St. Augustine

 We spent 52 hours off shore and Boom! we're back in the sun and humidity.  It's great to be back in Florida with the blue/green water and palm trees along shore.  I didn't realize I'd missed it so much until we got back.  We had a great sail from South Carolina.  A great sail consists of having nothing break and no one getting sick.  (Adjima did get a bit motion sick on the way out the inlet when we left and did do a little barfing (fortunately, it was on Steve's side of the bed)).

The most interesting part of the sail were the jellyfish we saw almost all the way down the coast.  They are known as Cannonball Jelly (for Dr. Anne: stomolophus meleagris).  They apparently are considered quite a pest by the commercial fishermen because they're so prolific and tend to clog the nets and slow down sorting times.  I also read that they're one of the least venomous of the jellyfish.  I had to scoop one out with our cat-retriever net and take a closer look.  The one I caught was as big as a softball and quite firm. We sailed through these things for more than 100 miles, there were millions.

I took a tour of what is now Flagler College, the former Hotel Ponce de Leon.  It was built in 1888 by Henry Flagler ,of Standard Oil fame.  It was built as the most exclusive of them all resort destinations, back in the day when the women were whisked away from the check-in desk in the lobby so as not to see any financial transactions, thereby saving them from going blind. It was the first building in Florida to have electricity and the second building ever done by Thomas Edison.  It's an amazing structure, Tiffany glass and murals by G.W. Menard. A lot of the original fixtures are still in place: the carved pillars and African mosaic tile floor in the lobby and the gold leaf lion heads with light bulbs in their mouths, a huge art collection.  The attention to detail was wonderful.  It's now a girls dorm on the campus of Flagler College.


We also had a chance to peruse one of sailing's meccas here in Florida, the Sailor's Exchange.  Consignment and used gear marine stores are always fun for me, you just never know what you'll find! At SE there was a huge bin of any kind of nut or bolt or screw, complete with a paddle to move the piles around. I think there is literally one of every size there, all you need is the patience to find the one you're looking for.