Marineland

 I’m simply over this wind! I guess it could be raining also, so there is that to be grateful for… We had a long, winding trip today on the AICW with a lot of No Wake zones while going by private docks, lots of sailboats to pass and just as many fast trawlers passing us and so many sunken abandoned boats I lost count.  I had heard that it was a problem in Florida but I am shocked at how many and the prominent location of them.  Apparently it is a huge issue down here regarding what to do about them….

More dolphins swimming along with us, so that was fun! We stopped at a marina just before the one we are tied up in to take on some fuel - this marina is pretty basic and there is no fuel sold here.  We are tied up on a t-dock right at the entrance of the marina, and I thought we would get rocked all night, but it’s not bad.

We are technically in St. Augustine, although the main part of the town is about 15 miles up the road. The beach is directly across the highway from the marina and dogs are allowed if leashed, so we took Madison for a little beach stroll before dinner.  The waves are huge because of the wind and I think I could stand there watching them crash for hours. Seeing that made us really glad we are traveling the AICW and not out in the Atlantic!

This place is called Marineland and it was developed in 1938 as a place for movie studios to film underwater scenes.  If you are as old as I am, you will remember the TV show “Sea Hunt” and that was filmed here. They also opened an Oceanarium which housed dolphins although there have not been dolphin shows here for years.  The whole place used to be pretty fancy, you can tell.

We meet our friends at Sister Creek outside of Jacksonville tomorrow and tie up to a free dock for a night. They went there today to secure a spot and if we need to we can raft up to them.  We are so looking forward to cruising with Steve and Kathy again and sharing dinner, cocktails and laughs.

Almost out of Florida - tomorrow night will be our last in the state and then on to Georgia!










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