Decided to run the AICW again today mainly due to conflicting weather reports. The app Windy indicated 3-foot seas reducing to 2 feet in the PM. NOAA said 3 ft +, not reducing. I’ve learned the Admiral likes a smooth ride, so I defaulted to go inside. Good decision. Big thunderstorms (a/k/a FL sunshine) came up on us as we were about 10 miles from our destination. Visibility went to near zero, the radar was totally blotted out by the rain, we reduced speed to a crawl and navigated by the chart plotter and line of sight. Thirty minutes later we were in the clear until we turned right to head to the marina. Since we ran the AICW I needed to go toward the ocean to get to the marina. Consequently, we caught the tail end of the storm we just went through! BTW - There is a canal that connects the inland waterway (AICW / Indian River) to the ocean inlet. Surprise to us, the canal also has a lock! I was scratching my head trying to figure out why a lock? Is there a difference in water level? The answer? Yes, but very little. Apparently, the water level difference is due to the distance between the two inlets (Sebastian to the south; Indian River at Cape Canaveral) and the tidal effect to the river. However, this lock is not like the locks of the TN River. No floating bollard. Just tie to a stationary cleat and enjoy the one-foot ride!

In the meantime, we’re here for one night, tied to a floating dock (thank goodness). The distance from the stationary / fixed dock and water is so great you have to use ladders to climb down to your boat!

Don't know if I had mentioned this before but the water color here is not very appealing. It’s a kind of brownish, tannic color. And it stains the boat! Our goal is to be in St. Augustine on Friday for the weekend. I’ll need to give the boat a good cleaning and check the water filters. We want to see the sights of St. Augustine, too!