We left Fort Matanzas and headed toward St. Augustine. St. Augustine was founded in 1565 by Spanish explorers and it is the oldest continually inhabited European-established settlement in the contiguous United States, so we were excited to see it and explore. Along the way the boat that was anchored with us in the Matanzas River passed us. I spoke to him on the radio and he was telling us about how he tried to go to shore where I had taken Frank and a sheriffs deputy came roaring up in a four-wheeler and told him the beach is closed and he had to leave immediately. I guess I was just lucky they didn’t see Frank and I earlier.
We made it to St. Augustine and along the way Lauren and I debated on how long we should stay and if we should get a dock slip, anchor or get a mooring ball. Anchoring is free, mooring balls are $25 a night, and docks are $78 a night. We weren’t too sure of the anchorage as I had researched and found mixed reviews about it. We decided we would get a mooring ball for one or two nights. We got close and I called the marina on the radio. They responded and told us they had a mooring ball available and directed us to it. We found our numbered ball and secured our lines. Since we got there early in the day, we took the bikes to shore so we could ride around and explore the town.
We started exploring the deserted town. There was close to zero car traffic and not very many people out. We rode around and explored the brick-lined streets and delighted in the city’s European flavor, with centuries-old buildings. As we were riding around, I noticed Lauren’s bike chain was starting to come unhinged at a link. We called a bike shop and they said they were open and we could come by as they carry replacement chains and tools. We found our way there and purchased the items needed to replace it as they couldn’t attend to it due to how busy they were. We then continued on to an AT&T store where I finally replaced my cell phone that had been broken and un-usable since December. After this long ride we went back to the marina, locked the bikes in a bike rack and retreated back to the boat. I spent the rest of the afternoon setting up the phone and taking Frank for a walk. We had decided to stay two nights, so I would try to fix her bike in the morning and we would do some more exploring.
Day 2- It took me a little bit to fix the chain. I am not a bike mechanic, and thought it would be easier than it was. After some frustration I eventually got it all re-assembled and ready to go. The bikes are becoming rusty from the salt air and getting the occasional waves over the bow in our travels. We store them on the bow where it is easiest and most out of the way. Everything is rusting and the brakes are now mostly shot on both bikes and the gears won’t adjust either, but they still are usable. We set out and did some more exploring of the town, again with not much life seen anywhere. We explored the City Gate, Castillo De San Marcos, the Colonial Area, and the Oldest House just to name a few places we rode through. It seems like we saw a lot, but absolutely nothing was open so it was all just a ‘ride by’ with the occasional stop to read a plaque or sign. We spent most of the day riding around and returned to the boat aroiund early evening. Frank was taken for another walk and we decided we would leave the bikes in the rack another night and pick them up in the morning. We wanted to get a pump out before we depart so we can load them on Klondike while I am doing that.
Tomorrow we will be leaving St. Augustine and heading to possibly our last stop in Florida…