Back in the Nations Oldest City

Tuesday March 24, 2009
Went into town early to have breakfast with Jock. Afterwards he had arranged to help some friends put up their mast so we headed up to the Sailor's Exchange to check out the bargains. I had been waiting anxiously to pick up some more sumbrella that matched our Bimini and dodger. When we were there in the fall their had been three bolts of it. I decided to wait so we did not have to stow it all winter but they did not have an left that was the same colour. Fractionally disappointed I headed out to my other favorite store in St. Augustine Margarita's Quilt Shop. When I dropped in to have a look the ladies remembered Karen and I being in there and buying fat squares for our projects. I was enjoying myself immensely and the door opened and my husband came in. Another weather front was moving in and I was time to get back to the boat and check out he anchor. In his pocket were a few goodies he had picked up and one was a tail pipe for the head sink. When we got back to the boat he decided to do a repair and it took the majority of the afternoon because the pieces did not all fit. Jock came by and invited us to join him and his friends on their catamaran around 6:30 pm. That gave us time to dinghy in and do the laundry and have a shower. We meet another catamaran owner from Montreal and ran out of time to have dinner. Jock came into get us at the Marina and lead us out to the catamaran. This boat was the size of a house and decorated much like it. The people who own it have been anchored here at St. Augustine for a year. They have no expenses attached to land except their car insurance.
Wednesday March 25, 2009
Our plan to travel one day and layover one day was foiled. We needed groceries and the Captain remembered having to take a cab in Fernandina Beach so he decided to stay another day and I decided to pout. I pulled the covers over my head and dreaded the thought of not being able to get closer to home. For now the homesickness lies dormant, below the surface ready to spread at the minimum amount of disappointment. I had a choice. I could get up, start a fight to try to get my own way or roll over and go to sleep.
So I picked the second which of course led to grooming over the charts and cruising guide for several hours. We had finally come to a consensus of ideas and Dick took the laptop up on deck to check our email. When he went up on deck he spotted Manfred and Lisa Kanter anchored behind us. They were bringing their new boat down that they had picked up in Morehead City and had noticed Grace C's transom so stopped just to say hi. We were so thankful they took the time to stop and chat for a couple of hours. We had a tour of the boat and then they headed south. If we had of left today we would of missed a real blessing.
In the afternoon we took a walk up to the grocery store. The wind was picking up when we left and so we headed back to the boat when we got back and found Grace C lying beside one of the derelict boats that was in the anchorage. The boats that don't have sails swing with the current and the ones with sails turn into the wind so the anchorage was a disaster. We had to start the engine and keep it in reverse until the tide changed. I made dinner and Dick stayed on deck until the tide changed around midnight.
One of my not so favorite days of the trip.