought of this place and I said, "I rate it high on nature, but low for culture!" 

"It's a nowhere man, nowheresville place," she agreed.

It seems like people come to their condos here and enjoy the warmth and beauty, but don't do much communally/create art. Totally fair to just want to chill out, but the lack of enterprise creates a sort of spooky soulless feeling-- at least in the European Village tonight!

The bike paths rule though! This is the best cycling day we've had since Jekyll! 

A new friend of dad's recommended a path with long stretches of boardwalks, which are one of my favorite things ever, especially in a beautiful, green place.

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 CODA : Winter Holiday pause in Palm Coast

17 November 2024

Palm Coast Marina, Palm Coast, Florida  

Marc-  We were warmly welcomed by Rosine, the Marina Manager.  We had stopped here in 2020 and again in 2021 and had fond memories of the marina itself and the surrounding town park system that includes many miles of walking and biking trails. 

I backed into this slip since the finger piers are only 10 feet long and would not reach our side entry gates if we came bow in (ask me how I know this).  Docking was easy enough and then we noticed that most of the boats had extra dock lines for the anticipated hurricane SARA.  We followed suit and put on double lines.

The facilities are nice here and it makes someone want to stay awhile.  We are leaving in several days to catch a flight out of Daytona Beach to return home in Vermont for the holidays.  We will use the few extra days to do some boat maintenance (there is always something to be done on a boat).

We did take a 5 mile exercise walk ( we did 8.2 miles yesterday but who is counting).  The ICW walking trial here is very nice, crossing several creeks for kayak rentals.  Others come to the fishing piers.

My new egret friend for the day.  Fishing is big here.

Which trail do we take?  So many choices!

We chose the ICW trail with its live oaks because it had the Children's Memorial Garden.

We are in man made waterways here surrounded by condominium buildings.

How can these buildings not slow down the wind?

Another great Florida sunset.

Lou- I asked Dad to take a picture of the No Wake sign because wow! Power boaters around here don't listen to this rule!

I was aghast as boat after boat zoomed by us (not one offering a slow pass) this morning, but Dad says it's normal in Florida on the weekends.

I also saw a concerning number of Trump flags today. 

The people we met face-to-face were nice though. There was Rosine (goes by Ro), the cool front desk lady at the marina, a nice guy on a huge catamaran also headed to the Bahamas, and a man on an after-dinner stroll with his super sweet cat, Willow. 

The paths around here are lovely! Dad had warned me that there was nothing here really other than condos and bike paths, so I'd set my expectations low, but it's actually really nice here! Lots of greenery and water, and the air seems extra fresh. Looking forward to biking! 

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 CODA : Day 2 in Saint Augustine

16 November 2024

St. Augustine Municipal Mooring Field (Menendez), St. Augustine, Florida  

This turtle catches the spirit of St. Augustine (taken at local gallery).

Marc-  Today was a day to relax and explore the city.  The first order of business was learning to summon and take the free shuttle (otherwise known as a free launch) to the marina central dock.  It runs every two hours starting at 10:00 but only if you make a request via VHF radio on channel 71.  The Spanish architecture in the place is very enchanting (seen nowhere else in Florida to this degree).  The San Marcos Castle guarding the harbor has never been defeated in battle and is still standing.  The Colonial City Hall also remains and many other Spanish period buildings. Others like the Ponce de Leon Hotel, the Casa Monica and The Flagler College building are Spanish inspired architecture of a more modern era.  

We walked a bit around town and then headed off to get groceries and then back to Coda for lunch.  Later we strolled around the waterfront taking in the Christmas decor that will be in full bloom here in a few days when they turn on over 1 million lights for the Holiday season.  We attended Mass at the Spanish Cathedral.  The interior is fascinating and the priest's sermon was definitely Dominican.  He explained in no uncertain terms that the Bible is not to be taken literally but rather symbolically.  He did have to deal with the apocalyptic teachings of Saint Marc's Gospel.   

I made a new friend today when coming ashore.

Part of Flagler College.

Part of the Ponce de Leon Hotel.

View of the Cathedral bell tower and City buildings from the Marina.

Commercial fishing is still big here.

There are a lot of National Park places in Florida.

It's Christmastime in the City.

Twilight fast approaching.

View from our AIS App.  Can you find Coda?  And the Castillo San Marcos?

The Menendez Mooring Field.

Unbelievable colors.

Sunset has arrived.

Lou- The roof of the church was bright red and painted with gold stars. Very cool! 

The Mass put me in a meditative headspace. It's nice just to sit quietly with other people.

The priest was young and charismatic, robed in vibrant pine green vestments. I wonder how he came to be a priest. As a kid, all the priests I saw were much older. My favorite was Father Bob who was good at connecting the readings to real life. The priest today was trying to do that, and did a pretty good job, but it felt a little forced. Like when a student writes an essay, and it's well written and the argument's ok, but you get a sense the writer hasn't convinced themself. The heart and the conviction isn't quite there. But the essay's still pretty good.

That said, it must be hard coming up with a new sermon every week! Especially when you're just starting out. 

We had to sneak out during communion and sprint back through the city to catch the last boat shuttle back home to Coda! The shuttle's great, but if you miss the last one at 6, you're stuck on land all night! Unless a boater at the dinghy dock takes pity on you. "I've heard all sorts of sob stories," the mustachioed shuttle captain told us with a grin. He's great, by the way, and seems to enjoy gossip, though he keeps it very professional.

Mostly today we ran around getting supplies. I really enjoyed this one marine supply store called Sailor's Exchange!

