Florida at last!

What a wonderful feeling it was to sail across the Florida state line on November 1! In the back of my mind it has been my target date, and even though we weren't specifically shooting for it, we were right on. We're definitely on the home stretch now, and should easily make it to Punta Gorda by the 15th, if not sooner.

We're seeing many dolphins, which never ceases to delight us,

and signs warning boaters of manatees have become common. If someone had blindfolded us and dropped us off here, we would have known we were in Florida because of the tropical vegetation

and the home styles with pool cages and tile roofs. There's a lot more boat traffic, and power boaters here aren't as courteous - many roar by without warning and without slowing down, leaving us to rock wildly in their wakes. In the Carolinas and Georgia, they always radioed us to state their intentions or ask permission to pass, and always promised (and kindly gave us) a "slow" or "gentle" pass. Many do here as well, but we can't count on it. It especially disturbs me to see so many power boaters ignore the manatee zone signs.

Although Hurricane Noel started out on Friday directly east of us and a little over 400 miles away, the effect on us in the ICW was negligible. Had we been in the Atlantic, we'd probably have a story to tell that would make Wednesday sound like a walk on the beach. Sorry to disappoint you, I know you would have enjoyed the excitement. Had the insurance company not given us the go ahead to travel south of Cape Hatteras before November 1, we'd probably be hunkering down for a couple days, partly because wind and waves would have made going under all those bridges much more treacherous. Looking at where Noel has been and where he's headed, where we've been and where we could be now, we have no doubt that God continues to protect us. For that and for who He is, we give God thanks and praise.

Friday we anchored off  Amelia City, Florida. Yesterday we docked at Camachee Cove Yacht Harbor in St. Augustine and borrowed the marina's courtesy car for a quick look around town. We parked the car and strolled the narrow old cobblestone streets lined with old Spanish architecture. St. Augustine was founded in 1565 as a Spanish military outpost and is the oldest continuously occupied European settlement in the United States. Traces of the city's Spanish heritage are everywhere, and we were taken with its charm. We only had a couple hours, unfortunately, because we had to return the car. Gary treated us to a wonderful dinner at the marina, after which he went for a run and returned to find the little city hopping with nightlife.