It was colder but not quite as windy when we arose. Gale made a trip to shore in the afternoon while Maureen stayed on the boat. Gale visited Tom and Pat on Suncat, another Gemini, and learned a couple of secrets about keeping the hull clean from Tom. When he stepped on the main dock, he spoke to Norm and Vicky of Tide Hiker, who had just arrived. They invited us to spend some time with them tonight and tomorrow, but Gale had to decline because of a business meeting tonight and our plan to leave the area early tomorrow morning.
After a shower and a walk downtown to the hardware store and the convenience store, he was back on the boat to get ready for his meeting with two gentlemen who have a business conducting Captain’s school. They were looking for instructors with teaching experience, boating experience and captain’s credentials. The meeting was held at the Irish pub in downtown Fernandina Beach and the men enjoyed getting to know each other.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Friday, November 5, 2010 – Fernandina Harbor Marina – mooring ball
We stayed on the boat all day due to the wind and sea conditions. It was cold and nasty and the waves were doing about a two foot chop. It wasn’t a good idea to be out in the dinghy.
Gale spent his time on the computer following up on some business while Maureen read a book. During the evening hours, we watched a movie on TV then cuddled up with our comforter for the night.
Gale spent his time on the computer following up on some business while Maureen read a book. During the evening hours, we watched a movie on TV then cuddled up with our comforter for the night.
Thursday, November 4, 2010 – Fernandina Harbor Marina – mooring ball
September Song and Sea Pearl left the dock before 8 am. It was a cloudy day and looked like it might rain. Maureen got an early start on the laundry and had that chore finished by 10:30 am. During the late morning, we walked uptown to see if we could pick up some milk and fresh produce. We were able to find milk (2% rather than our preferred skim) but no produce could be found at either of the “groceries” we checked out. On our way back to the dock, we stopped at a coffee shop and shared a cinnamon roll and orange juice.
At 2 pm, at the lowest tide, we moved the boat from the slip out to a mooring ball in the harbor. We would have waited for a little more water under the keel, but the winds were kicking up and the sky was growing darker. A couple of the dock hands helped us get away safely and in no time at all, we had grabbed the assigned mooring ball’s pennant and were secured nicely once again just before the rain began and the wind really started blowing.
We were toasty and warm inside our cabin as we enjoyed our evening meal. Maureen prepared beef stroganoff with noodles – a crew favorite.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010 – Fernandina Harbor Marina - slip, Florida (ICW mile 716.5)
It was a very pleasant morning. We weren’t in a big hurry since it was only about 30 miles to our next stop so we watched the world go by for a few hours and didn’t pull up anchor until shortly before 11 am.
At low tide, around 2 pm, we were in Cumberland Sound just before King’s Bay and came through some spots in the channel with less than two feet of water under the keel. We were okay with our shallow draft, but most cruising boats would have run aground.
We heard some traffic about a naval escort in King’s Bay where there is a submarine base and wondered if we might get a glimpse of a nuclear submarine. Somehow, maybe it was the grey skies or that the military detail was focused towards the ocean, our arrival in the vicinity of the base was unnoticed until we were right in the middle of things. The Coast Guard finally hailed us and told us to get out of the channel and head toward the shore. We were to move as close to the long pier as we could safely manage and hold our position. There was a helicopter flying very close overhead, large escort ships on either side of the submarine, smaller vessels flanking the larger ones and even smaller patrol boats with lots of flashing lights and large machine guns, to the front, back and sides of the detail. What a thrill! Once the submarine and the escort ships went by our location, we were free to move on our way.
We arrived at Fernandina Beach around 4 pm and took a slip at Fernandina Harbor Marina. Most transient cruisers tie up to the face dock where there is plenty of water at low tide, but we were able to get a good deal on an inside, more protected slip, because of our shallow draft.
As we were fueling up, Bob and Stephanie of September Song walked up to say ‘Hi.’ They were traveling with Sea Pearl and planned to meet Joe and Julie downtown for drinks and dinner and we were invited to meet them. We walked downtown after settling in and found a very quaint, nicely renovated downtown area. We checked out the Palace Saloon, the oldest saloon in Florida which was once the haunt of America’s most famous, including the Rockefellers, Vanderbilts, DuPonts and Carnegie. While we were enjoying a drink, our friends happened into the saloon and found us there. Joe tried the Pirate’s Punch and found it to be similar to a Long Island Iced Tea.
We ended up having a marvelous dinner at Espana, featuring traditional flavors from Spain and Portugal, where we all shared servings of fresh fish, paella, tapas and flan.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010 – Jekyll Creek, Georgia (ICW mile 684.5)
It looked like rain was approaching when we got up so we made sure everything was secure and waited for the shower to pass. At 9 am we had the anchors up and left on a falling tide. We found the creek very shallow in spots, but were able to travel the eight miles and leave Blackbeard behind at 11 am just before the lowest tide at noon.
We entered Sapelo Sound to find the wind blowing strong and the water a bit rough. The headsail steadied the ride and allowed us to pick up speed. The wind blew from 18 to 30 knots all day long, with gusts as high as 33 knots, which helped us to cover 50 miles in 6 hours – probably a new record for Blue Heron. For a time, we were motorsailing at a speed of 9.5 knots. We even overtook two trawlers along the way – a rare occurrence, indeed!
At 5:30 pm, we anchored in Jekyll Creek near Jekyll Harbor Marina in approximately the same spot we had anchored on our way to the Chesapeake Bay three months ago.
