{"id":4239,"date":"2015-03-19T14:53:29","date_gmt":"2015-03-19T14:53:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/?p=4239"},"modified":"2015-03-19T22:16:47","modified_gmt":"2015-03-19T22:16:47","slug":"northbound-outrunning-spring","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/?p=4239","title":{"rendered":"Northbound, outrunning spring!"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s Thursday morning (I did have to look at the computer\u2019s toolbar to be sure) and we are on a mooring here in Fernandina Beach FL, the most northern city in FL and our last stop before we head into GA.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Since my last post we spent a few days in St Augustine, a favorite of ours as we continue our run north.\u00a0 Unfortunately, it seems that our northern run is happening faster than the warming spring weather can keep up with us. \u00a0This means that as we head north, we are slowly putting on more and more clothing.<\/p>\n

My friend Chris was completely unsympathetic about all of this yesterday when I called and told him, as we motored into a snotty 25kts of headwind on the ICW, that I was a bit chilly. Well, he was moderately sorry for me until he asked just how cold it was. His sympathy instantly evaporated when I said “the low 70s”. \u00a0 No sympathy. \u00a0“Well, it’s cloudy too”. \u00a0Nope, not buying it. \u00a0“Bob, it\u2019s in the 20s here in CT!\u201d\u00a0 \u00a0Ok perhaps. \u00a0Cold or not, it\u2019s better here.\u00a0 Yup. Such is the life of the \u201csnowbird\u201d, northbound or not.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In the interest of fair balance, it’s warmer today. \u00a0That’s good.<\/p>\n

Anyway, one of the fun parts of the ICW is seeing all the sights along the way.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 My father used to enjoy bridges and his honor, I do to. \u00a0This bridge in Daytona is quite nice.\u00a0 How about the mosaic work on each piling?\"\"<\/a><\/span>Nice detail work. \u00a0Your tax dollars at work and it would seem that they are working plenty hard.\"\"<\/a><\/span>The light in St Augustine is particularly nice.\"\"<\/a><\/span>And, right on the city dock is a \u201creal live\u201d, well sort of a real pirate ship.\"\"<\/a><\/span>A group of Pelicans, or would that be a \u201cmurder\u201d as in a flock of crows?\u00a0\"\"<\/a><\/span>Speaking of \u201cmurder\u201d, I wonder what happened to this guy on the sand bar?\"\"<\/a><\/span>“Honest, I only left the boat for an hour. \u00a0Where\u00a0 did it go? \u00a0It’s got to be here somewhere.”\"\"<\/a><\/span>We really enjoyed seeing this house on stilts.\u00a0 I wonder what the plumbing is like.\u00a0 No room for a septic tank that I can see. “Kids, get out from under the house NOW, \u00a0I have to flush!”\"\"<\/a>Along the St John River we passed a ship yard with an impressive number of mega-yachts in for refit. \u00a0This one is 300′ long. \u00a0Huge. \u00a0And it certainly wasn’t the only one but I think it was the largest. \u00a0 The “tender” along side was over 40′ long. \u00a0There were four “gynormus” cranes that pick up such things. \u00a0I can only imagine what one does to make that sort of money.
\n\"\"<\/a>There were some commercial ships under construction. \u00a0 This certainly looks like a “go anywhere” vessel. \u00a0Note the twin bow thrusters? \u00a0They are about 8′ in diameter. \u00a0Pretty tough looking vessel. \u00a0A tug, I think.\"\"<\/a>So, we’ll spend a day or so here in Fernandina as we have heard that it’s a nice spot. \u00a0I guess you’ll have to stay tuned to find out. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Oh yeah, I almost forgot. \u00a0When we were in St Augustine I saw an ocean racing boat called Kiwi Promise<\/a>. \u00a0Pretty neat. \u00a0\"\"<\/a>I had read about this boat but didn’t make the connection until after leaving St Augustine yesterday. \u00a0The boat was built in Maine and launched two years ago. \u00a0The owner, Stanley Paris, a guy in his 70s, planned to try and break the record set in the 80s by <\/span>Dodge Morgan, aboard American Promise<\/a>, \u00a0as making the fastest circumnavigation, “up hill”, that is against the prevailing winds, non stop and unassisted. \u00a0 \u00a0After two tries where Paris\u00a0<\/span>suffered major gear damage along the way, he is, once again, back in St Augustine. \u00a0It’s unclear if he will make a third attempt. \u00a0 As I’ll be 60 in June, that only gives me another decade till a round-the-world trip is out of the question, I guess. \u00a0 “Yeah right Bob, you’d better talk to Brenda about that.”<\/p>\n

I won’t think about that right now…<\/p>\n

Anyway, Dodge Morgan’s boat was very different. \u00a0You can certainly see how ocean racing yacht design has evolved since the 80s. \u00a0 American Promise, as pictured here, is now owned by the US Naval Academy in Annapolis.\u00a0<\/span>\"\"<\/a>Back in 2011 Brenda and I took Pandora to a spot near Morgan’s home in Maine. It’s a beautiful place, to be sure. \u00a0I d<\/span>escribed our visit here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Ok, now I am really done. \u00a0Of to explore lovely downtown Fernandina. \u00a0Hopefully, it won’t be too cold. \u00a0Na, not at all, for now anyway. \u00a0 Let’s hope that spring can keep up with us.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s Thursday morning (I did have to look at the computer\u2019s toolbar to be sure) and we are on a mooring here in Fernandina Beach FL, the most northern city in FL and our last stop before we head into GA.\u00a0 Since my last post we spent a few days in St Augustine, a favorite […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","_s2mail":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4239","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4239","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4239"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4239\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4256,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4239\/revisions\/4256"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4239"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4239"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4239"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}