St Augustine - at a dock

El Galeon is a replica of a Spanish Galleon of the time of the founding of St Augustine 

Slack current was at 7:40 this morning and with the high current at other times and the tight docks, it was advisable to dock with as little current as possible. So we timed it to go to our dock at slack but when we approached I discovered that although we had no north/south current, there was a sideways drift that was apparent from standing on the bow. Unfortunately, I neglected to convey this information to Ann at the helm. So as we approached the dock, the current drift set the boat away from the finger, towards the other boat in the slip. We got a line to the dockhand who secured it to a cleat and Ann powered forward to lever the boat closer to the finger. After some fiddling around, we got the boat tied up without hitting anything else, an accomplishment in itself. All this reinforces the fact that you have to pay attention to even a modest current drift and be sure that your helmsman and crew communicate. As much as we've been doing this, you always learn something new.

You can also sail on a "pirate" ship

Fleetwing received her first cleaning in over a month! I would rate it a 0.4 Sharman, not bad by that standard. I also filled up the water tank and did a pumpout which was free with the slip. Lee and Emma Rose arrived around noon, friends from our days in the Air Force in Colorado. So we chatted and walked over to St Augustine and down St George Street, the center of the city. If you're ever in St Augustine be sure to visit St George Street. Also, you ought to see El Galeon, a replica of a true Spanish Galleon of the type that sailed to St Augustine when it was founded 450 years ago.

Many things to buy at the local shops

We plan on waiting for slack current Saturday morning before taking off for Jacksonville. It doesn't take much to get into trouble with a 2 kt current in an enclosed area.