St. Augustine, FL (March 9-11, 2014)

On Sunday we arrived at St. Augustine, FL where we all waited (stuffed dogs included) for the bridge to open so we could go to church at the Cathedral Basilica. St. Augustine is one of the oldest towns in the US, dating back to 1565.

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The marina we stayed at (directly beyond the bridge) had a huge old schooner and was within walking distance to almost everything. After church, we went to the Colonial Quarter and saw a blacksmith working, witnessed a musket being fired and saw a historic village. We then went to “The Fort” (El Castillo de San Marcos) where costumed soldiers shot off cannons firings. A pirate ship in the harbor returned the fire (a great view of the Fort from the water).

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On the first night in St. Augustine, I’m sitting in our berth by myself, as Matt has gone to shower. It sounds like I’m literally sitting in a small bowl of Rice Krispies cereal. I can hear snapping, crackling and popping sounds all around me. I’ve heard them two or three times before – and all I can think is that termites are quietly (or not so quietly) devouring the insides of the boat. I’m hesitant to tell Matt about it because of how much constantly gets added to the ‘to do’ list and yet I’m mindful of his warning to tell him about anything unusual. Hesitantly, I mention it when he returns. “Oh”, he responds, “those are just tiny shrimp making the sounds. I read about them in the ICW guide.” What a relief to know the boat won’t slowly dissolve into the water one night while we are sleeping.