We entered Sapelo Sound to find the wind blowing strong and the water a bit rough. The headsail steadied the ride and allowed us to pick up speed. The wind blew from 18 to 30 knots all day long, with gusts as high as 33 knots, which helped us to cover 50 miles in 6 hours – probably a new record for Blue Heron. For a time, we were motorsailing at a speed of 9.5 knots. We even overtook two trawlers along the way – a rare occurrence, indeed!
At 5:30 pm, we anchored in Jekyll Creek near Jekyll Harbor Marina in approximately the same spot we had anchored on our way to the Chesapeake Bay three months ago.
Monday, November 1, 2010 – Blackbeard Creek at Blackbeard Island
It was another lovely day for a beach walk. We were the first ones out there at 9 am and walked the tidal line for an hour where we found several cat’s eyes and a few olive shells. On the return trip, we walked at the water’s edge and enjoyed the soft, sugary sand in our toes. By the time we got back to the spot where we had left the dinghy, some of the other folks were out trying to fly the kites that Norm and Vicky of Tide Hiker had brought for everyone – however, with barely a 5 mph breeze, there wasn’t much flying going on.
Life’s 2 Short left the anchorage shortly before noon with a rising tide. The other boats waited until after 2 pm when the tide was a little higher before they departed. It was such a beautiful day, we decided to stay another night.
Gale went out in the dinghy in the afternoon to see if the fish were biting yet and to scout out the ocean inlet at low tide to determine if there was any possibility of leaving the anchorage that way. We were only about a mile from the inlet; whereas, we were more than 8 miles up the creek off the ICW. While Gale was checking things out, he spied an alligator sunning himself on the beach. Both Gale and the alligator were surprised to see each other! Gale watched as the alligator slithered his way off the bank and into the water.
FYI: No fish were caught during the outing and Gale also determined that there was no way we could leave via the inlet even with our 18-inch draft.
Life’s 2 Short left the anchorage shortly before noon with a rising tide. The other boats waited until after 2 pm when the tide was a little higher before they departed. It was such a beautiful day, we decided to stay another night.
Gale went out in the dinghy in the afternoon to see if the fish were biting yet and to scout out the ocean inlet at low tide to determine if there was any possibility of leaving the anchorage that way. We were only about a mile from the inlet; whereas, we were more than 8 miles up the creek off the ICW. While Gale was checking things out, he spied an alligator sunning himself on the beach. Both Gale and the alligator were surprised to see each other! Gale watched as the alligator slithered his way off the bank and into the water.
FYI: No fish were caught during the outing and Gale also determined that there was no way we could leave via the inlet even with our 18-inch draft.
Sunday, October 31, 2010 – Blackbeard Creek at Blackbeard Island
Happy Halloween! It was a beautiful morning for a walk on the beach so we landed the dinghy shortly before 9:30 am and walked until after 11 am. We didn’t see as many sand dollars or horseshoe crabs, but there were several interesting creatures whose photos have found their way into the blog.
Here is a little history of Blackbeard Island: it has been in continuous Federal ownership since 1800 when the 5,618 acre island was acquired by the Navy Department as a source of live oak timber for ship building. From 1880 to 1910, the island served as a yellow fever quarantine station, managed by the National Board of Health, then by the U.S. Marine Hospital Service.
Other colorful notes relating to the history of the island deal with it’s namesake, Edward Teach, alias Blackbeard the Pirate. Legends tell of his murderous and plunderous activities along the coast and his periodic retreats to the island for “banking” purposes. Rumors of Blackbeard’s buried treasure still flourish, however, so far no one has found a single doubloon. The island’s history as a refuge began in 1924 when it was placed under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Biological Survey. In 1941, Blackbeard Island was designated a National Wildlife Refuge.
After lunch, we met several of the cruisers at the ranger station dock and hiked the East Trail on Blackbeard Island. The trail was a bit longer than any of us had anticipated so when the mosquitoes swarmed us, we didn’t take long to decide we’d rather turn around than keep going. Besides, it was getting late in the afternoon and we knew the bugs would get worse before they got better!
About 6 pm, we all gathered on the southern beach to share appetizers and great company. The evening was mild and we kept the bugs away with another terrific bonfire.
Here is a little history of Blackbeard Island: it has been in continuous Federal ownership since 1800 when the 5,618 acre island was acquired by the Navy Department as a source of live oak timber for ship building. From 1880 to 1910, the island served as a yellow fever quarantine station, managed by the National Board of Health, then by the U.S. Marine Hospital Service.
Other colorful notes relating to the history of the island deal with it’s namesake, Edward Teach, alias Blackbeard the Pirate. Legends tell of his murderous and plunderous activities along the coast and his periodic retreats to the island for “banking” purposes. Rumors of Blackbeard’s buried treasure still flourish, however, so far no one has found a single doubloon. The island’s history as a refuge began in 1924 when it was placed under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Biological Survey. In 1941, Blackbeard Island was designated a National Wildlife Refuge.
After lunch, we met several of the cruisers at the ranger station dock and hiked the East Trail on Blackbeard Island. The trail was a bit longer than any of us had anticipated so when the mosquitoes swarmed us, we didn’t take long to decide we’d rather turn around than keep going. Besides, it was getting late in the afternoon and we knew the bugs would get worse before they got better!
About 6 pm, we all gathered on the southern beach to share appetizers and great company. The evening was mild and we kept the bugs away with another terrific bonfire.
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