Friday 10 Dec, offshore Georgia to St. Augustine FL, cruising day 13: Arrived at St. Augustine. A day of well-deserved rest! Relaxed, slept and enjoyed the warmth.
After the dramas of the previous 24 hours, today was a day easily forgotten. At midnight we are motoring gently south in lessening seas and zero wind, somewhere close to the Georgia-Florida state line. It’s chilly and so humid that all the windows around the cockpit are totally covered in condensation such that we cannot even see the bow. We joke that this could be cruising in Maine in August, in thick fog, but without the dreaded lobster pots to worry about! There is very little traffic on AIS and we poke our head out every 15 minutes to look for navigation lights of other boats.
As it is obvious there will be no more sailing, while on my watch I stow the spinnaker pole, and clear up the decks: pole guys removed, halyards loosened, and sheets neatly coiled and attached to the shrouds to get them off the salty decks. I also unfurl the mainsail and furl back in to ensure it has no creases. And in doing that I notice a problem with the new sail.
Our last fully battened mainsail had the batten pockets all the way to the foot of the sail. But, for some reason, this new one has them terminating about 1 ft (30cm) above the foot. And when they are rolled into the mast, they enter the mast slot exactly where there is a sharp edge. It’s clear this edge will damage the batten securing systems over time. The sharp edge is where you would feed the bolt-rope of a storm tri-sail into a spare bolt-rope slot that runs all the way up the mast, right next to the main slot. I must get the edge protected somehow. I will also inform Elvstrom on this one. And my friend Noah, on his HR55 Uncle Mo, who is just about to have the same design sails delivered from Elvstrom, Denmark. More items to add to the already lengthening To-Do list!
Day breaks with a wonderful sun rise, as a big red ball of shimmering sun creeps over the horizon. We often see sunsets like this, but not often sun rises. And with this Florida sun comes instant and very welcomed warmth. So much so that by 9am, I’m in shorts and tee short only. Yes, we have finally arrived at summer temperatures again… or rather the wonderful Florida winter.
I wake Oana just as we start into the St.Augustine channel. This is our 3rd time stopping here and we know exactly where we want to anchor. But as we get closer, it appears to be busier than ever before. And in our usual spot there are 6 yachts! We hover around for a few minutes then one boat tells us he is about to leave – which give us the best spot in the anchorage. Away from the main channel and out of the big tidal flow.
With the anchor down we open the back and sides of the tent, the windscreen window and even all the deck hatches for the first time, and just let the lovely warm air flow through. Today’s high will be 26 degC! We declare today will be a rest day. No running around, no launching the dinghy, no maintenance jobs. I take a 4 hour nap in the middle of the day and wake feeling semi refreshed. I think I’m getting a bit old for these multiday passages. Especially ones with dramas!
In the early evening we can hear music, laughter, and lots of merry voices. St. Augustine is quite the party town this time of year. Then it’s an early night and for the first time in weeks, the boat heaters are not summonsed to perform. They can rest too now. For several months hopefully.
