St. Augustine to Vero Beach

St. Augustine is a beautiful, old, Spanish inspired city.  We stayed on the town moorings, which include free water shuttle to town 4 times a day, and free pump out boat.  We went to town and explored the downtown old shopping district.  It has no cars, and many shops, restaurants and street entertainment.  We found a Greek restaurant for an excellent lunch.  On the water front is the old fort Castillo San Marcos.   Up the main street is the very impressive building that used to be the Ponce De Leon Hotel and now houses the Flagler College dorms.  The entrance hall and cafeteria (ballroom) have ornate carvings and murals.  The outer courtyard and towers are striking.  Near the waterfront was a street of galleries, antiques stores and sidewalk cafes.  This is a very interesting city.

Spanish influenced church architecture

Pedestrian shopping street

City Hall and the Lightner Museum

Flagler College

Flagler College courtyard fountain with frogs and turtles

Flagler College rotunda with mural and elaborate wood work

St. Augustine's Bridge of Lions

Castillo San Marcos

We anchored in Daytona, but didn't see much as we arrived in dense fog ... left in the morning.

We moved south and stopped in Titusville Municipal Marina for a day of laundry, provisions etc.  The town seemed empty, but the dock had many live-aboard boaters.  They said that the economy was hit hard when NASA stopped the space shuttle program and then many space related industries closed as well. People who lived and boated in the area and have now moved on to find other work. One of our chores that day was to empty our water tanks and start with fresh water that we now filter as we fill the tanks.  While we were draining the tank, a group of huge Manatees were clustered on each side of the boat jostling for position and slurping up the fresh water.  That was my first close up look at them.

There are many high rise apartments/condos in this area

The fog setting in

Pelicans perched ashore

Pelicans fishing for lunch

Manatees crowding around our boat

This big one got the port side drain

This one on the starboard side

 
Next day was an easy short run to Melbourne and an anchorage, followed by a short day run to Vero Beach.  We are now in the city marina at a mooring.  Upon arrival we called Dick and Bonnie Myers who live very nearby.  Dick came over in his new boat to welcome us. Nice boat! Today they will both come over and we will get a chance to enjoy their good company.