TIM PATTI RILEY BIG ADVENTURE

4/22/2018

We arrived Palm Coast on 4/12 after a fairly uneventful 6 hours on the A- ICW. The A-ICW has been changing since we left southern FL. There is more open land. The houses are generally (not always) smaller & most have docks reaching out into the A- ICW. The A- ICW, itself is much more narrow.

Our dock at Palm Coast marina is fixed😞. The tide is not bad here, but it can still present a problem for Riley. The walk to The European Village ( This area's claim to fame) is about 10 min. A few shops & some restaurants are there. We stopped at Farley's Irish Pub as it claimed to have good Craic. Sadly, it did not.

While taking Riley on morning walk we found a great park with shade & a walking trail. The woods around it made me think of the Amazon. Very heavy foliage & water all around. I was keeping Riley on a short leash in case of critters. Snakes, gators or whatever else lived there. I looked down the path a bit & saw a blond creature about as tall as Riley, but heavier coming out of the woods. The mind works in mysterious ways. ( At least mine does). I said, "What the heck is that?" & stopped. I'm thinking a yellow bear or a bobcat. At that point, a man came out of the woods behind said beast. The "beast was on a leash & it was a golden retriever. Did I mention my sunglasses were fogged? I started laughing. The guy probably thought I was crazy because he quickly went down another path away from us.

The highlight of this stop was our company. Our friends Walter & Jeanne come to FL every year about this time. They stay in Siesta Key. They altered their course to intersect with us for the day. We had a great time catching up.

We stayed an extra day at Palm Coast due to weather. High winds & possible tornadoes were in the forecast. It was windy & torrential rains, but no tornadoes.

Speaking of high winds.... I had noticed the guy on the sail boat across from us would come back from the shower with a towel wrapped around his waist. The wind confirmed that was all he wore!

We left 4/16 for St Augustine. We were advised to time our arrival for slack tide as the current at St Augustine can be treacherous while trying to dock. We arrived a little early, but as usual the captain did just fine. He did have a little mishap. While reaching down for something (I know not what) his prescription sun glasses fell into the water, never to be seen again. So if anyone sees an aquatic animal with cool sunglasses, you know where they came from.😎. Speaking of difficulty docking, we know of 3 & saw 1 boat that had problems. They were headed bow into the dock & were turned sideways while attempting to dock. That explained why the people docked next to where we came in were standing on the side of their boat ready to fend us off. Tim came to the rescue of the one we saw, but he still ended up stern in & not bow in as he started out. Luckily there was no one next to him & the slip was wide enough to accommodate his swing around.

Our friends Marsh & Linda were driving home from Avon Lake & stopped to see us. We had a great time checking out the city & having dinner. They also drove us for some provisioning.

Tim decided on Saturday 4/13 it might be time to start working on our taxes! Walter was kind enough to drive us to Staples at 8:45PM to purchase the Turbo Tax program. Tim brought a flash drive from home with all our past taxes. Or so he thought. When he finally started working on it Tuesday 4/17, he realized it was not the flash drive with the taxes. Alas, he filed for an extension.😝

St Augustine is a city rich in history. A violent history. I will not turn this into a history lesson, but will add some pictures. Some of the pictures need a little explaining.
The Cannon Ball Oven: They heated up the cannon balls so as to set the ships on fire when they hit their target.

Magnolia Street: Was once lined with magnolias, but is now lined with oak trees. It is also where the Fountain of Youth can be found. The picture does not do it justice. It is beautiful.

Flagler College: Was once a hotel. There was some serious money here back in the day. I Imagine there still is.

Submerged sailboat: We had to try & stay in the channel while avoiding it & going under a bridge.

Stained glass window: We were told we "had to see the stained glass at the Episcopal Church." We found the church & walked around trying doors. They were all locked. A lady was inside working in the office. She was kind enough to let us in. I told her I would let her know when we were leaving. She said no need, there are cameras everywhere. Although the church & its windows were very nice, I was not sure why it was a must see. It was the next day we realized it was the wrong church! When we found the right church it was closed.

Maintenance never ends. Tim worked 2 days on the shower sump pump, but finally fixed the leak. It was in a very tight spot, so difficult to see & reach. Also had to fix a leaky galley faucet. A bilge switch was replaced. Tried to soften our lines. Salt & sun takes it's toll. First by soaking in water & then soaking in Downy water. Not a big improvement. Riley got a bath.

Our plan was to leave St Augustine tomorrow, but once again it seems weather has the last word. When we do leave the plan is Palm Cove & then Fernandina. We are contemplating running out side & skipping the A-ICW in Georgia. That of course depends on weather.