We decided to turn back and head north on the St. John's River due to the forecast of bad/severe weather that could include strong winds, thunderstorms, and even tornados. We would spend the next two days in Palatka to weather the storm. We arrived around 11am with high winds. Right after securing the boat, Barb and Jerry Ross, friends of Patty and Truman Long, arrived to pick us up and take us to lunch at Corky Bell's, a seafood restaurant in town. They visited us on the boat and took a tour! We spent the afternoon with them, visiting their home, touring their town, and stopping off at the post office and a local fruit stand.

When we returned to the boat, we joined other loopers from Sojourn and Betty Gail on a walk to the local brewery. It was just starting to rain as we headed back to the marina.

The next day, we spent mostly on the boat. We enjoyed docktails with Betty Gail and then dinner on Sojourn. We shared a boat tour of one another's boats. Jack made gin and tonics for everyone. Then it was an early night as everyone would be traveling north the next day.

We never really saw the severe weather that had been forecasted, just rain. For that we were thankful! Apparently the weather folks from Florida have the same challenges of accurately predicting severe weather as the weather folks in Ohio!