EllisIslandLoop: March 2017

Tuesday, March 28, 2017

Monday, March 27 - Laundry and Errands

It's laundry day. The facility here is very nice, and waiting gave me a chance to catch up on the blog.

I couldn't resist taking a picture of this "boat-on-a-boat" that was pulled up tot the gas dock. I never get tired of looking at boats, obviously.

Danny "needed" a hamburger and a sacrificial anode from West Marine, and I wanted a new shirt - I am so tired of the clothes I brought with me. So we checked out the loaner car and headed out.

West Marine did not have the part we needed, but I did find a shirt on clearance. (A green one, Jane!) Bealle's Outlet was next since I knew I could find tops there quickly and cheaply. Both of those things are important to Danny. I shouldn't have worried, he shopped longer and bought more than I did! West Marine had recommended a Mercury dealership for the anode and we headed west to find it. They had to order it, but at least it's checked off our list.

We finally grilled the steaks we bought last week at Publix, along with some smoked sausage, of course. Danny improvised by putting our grill on top of a post. Marinas don't like it much when you grill on your boat!

Sunsets from the East coast aren't as spectacular as the ones from the Gulf, but I thought this shot was nice.

Sunday, March 26 - Spring Brunch

The day we checked in, I saw a flyer about the Spring Brunch, open to all marina guests. Free Bloody Mary's and Mimosa's, I'm all about it! I thought they were brave, or foolish, to put out a big bottle of vodka for boaters to mix their own drinks!

On the way back to the boat, Ruby, the boat dog, was in her perch. Her owner lives on a boat and works with the marina rentals, so we see Ruby a lot.

The cable guy was scheduled to be here between 3:00 and 7:00, so we read, napped, and watched basketball. (Couldn't believe Kentucky lost!).

Saturday, March 25 - Dinghy ride & Docktails

It's Saturday, so nobody's working on the boat. Pretty frustrating.

We did take a dinghy ride around the marina. How about the size of this boat?

And this bird was definitely giving us the evil eye as we passed his post.

The sail races were going on, but we couldn't get close enough to see them well. And we wouldn't know what we were seeing anyway.

Jim and Carol had a looper boat as a neighbor, so they invited us over for Docktails. We had met Jim and Cindy, the third couple, at The Wharf in Orange Beach, AL, so it was great to catch up with their journey.

Friday, March 24 - Another Tourist Day

When the kids were here, we skipped the distillery and winery on our sightseeing tour, thinking it would be pretty boring for the younger ones. Today we rode the bikes back to check them out. The St. Augustine Distillery is a very small craft distillery producing bourbon, rum, gin, and vodka. It was housed in the old icehouse and had won preservation awards for its conversion. They showed us through the big room, then served samples of mixed drinks made with their liquors AND their bottled mixers. They were good, and very expensive! The lady conducting the tour was entertaining, and very anxious to share the values of the company.

Lunch, including Fried Jalapeno Caps, then the San Sebastián Winery. Most of the wine was made from muscadine, so we took this picture for our friend Jim, muscadine grower extraordinaire. Danny's favorite was the Cabernet, so we bought a bottle to go with our steaks.

We rode to a different spot to look at the sailboats, but still couldn't get a good view.

Late in the afternoon, Peter, the boatyard owner, came by to talk with us about the color match for the plastic panel on the side. After he and Danny made a decision, I asked him if he had any idea how long the repairs might take. I did not like the answer - two more weeks! I know I said I like St. Augustine, but I don't think I like it a month's worth!

Thursday, March 23 - Boat Work!

Someone came to work on the boat! He wasn't able to do a whole lot, but at least it's a start.

The marina has a loaner car, so we took advantage of it. We dropped Carol and Jim off at the Trolley Depot, then headed over the big bridge to Publix for some groceries. This was the most randomly organized store ever! I never did find the packaged deli cheese, and we must have gone up and down every aisle four times!

The day was pretty cold, but we still took a bike ride around Camachee Island. Some really pretty houses, and a view of the Florida School for the Def and Blind, where Ray Charles went to school. (Good trivia question.)

