Birds of A Feather

Sisters Creek
30 26.23 N 081 27.33 W

See any brown pelicans in that flock? Nope; only white ones. Actually, we were surprised to see them this morning. White pelicans aren't so common around here. They must be migrating. A bit later we saw another flock that did have some brown pelicans as well as white ones. Does that disprove the old saying? Maybe a little, however in that mixed flock there were clumps of whites and browns, no individuals caught mixing.

We have a newsy morning that casts light on the cruising life.

1. We couldn't leave the dock at Fernandina Harbor Marina yesterday. The west wind blew from the side adding to the 2.3 knots of tidal current. We could not turn Tarwathie around in the limited corridor without running into another boat. We paid for another day. But there was a slilver lining in that cloud. Last night, our friends Charlie and Mary, from Fernandina, invited us out to dinner. They are selling their sailboat, so we invited them to come sail with us sometime.
   
   
2. This morning we planed to sail south with the W32 Calypso with Jeff and Wendy on board. They dawdled at breakfast so we got a few minutes ahead of them. We passed through a railroad bridge. (RR bridges stand open all the time unless a train is coming.) After we passed the bridge closed and got stuck. Calypso was trapped behind the bridge. Oh well, time for them to forget the late breakfast and start an early brunch while waiting for the bridge mechanic.
   
   
3. The Coast Guard on VHF said that there was a sailboat in distress offshore near Daytona. (That's where we wished we were today.) Anyhow, they said that the sailboat had blown out sails, a failed engine, and an injured person on board. Geez. That sounds like the start of a very bad day for those poor cruisers.

By tonight we hope to be past Saint Augustine. We're giving up our hopes of sailing outside on this passage. I guess we'll do the entire 900 miles on the inside this fall. Cest la vie.