The very next day we headed north from Titusville. We learned the hard way that St. Patrick’s Day is a major boating holiday in Florida. We originally planned to go all the way to Daytona Beach in one long day but we opted for a spot in New Smyrna Beach, 10 miles south, due to the crazy amount of boat traffic we were dodging. I’m pretty sure St. Patrick’s Day is one of the worst days to be a big slow sailboat traveling on the ICW in Florida.
We had scattered showers forecasted the next day but we managed to dodge the worst of it as we continued north. We couldn’t have had more of a contrast to the craziness the day before. There was no one else on the ICW through Daytona Beach. Turns out a rainy Monday after St. Patrick’s might be the best time for a big slow sailboat to be on the ICW in Florida.
We arrived later that day in St. Augustine and were rewarded with sunshine and light winds as we picked up our mooring ball. It felt great to be back. So far, we have found returning to places takes a lot of the travel anxiety away from arrival. It was also cool because we got to see our St. Augustine friends, Jackie and Dan from SV Winona. We met them back in January. While we had traveled further south to Stuart in February, they had a baby! We got to meet baby Lenny on Wednesday morning. He’s the first boat baby we’ve met and is a great member to the SV Winona crew.
While we love St. Augustine and were happy to be back, we came for a specific purpose – some of our friends from home were coming to visit! The next day, we greeted Margy, Rob, Liz and Kurt to St. Augustine. They had traveled from Chicago and Ann Arbor. We spent the afternoon hanging out on Alaya before checking into their rental house. Chris and Amanda arrived late from Chicago that night. Now the party could really start!
Liz, Margy, Amanda and I have been friends since elementary school. We have been through a lot together but now live far away from each other. For the past few years, we’ve been trying to travel somewhere together once a year. This year, we decided to invite our husbands too and the whole gang was gracious enough to come to us.
Our first morning together was spent back on Alaya. The group wanted to go for a boat ride. Winds were very light but we had a great sail in the bay. No one got seasick, no one fell off the boat and we didn’t hit anything hard – success!
We hit the town after our sail, looking for a place to snack and watch some March Madness Basketball (there may have been some adult beverages too). We had our first co-ed Truth Circle (think truth-or-dare without the dares, we’ve been doing them since middle school) which was a riot. At one point I was laughing so hard that I was crying and a man at a table next to us left. So good to be with forever friends again!
The next day the group split up. I went with the guys to play golf and Lucas went with the ladies. Kurt, Chris, Rob and I had a great time playing at a local course. I was pretty rusty, it has been a long time since I last played and I was using rental clubs. Despite my rustiness, it felt great to swing a club again. I was on the hunt all day for alligators. Despite all the golf I’ve played in my life, I don’t think I’ve ever played in Florida, so I wanted the full experience. Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on how you look at it), we never saw a croc. We played a 2 v 2 match play scramble. Rob and I held the lead at the turn but then we let the other team press. We proceeded to lose the next three holes. Not exactly what we had planned. Kurt and Chris made some great shots and were the victors by hole 17.
While we were lighting up the links, Lucas, Amanda, Margy and Liz had a great day. They got coffee, walked the beach, got some fruity drinks downtown and played dominoes. I got some hilarious photo updates from “Lucas and the ladies” throughout the day. Needless to say, they had a great time. We reunited in the afternoon for pizza and basketball at the rental house.
Our last full day together started with putt-putt at a nearby pirate-themed course (why is every putt putt course in the country pirate-themed?). This was Kurt’s one wish for the trip and it was a blast. After another tough match with a few balls going out of bounds, the guys were victorious. Yes, we are a competitive group, could you tell? In the afternoon, the sun decided to shine for a bit, so we packed our snacks and headed to the beach. It was not a swim-at-the-beach day but it was perfect weather for chilling in the sand and walking the beach.
After a wonderful weekend, that went by way too quickly, it was time for everyone to head home again. It meant so much to me and Lucas that the entire group took time out of their busy lives to come visit their crazy friends who live on a boat. I can’t wait to see the gang again, hopefully this summer on Mackinac Island!
Pretty sure I was promised a new post on tuesday.