To finish our exercise, we walked around the marina to the pool and restaurant. I loved the homey touch at this boat!

Wednesday, March 22. - Into the Repair Yard

We waited around all day for the repair facility to tell us we could move over to their yard. This is important because we don't pay dock fees once we get into their slip! We finally made it late afternoon. That's about the only thing that happened on Wednesday. Maybe a more exciting post tomorrow.

Monday, March 27, 2017

Tuesday, March 21 - Changing Marinas AGAIN!

St.Augustine Municipal Marina had told us we needed to leave Tuesday, but we didn't realize there was a rush. As we were leaving for lunch, they called and said check-out was 11:00. Oops. We went on the lunch at the Columbia, the restaurant more people had recommended than any other. It was delightful inside, and their Cuban Sandwich was as good as people said. Get this, Danny ordered a meatloaf sandwich!

Back at the dock, it was time to unplug, load the bikes, and head out to our 3rd marina in St. Augustine - Camachee Cove. It had been recommended by the insurance adjuster for its boat yard, and we were hoping they could make our beautiful boat look like new!

Camachee Cove is north of the A1A bridge, so we got a good view of the exterior of Castillo de San Marcos on the way.

The wind was pretty calm, so we ventured through the St Augustine Cut into the Atlantic Ocean. It wasn't our kind of calm, so we didn't go far.

We also passed Vilano Beach, which is a drive-on Beach. There was a lot of partying going on for a Tuesday afternoon.

The new marina didn't have a slip for us, but we tied up at the gas dock for the night.

Friday, March 24, 2017

Monday, March 20 - Fort and Friends

When we visited St. Augustine a couple of years go, we had eaten at Harry's and really enjoyed it. Today was our day to revisit. My grits cakes and the local beer were wonderful, but the patio was a little cool!

Next stop was "The Fort," Castillo de San Marcos. It's the oldest something-or-other, the most remarkable thing to me was that 1400 people stayed there under siege for two months. And the moat was not for water, but for the live animals so they wouldn't stink up inside of the fort. Here are some pictures so you can experience it with us.

And what's up with decorated cannons? Did they fire better? We did learn about the different shot they used in the cannon depending on what thy were trying to do. Glass balls that would shatter on the deck of the ship to hinder barefooted sailors was my favorite.

When we got back to the boat, we had a message from Carol and Jim, one of our earliest Loop friends. They are in St. Augustine at a different marina, and came down so we could all go to dinner. It was great to compare notes and sympathize!

Sunday, March 19 - Lightner Museum

Sunday, March 19

After a slow start to the day, we took a bike ride to breakfast (Denny's), and then went exploring. This is such an interesting town, I want to ride down every little street.

The nice lady at the Visitor Center had encouraged us to go the the Lightner Museum. It is in the old Alcazar Hotel, the second luxury hotel Mr. Flagler built here.

The front part of the building is municipal offices, the back part, which held all the recreation facilities, was bought by a Mr. Lightner, from Chicago, for his collections. Collections of EVERYTHING! Three floors, packed with stuff. Indian relics, cut glass, furniture, buttons, a Tiffany lamp, shaving mugs, chandeliers, musical instruments, rocks, shells clothing,and even decorations made from human hair. Yuck!

There is a restaurant on the floor of the old swimming pool. Pretty interesting.

On the way back to the boat, we passed one of several very old cemeteries. The pyramids marked mass graves for soldiers.

Monday, March 20, 2017

Saturday, March 18 - Lazy Day

Lazy day for the Ellis' Island crew. Continuing our Mexican food kick, we crossed the bridge to try Mojo tacos. The only reason I took this picture was to remind us how many motorcycles we saw while we ate lunch. Bike Week takes over this part of Florida, we have heard constant motorcycles in both Daytona Beach and here in St. Augustine. I'm sure it's great for the economy, but the noise gets to be a little much at times.

Coming back across the bridge, I took this picture of all the boat traffic. Pretty weather and a Saturday afternoon brings everyone out.

Danny put the "Lily Belle" letters on the front of the dinghy, we are now official. Not many seven year olds have a boat named for them!

Again, no sunset picture, but some shots from the marina dock.