Goodbye to Florida

From St. Augustine we were on the Tolomato River part of the ICW (it’s named after an ancient Indian tribe). We motor-sailed with just the genoa since there were a lot of turns in the river and that was easier to manage. It was refreshing to see a lot of natural areas along the shoreline but as we neared Jacksonville, it was one mansion after another again. At Jacksonville we picked up the St. John’s River which is well known for its’ strong current. You can see the tidal current going past this buoy.

We went past an industrial area with shipbuilding and anchored just off the river between two islands near Broward Bridge. There was a really strong current plus a stiff breeze – one coming from one way and one from the other. It wasn’t the greatest anchorage but not a lot of options here. There was no going to shore for the doggy trip in the morning; when the tide came up the shoreline disappeared!

On Sunday we headed the 4 miles back to the ICW. We opened the Sister’s Creek Bridge and were traveling at 9 knots going through the bridge aided by the current. Sister’s Creek became Saw Pit Creek. They really look more like lakes than what we’d think of as creeks – very wide open. There were lots of egrets and heron and dolphin sightings. We crossed Nassau Sound and were on the S. Amelia River. We traveled 21.3 miles by the time we got to Fernandina Beach which is actually on Amelia Island. The familiar aroma of paper mills was in the air! We hooked up to a mooring ball and had to wait to go ashore as there was a Blessing of the Fleet and boat parade going on. Here are some of the shrimp boats in the parade.

We happened to be here for the last day of the 45th Annual Shrimp Festival. The town was mobbed, a lot like Menominee, MI during the Waterfront Festival. We got some shrimp from food booths manned by local groups, walked through the juried art show and enjoyed live music. It was quite a party, complete with pirates and their ladies!

Evidently the tide in Fernandina Beach is the most dramatic in Florida – a 7 ft. fluctuation, definitely the most tidal effect we’ve seen. The depth at our slip went from 13 feet to 20 feet. If they didn’t have floating docks it’d be pretty ridiculous trying to get on and off your boat.

We got a slip here for Monday night and planned to head out on Tuesday but the winds were supposed to be pretty strong out of the northeast so we decided to wait. So we went back out on a mooring ball on Tuesday. As it turned out I’m glad we stayed because we got to see Jim and Lou again and have lunch together. They were on their drive back “up north” to Richmond, VA after wintering in Bonita Springs, FL. There are a lot of historic buildings here, cute shops and lots of restaurants so it was definitely a worthwhile stop.

It’s time for another sunset. This is looking out at the mooring field from the Fernandina Beach Harbor Marina.

THIS N THAT

We’re seeing a lot of boats from the east coast now, mainly Maryland, Delaware and Rhode Island. They’re heading back home from spending the winter in warmer places.

We noticed we’re starting to hear southern accents again. You just don’t hear that further south in Florida because so many residents are from "up north" and you don't meet many native Floridians.

The State Bird of Florida, the Mockingbird, is very entertaining to listen to. They really put on a show. The first time we heard one we couldn’t believe it was just one bird as they have such a large repertoire of songs!

I checked to see when we first arrived in Florida and it was November 28th. No wonder it felt like we were here a long time – we were. On to Georgia!