Day 128

Daily stats
Start: 7:00 AM- St. Augustine, FL
Finish: 3:30 PM - Atlantic Beach, FL
Time: 8:30
Daily dist: 34 miles
Total dist: 2,552 miles
Companions: None
Weather: A little chilly with a persistent head wind
Notes: I ended up staying on a sail boat that had passed me earlier in the day and I caught up with just before I was going to pull off the water anyway.

If you were watching my SPOT locations today you would have noticed that after I left the beach in St. Augustine this morning they never made it back to land. That is because I’m currently on the “I NIDA WIND II” a large sail boat owned by Cal and Nancy from Moretown Vermont. The two of them, along with their two dogs, are on their way back from the Bahamas where they spent the winter.

Nancy on the back of her and Cal's sailboat

Earlier in the day they had passed me on a narrow section of the ICW as I crossed under the bridge that goes from Jacksonville to Atlantic Beach I recognized that boat and another that had passed me earlier. Both were anchored up in a quiet corner to spend the night. As I neared Cal was on deck and remarked how he had seen me earlier and that I’d come a long way and he asked where I was going to spend the night. I explained that I was looking for an island just a half mile further shown on the Florida paddling trail guide. Because I was going to be so close, Nancy invited me back for dinner then Cal up the offer and said I may as well just sleep on the boat. Not being one to pass up an offer, I quickly accepted and moments later my kayak was tied to their dingy and I was in warm dry clothes enjoying Nancy’s home made beef stew.

The Ikkuma tied up to their dinghy

Most of the time Nancy and Cal sail their boat on Lake Champlain and stay in their home in Moretown VT. But over the last twenty years they have made several winter trips to the Bahamas one year even taking their eleven year old son with them. As Cal puts it, they aren’t rich by any standards they just have their priorities right. I have to agree.