One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

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After having some engine work done, we left Green Cove Springs on Wednesday March 3rd, exactly one month after we assumed ownership of Sun Spirit.



Passed under the first bridge - there will be many more to come on the ICW.


Our first stop was in Jacksonville at a free dock in front of the football field, home of the Jacksonville Jaguars. The only time you pay for a dock here is on Sundays.


After docking, we realized our alternator was not charging our batteries. Luckily we have solar panels that do charge and we were still able to start the engine. After a few phone calls, we decided we could still leave in the morning and get to St. Augustine to meet an electrician.

Jacksonville is a huge shipping port with many freighters, shipping containers, barges, tugboats and one lonely cruise ship.





The next morning we started south on the ICW - some  beautiful natural wetlands in some areas and million dollar homes in other areas.





The waterway is very narrow and shallow in some stretches and widens in other areas. We were surprised by the speed of the current and the force of the wind in the wide open spaces. We were also surprised to see dolphins swimming alongside the boat. 
We pulled into a marina in the north part of St. Augustine and met up with Bruce our electrician and new best friend. There is still some work to be done - we were going to move to another marina today closer to town but the north winds and currents have kicked up making us a bit nervous about travelling, so we will try again tomorrow. In the meantime there is a lovely (unheated) pool - we have been the only swimmers - hardened by Canadian winters, I guess. Floridians seem to think that it is winter.



Trying to reach some breakfast to no avail:


Stay tuned for the continuing saga. Maybe we should trade in our boat for this one?


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