Day 195 - The Devil's Elbow

Miles cruised 53 miles, fuel purchased $0, slip fee $95, daily high temperature 74°fHalyards slapped all night on the 40' sailboat across the fairway from us. No one on board and no one on that dock to tie them off.It was blowy from the east as we cast off. The skipper on the ailboat next to us said he was waiting another day until the winds let up. He was concerned that he would have a problem getting out of his slop and turning in the fairway with strong beam winds.We were to told to drop off our gate keys at the gas dock on our way out. The dock hand sticks out a big fishnet and Andy dropped the keys in as we cruised by.We bid farewell to Daytona Beach.We cruised north up a flat ICW from Daytona to the ancient city of Saint Augustine. One of the turns on the ICW is called the Devil's Elbow.Devil's Elbow got its name as a treacherous area to navigate in the ICW before it was dredged some time ago. It is populated with many small islets, sandbars, and creeks, and is known as a great fishing destination. We saw a large sailboat that had wandered out of the channel and was stuck in the mud.  The skipper had the jib up to tip the boat.  He was running his engine full speed and was spinning like a top but no getting anywhere.  There were three government boats nearby but no one seemed interested in helping him.  It is very important to watch the channel markers as well as the GPS because the channel markers get moved as the sandbars shift.El Galleon is a Spanish sailing ship that is visiting St Augustine.St. Augustine (Spanish: San Agustín) is a city in northeastern Florida. It is the oldest continuously occupied European-established settlement within the borders of the United States.Saint Augustine was founded on September 8, 1565, by Spanish admiral and Florida's first governor, Pedro Menéndez de Avilés. He named the settlement "San Agustín", as his ships bearing settlers, troops, and supplies from Spain had first sighted land in Florida on August 28, 1565, the feast day of St. Augustine. The city served as the capital of Spanish Florida for over 200 years, and remained the capital of East Florida when the territory briefly changed hands between Spain and Britain. It was designated the capital of the Florida Territory until Tallahassee was made the capital in 1824. Since the late 19th century, St. Augustine's distinct historical character has made the city a major tourist attraction.Dale and a bridge.  Photo taken by Andy.We will spend two nights at the St Augustine Municipal Marina and then continue heading north to Fernadina Beach.St Augustine Municipal MarinaBonus photoCarl (Chef) Wooden) - quote of the day."You have the beach but not the sea? No use! You have the sea but not the beach? No use!"Mehmet Murat ildanContemporary Turkish playwright and novelist Mehmet Murat ildan was born in Elazig on May 16, 1965 in the Eastern part of Turkey. Due to his father's occupation, he continued his studies in capital Ankara. In 1982, high school diploma, as a first place winner, was awarded by Ankara Private Yenisehir College.He spent one year in English Preparatory School in Ankara (at the Middle East Technical University - METU). Then in 1983, he took courses from the Department of Electronics at METU Campus in Gaziantep as a full-time student.In 1988, he obtained B.Sc. degree in Economics with "Certificate of Honour" (at METU). In the same year, he also obtained a Turkish Government Scholarship by the Ministry of Education for Master and Ph.D. degrees in European Union Economics. In 1989, he spent 8 months in an Intensive French Course at "Centre Audio-Visuel de Langues Modernes" (CAVILAM) in Vichy - France.s literary career started in 1993 with a poetry book called Bright Candles; it was written in English in England and published in Turkey in 1995. In 1997, a poem from this book was published in the Georgian Blue Poetry Anthology.Between the years 1993 - 1998, he did not write anything literary. In 1998, he wrote stories for 6 months. In 1999, he left his economics occupation. He worked as a translator in the Turkish Daily News only for one day.From the year 2000 onwards, he started writing plays; he became a professional writer.He has published 7 plays and 25 stories. His novels "Antiquary Arago's Diary," "Roses underneath Paris" and “The First Sorrows of Young Werther” and his story book "Lovers of Samos Island" have also been published.Three of his plays, Master Moliere is Marrying, Galileo Galilei & Emmanuel Arago's Diary, have been accepted to the Repertory of Turkish State National Theatre. Also, his plays Eyes of Magic, Beggar's Prophecy and Emmanuel Arago's Diary have been included in the repertoire of Istanbul City Theatre. Six of his plays have been translated into English by Yurdanur Salman, a well-known linguist in Istanbul.