Day 6 FL ICW to St Augustine

   Current is how we started our day. The tide was running out at full speed by the time we woke up, and got moving. We had a few dock visitors, I told Dana, who instantly wanted to shoot them, so she went and got the camera.

   I wanted to get going earlier, but we were both tired from the 30 hour passage, and we slept in, and lazed about. I am very glad I took the time to review my GPS charts for the ICW. There was a submerged jetty between the river and the ICW cut. I am not sure how many have hit it, but i think some must. It is marked, but not overly.  The same is true for the actual entrance. In the current it was tricky, and the deep part was not marked. If it was not mid-tide i may have hit bottom.


   So we left, and I fought a 4kt current up the St Johns river. When we got to the ICW, it was only 3KTS. I do hate to fight a current. I feel like we are dumping diesel into the drink.

   I wish I could tell you some grand story about this day, but it was just nice. Nice scenery, little traffic, everything worked. The dogs love going up deck now. They are braving their fears about the companionway. Daphne is the best at it. Up or down, she is all paws on each step, quick and efficient. This companionway is very steep. Even the fat cat is slower then Daphne. Velma is another story. It is still very scary to her. If her sister goes up first she will sit there and chirp (some crazy way to whine) until her sister comes back to help her up by standing at the top of the stairs. They do love to run up deck thou. I hope soon they calm down, and just lay down up there. We have had them up there for up to 3 hours, still no change. They think the deck is a race track. They circle the entire outside of the deck, and each lap they stop by the cockpit to make sure we are still there.

                            

So we arrived in St Augustine, FL. We decided to go to a marina called "hidden harbor". The price was $11 a foot, plus $140 utility's. (This is a game they play here in Florida, quote a price then add things you cannot remove.) So we arrived there, and went to do paperwork. The dock master was a bit nasty, but not too bad. She was waiting in the office with a "new rate sheet" She said in two weeks the new rates would take effect. now $13.50 a foot, plus the $140 for power, water, showers, ect. wow, that would equate to an extra $150 a month for us. When i asked if she was serious a old man came out from the back and said, "Thats the price, do you have a problem with it?" WOW, what a jerk.

   So here is my word of advice. avoid hidden harbor. Its run down and now, overpriced. The owner is the biggest jerk I have ever met in a marina.

   Do not misunderstand me, I do not have an issue with run down, as long as it is priced well.

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   So off we went, back down the stream, back to St Augustine Municipal marina. We picked up a mooring ball for the night, and went to have dinner.

   I would not mention dinner, but I hate misinformation. We went to the closest place to the marina, J P Henley's. It was a nice atmosphere. Clean too. Here is my quarrel. They claim world famous wings. Now I have eaten about 10,000 wings over the years, at everyplace wings are served. I have never heard of this place. The wings were oversized, tasteless, undercooked, and the sauce had me feeling that it came from a can. World famous like that? Doubtful. Yet again another restaurant who thinks they have something special, when its nothing.

The marina that was $20 a foot per month, was not special. In fact it was disappointing. All it had was location. Also had a few cool ships.

   That's it for today!