November 6 - December 10

As we keep telling everyone, winter cruising is a pretty ‘good gig’ and so we are happy to be at it again.

We drove to Green Cove Springs, arriving November 10, and Gormã was moved into the work yard the next day. It always takes much longer than we remember to get her ready to launch, and this year was no exception. There is the waxing, polishing and painting for me, and the washing, washing and washing for Corinne. Florida summers are really hard on boats, and so the first week is sometimes a little discouraging.

In addition, we had a few boat repairs - nothing major - but always a learning curve. Our two week preparation was rather unexpectedly extended to three weeks due to a breakdown with the travel lift, that magical piece of machinery that carries the boat from land to water. While at first a little disappointing, we ended up having to scramble in order to have everything ready for the launch. Where does the time go?

Once in the water, we were a day to get all the last minute things done, and then on our way. One of our last purchases was fresh caught Mayport shrimp. We celebrated our first night cruising with a tasty dinner at Blount Island in the St. John's River.

The next day we travelled to St. Augustine, a favorite spot. As a sidebar, the previous week we had driven down to St. Augustine, a thirty minute jaunt from Green Cove Springs. By boat it has been two full days. Occasionally we have to remind ourselves that it is the journey, and not the destination.


We stayed over at St. Augustine for Saturday. Two years ago, we watched part of the Santa Claus parade and wondered if we had missed Santa Claus, or if he simply didn’t make it as far south as St. Augustine. We are happy to report that he actually does ‘do’ the parade in St. Augustine, and we have the pictures to prove it. This is also the weekend of the British reenactment of the night watch. It is most interesting to see everybody dressed in period dress walking through the streets of the very old Spanish part of town, ensuring that things are safe for the night.

Another four days of travelling down the ICW (Intracoastal Waterway), and we are now on a mooring ball in Vero Beach. This is another great spot to visit – easy shopping, nice access to the ocean beaches, and a place to begin thinking about possible crossings to the Bahamas. We are up early each morning listening to Chris Parker, the weather guru, hoping to find that perfect window for the next leg.