Had a great time in St. Augustine, another interesting, quaint coastal town – really a small city.  It was Thanksgiving weekend and there were many, many people roaming around the old city, the oldest in America.  Did a little grocery shopping; got the red/green bow running light for the dinghy; did the laundry; ate a great dinner at the Spanish restaurant “Columbia.”  Left St. Augustine on November 26 for Daytona Beach.  Anchored in the river, with Tug for Two rafted to Indy.  We were the host boat for dinner, a jambalaya that G fixed to use up some chicken breasts, Andouille sausage and a pound of shrimp; another delicious meal prepared by one of our fleet’s terrific cooks. 

Left Daytona Beach for Titusville, near the Kennedy Space Center.  An easy trip thru miles and miles of wide open space, running endlessly in a narrow channel.  As John Loving had told us, an area that is known for being “5 miles wide and 4 feet deep”.  True.   We were continually in “minimum wake” areas known as “Manatee Zones.”   Only Indy saw one.  The rest of us saw lots of dolphins, at least we think that’s what they were.  One rumor making the rounds was that they were tay in manatees masquerading as dolphins.  In any case, lots of them.

Titusville, from what we saw, is a kind of low-end looking town.   We bought groceries in what was the lowest of low-end grocery stores I ever saw.  It was like a way low-end Cotsco without any of the high-end stuff one might find there. 

For us, the highlights of the stay in Titusville were these:   First, hearing the train in the night, in fact several trains, but the memorable one was at around midnight when all at once we could clearly hear rap music playing!  The only word I remember was “Mississippi.”   We both woke up and started laughing.  Second, the bigger highlight was this:  We woke up this morning WARM for the first time since we left Maryland.  First night in a month we slept under 1 blanket and woke up warm versus sleeping under 3 blankets and waking up cold.  And as a corollary, I’m now wearing shorts and some of our travelers have been spotted sans shirts and wearing bathing suits.  Hope does spring eternal. 

Now anchored behind Merritt Island.  Tomorrow Vero Beach.   Next day, maybe Stuart.   Today’s journey included about 30 miles of straight-as-an-arrow auto-piloting the boat.   Something to see/experience.