Dad was a bit disappointed because he didn't find the water pump he wanted and he found things were a bit overpriced, but he told me last time he went there he found great stuff and was able to haggle! Apparently, if you show off your boating know-how they give you a deal. (Dad got 40% off.)

Dad says it also helps to look like a boater, so he made sure to wear a polo from Point Bay Marina.

I ran around like a kid in a candy shop, taking photos. Everything looked like treasure! It reminded me of walking around the workshop in my grandparents' basement as a kid, ogling all the pieces of wood and little metal bits and bobs, feeling the power of all the possibilities in those materials.

I'd definitely love to come back to St. Augustine sometime! I'd enjoy just a day of walking around the streets aimlessly. There's a good vibe and a lot more to discover!

But alas, we've gotta go! Until next time, twinkling tourist dream!

A shelf at Sailor's Exchange.

A huge bin of metal bits and bobs.

People really seem to enjoy digging through this stuff...  like looking for some hidden treasure.

 

CODA BAHAMAS BOUND 2024-2025 (49)

 CODA : Exporing Spanish Florida

15 November 2024

St. Augustine Municipal Mooring Field (Menendez), St. Augustine, Florida 

Welcome to St. Augustine (transitioning from Fall to Holiday decor).

Marc-  Our anchor was raised at 07:30 and we literally rode down the tidal rapids of Ft. George Creek into Sisters Creek.  The currents are amazing here and you really need to pay attention to them.  I did my best planning and still encountered difficult contrary current in the St. Johns River crossing (we crabbed across the mile wide river here the ICW crosses it diagonally.  Every other creek, estuary, bay or river that we travelled on today had favorable current.  Sara and I continue to each take a one hour watch at the wheel.  Sara had the most difficult part crossing the St. Johns River. As soon as you enter from the North you have to deal with the U.S. Navy Repair Shipyard Jacksonville with its Military Police patrol boats and then deal with the strong current in this very deep river and finding the creek you need to enter precisely on the southern shore (talk about a moving target).  

There were a half dozen bridges to pass under.  Every single bridge had less than the official height of 65 feet.  Most seem to have only 61.5 feet.  I am glad our mast is only 53.5 feet high.  The only drawbridge was the bridge of lions in St. Augustine.  You call on VHF channel 9 telling the bridge operator your boat name and that you would like the next opening.  The operator responds with the time of the next opening and confirms your boat name.  You thank the operator and stand by on channel 9.  You always tell the bridge operator when you are free and clear of the opened spans and repeat thanks. 

While we were waiting 1/2 hour for this bridge to open many other boats arrived and jockeyed for position.  It never fails that the powerboats move up to the front of the line.  Fine with us since they past through quickly.  No one queues up except the sailboats.  

We did pass through a land cut connecting Pablo Creek, the flows north to the St. Johns River, with the Tolomato River, that flows south to the St. Augustine Inlet.  It is literally a jungle on the west side of the cut (zero development) and new million dollar house after new million dollar house on the east side with beautiful lawns and boat houses.  What is really strange is that  these homes are constructed inches above the high tide level.. What are these fools thinking?  Who would insure these places?

The slightest wake will damage those fancy lawns.  What about floods? 

 This is Florida.  Hurricanes can come through here with 12 foot storm surge.

The best part of today's travels was sailing.  We saw a large Beneteau sailboat put on a spinnaker  and a genoa wing and wing.  I could not let this stand.  I pulled our old Lucy III Spinnaker out from under the forward cabin bunk and pulled the mainsail out. The race was on.  I definitely think we somehow had more sail area (or maybe it was the clean boat bottom using that ever slick VC-17 paint).  Whatever it was we pulled ahead and arrived in St. Augustine first.

Nice rig but look who is ahead and we are towing a dinghy.

Sometime before we passed the blue Beneteau.

Sails on the port side.

Sails on the starboard side.

Sails wing and wing.

Look carefully at the boat speed:  7.1 knots.

I think this reflects well on Coda.

Height board.

Looks like we will make it but the optics are bad.

A tree full of white egrets.

A shore full of white pelicans (They have migrated here from Canada).

Lou- "I can't believe all the colors! All the lights!" Dad's saying, looking out Coda's windows tonight at St. Augustine. "This place is magical!"

I have to agree! 

Things did not start off so well when we first arrived, though! 

We were assigned mooring #17. I missed the first time with the boat hook. Then, our second go-around, I caught it! BUT the wind was so strong I found myself getting pulled along the boat. I clung onto the boat hook, sure I could pull it back. My hand got trapped against the boat. Ow! My fingers! I let go. One of my fingers was bloody and I was sure the boat hook was lost forever. 

Dad caught the mooring and we pulled it up to the bow by hand, tying it up and then racing back to the dinghy. "Do you see it?" Dad asked. To my shock, I did! A glint of metal-- the boat hook!

We retrieved it and got back to the boat, secured the mooring, and I iced my fingers. Lots of drama, but I'm fine! No broken bones!

After all that, our luck turned around! We found the wonderful marina showers and then a fantastic restaurant called Casa Reina (I highly recommend the quesadillas!). Then we headed off in search of a secondhand bookshop Dad had been to before. On our way we saw palm trees strung with Christmas lights, all sorts of charming shops, and houses that reminded me of ones I've seen on the Cape. This whole place is so touristy, which would normally not be my thing, but I LOVE it! It has a special magic.

Our waitress today clearly feels it too! She told us how she came here on vacation as a teen, fell in love with it, decided to go to college here (Flagler), and never left. She says it's not just all tourists; there's a vibrant community of locals. I would have liked to have asked her more, but she had other people to take care of so we'll just have to find other locals to chat with!

I'm so glad we have tomorrow here too!