27 March 2016 – Palm Coast to St. Augustine
Because we spent the extra day in Palm Coast we decided to only stay in St. Augustine for one night.
Daily dolphin sightings are the norm and today we were able to capture photos of a few dorsal fins to prove it.
The day again was pretty uneventful – we never complain about that.
We recognized the area we had run aground a few months ago whilst heading south, and had no problems, knowing that we needed to stay close to the green side of the channel.
We had made a reservation for a mooring ball on the north side of the Bridge of Lions bridge and were lucky to arrive at the bridge just as it was scheduled to open without having long to wait.
We tied up to our assigned mooring ball, using a new rigging technique our Gozzard owner friends had shown us a few days prior whilst in New Smyrna Beach. And we were happy.
We were looking forward to lowering the dinghy into the water and going into town to explore and enjoy dinner. But….we were about to learn that the dinghy outboard battle was not yet over.
You may remember that after having issues with the old outboard we invested in a brand new Yamaha motor to replace it. Whilst in Cocoa Village Marina Bob had no trouble starting the engine several times to break the new motor in. {read more here} But today, after we lowered the dinghy, attached the outboard and Bob tried to start the engine, there was no joy.
An hour later, a flooded engine, and a lot of frustration (and more than a few choice words uttered), we hoisted the motor back on board, lifted the dinghy securing it to the davits, frustrated that the outboard works fabulously in a marina, but not the one time we actually needed it to get somewhere. If we can’t get it working reliably we won’t be able to moor or anchor out for the rest of the trip – urgh!
We decided to forget the setback and enjoy a low-key dinner of cheese, crackers, and olives on board as we pondered the situation.
St. Augustine – we will see you again and explore your treasures another time – just not on this trip.
We left St. Augustine the next day and headed to Palm Cove, to yet another one of our favorite restaurants along the ICW.