FERNANDINA BEACH TO ST AUGUSTINE - and on to PALM COAST MARINA (2 days, 95 miles)

Ah yes.  The balmy breezes inside the trawler when you anchor out. (anchorage just south of the Bridge of Lions, St. Augustine) 
Note the temperature gauge for INSIDE vs OUTSIDE the boat.

  Ahhhh, but I start our story ass-backwards by giving you the waking up in the morning part....before I tell the tales of the day, travelling to St. Augustine. 

Yesterday, it was a surprise 'Hunt for Red October' event.

Today.......we turn a corner to find this amazing creature at the Mayport Naval Base, one of the largest in North America!

Approaching Mayport Naval Base, Florida

A stealth-like trimaran....possibly an incognito assault ship?  It is a littoral combat ship, a relatively small surface vessel intended for operation in the 'close to shore zone' (littoral).  A small assault transport with a flight deck and hangar large enough for two sea hawk helicopters, capability to recover and launch small boats from stern ramp and enough payload to deliver a small assault force with armoured fighting vehicles.  In other words....a complete assault vessel. 
Right beside our little Pelican Rose!

www.thebrigade.com/2010/09/29/alabama-has-built-a-real-cool-ship-for-the-navy-19-hq-photos/



Portside view - 418 feet long, able to sustain 50 knots of speed and 
has a range of 10,000 miles.



Stern view which captures the trimaran

 
Following this minute discovery above, we coasted along quietly for 8 hours, seeing not another vessel of any sort, anywhere....until we were almost at our anchorage....and then!!!!!

All hell broke lose!  Up ahead we could see three small power boats, one bearing a flashing blue light (like those one might find on Miami Vice...or a police vehicle....or ???).  
The 3 boats seemed to be in some sort of confrontation, weaving very quickly at high speeds, across and behind each other. 
Suddenly over the VHF radio we hear "shut your vessel down now!  You are hereby ordered to turn off your engines immediately and shut your vessel down!  I repeat, this is an order!" 
The vessel continued to dodge back and forth, all the faster, as if trying to escape the clutches of the flashing blue light boat.
Yesterday Peter heard me scream "We have a submarine on our ass!"
Today Peter heard me scream "OMG!  I think it's a drug bust or something. The boat is trying to get away.  It's coming straight at us!"
All three boats, heading towards our little Pelican Rose, top speed, leaving a wake that created lots of whitecaps behind them.....and in front of us.
We had no where to go, no where to turn and had no idea what was happening directly in front of us and on a clear collision course.
Sigh.  The excitement ends here.  All three boats suddenly come to a complete stop, the waves subside....and they drive quietly past us....waving.....the wave of the US BORDER PATROL...all three of them!  They were on an exercise mission. Who knew?!
Along came another 5 vessels, doing the same routines, slowing to let us pass.  Charming. 

Enough for one day you would think? 

Not so fast!!!!

We next hear on the radio "this is the United States Coast Guard.  We have a whale sighting, St Johns River crossing at the ICW (intercoastal waterway).  Well would you not just guess by now, that is precisely where we are at that moment in time.  Although exciting, sadly, we did not get to see the whale as it was being surrounded by official boats and the entire river was closed off to all traffic.  Helicopters flew for hours in the area, monitoring the whale's every move. 

THEN we settled down to a boring, dead-calm anchorage and had a peaceful nite of sleep.

Off in the morning to Palm Coast Marina.  We left under darkening skies and the wind picked up to 25knots. 
We were blessed with four dolphins that chose to ride our bow for a very long time.  Outside of the dolphins, we saw no one and no other boat.  A tad creepy.  Makes you wonder....are we really alone?  Muwhahaha!
We had to snake our way along an incredibly narrow and VERY shallow passage along the ICW called Matanzas.  You are literally about 20 feet from the shoreline as you try to stay in water that is deep enough that you do not go aground.  Kinda freaky!

Approaching Matanzas Inlet

That's the red marker on the right...20' off shore.  The green is to the far left, but you are told to 'hug the red as though you are able to touch it.'

We are just about ready to 'hug' that red marker. 
We are definitely ready for a rum! 

An hour after arriving at the marina and tying off to the wall, staff advise that a tornado watch and severe thunderstorm warning is in effect for this area until 9pm tonite.  Well gosh darn.  What luck. 
In fact, it was lucky .... lucky that we left St Augustine this morning, as there is a hurricane warning in affect there....just a watch here. 
10pm, and all is well.  Good nite! 

Last, but not least, and just a whole lot smaller....
Our newly painted dinghy bottom bearing the Pelican Rose name.