Boynton Beach, Daytona Beach, St. Augustine, to Jacksonville

     The rest of the trip up the ICW was anticlimactic.  Protected from the 20 knot offshore winds we got little salt spray except for when crossing the open bays, even then Betsy easily handled the cross winds as we opened her up to 18 knots and skimmed across the short choppy water.
                                                                                 

                                                                                   

                                                                                                                                                  

         Manatees drink fresh water from a leak in a water hose. Daytona City Marina.

    Coming down with a "flu like" illness of nausea, joint pains, stomach pains and vomiting, I wasn't much use so Beth took over the helm. As she got more experience her moans of anxiety quieted and  only aroused me when she felt uncomfortable passing a boat or narrow bridge.  By the time we entered the Sebastian River to tie up at Rivers Edge Marina in St. Augustine I was well enough to help her with the swiftly moving current to get along side the T dock.  The more Beth handles the boat the better and more comfortable she gets.....Maybe she can be captain for a while and I can be admiral!....NOT!
     We left St Augustine early the next morning and flew up the St. John's River to Jacksonville. It seems that once the urge to get home strikes, little else matters and the push is on.  Fortunately the Huckins crew were waiting on the dock to help us get tied up because, the wind was up and the current was running strong such that it took several attempts to back Betsy into her covered slip.

                                                                                       

                                                  Sophie's last ride until the next adventure!

     Once settled in, Dave one of the mechanics who worked on Betsy's refit and who installed the Simrad navigation system stepped on board and immediately went to work addressing all the issues I was blabbering about.  He immediately fixed the packing gland leak, turning the big nut by hand!.... Apparently I couldn't see one of the two cotter pins  that was preventing me from turning the nut with a monkey wrench! A list of repairs was generated as Beth began cleaning the boat inside and packing for our return to Port St. Joe.
     A secure nights rest had us both in much better spirits the next day.  Sophie and Spencer both seem to like the local groomer so Beth had her give them their summer cuts before we loaded them into the car for our 4 hour drive back home.
     As we drove we talked about the Exumas, the beauty of the clear turquoise water, the sandy beaches, the friendly people of Staniel Cay and Nassau, the fun of snorkeling Thunderball Grotto, and feeding the pigs (despite the bite!) and the remoteness of the area, poor internet, mostly no phone service, paying for garbage disposal and concluded that this was definitely not a  relaxing vacation. It was an adventure that helped us develop new skills, more confidence in our ability to handle bigger water, more remote anchorages, and a greater appreciation for what we have and don't have in our convenient commercialized culture.
      The dichotomy of seeing 6 children waiting at a small house for their teacher to arrive vs the craziness of kids using assault rifles to kill innocent classmates at schools in the USA., forced us to reassess which culture has it right?
     Our boating will be limited for a while as we attend grandchildren weddings and family reunions. We hope you all have enjoyed the adventure and hope that we have stimulated some of you to have your own adventures before the inevitable march of time and aging prevent you from fulfilling your dreams.
                                                                       

                                                       Signing out until next adventure.