Yeah, Florida finally! We left South Carolina on Monday morning and headed out to sea for an overnight passage to Florida. The winds were blowing 10 to 20 knots off and on for most of the day and night. The seas ranged from 2 to 4 ft. then increased to 6 to 8 ft. which wasn't too bad when they were following, but when they cut across the beam the rolling got a little nauseating for Ms. Michele. It was pretty cool though, that when we left Parris Island (where Steve became a Marine many years ago) and started heading out, our friends from Rapscallion II passed us on their way in to Hilton Head after doing an overnighter from Charleston. When they saw us and learned that we were headig to Florida, they turned around and came along for the ride. So it was nice to be travelling with another boat in sight and radio contact. Also pretty cool is the marine life that we've been seeing. Dolphins still seem to excite Michele every time she sees them. The birds that we're seeing are also awesome. Pelicans have been plentiful since Virginia. They look like left over animals from the Jurassic era. They like to fly right up to the boat and then veer off at the last second. We're still hoping to see a whale though preferably during the day!
We arrived at the St. Mary's inlet around 0700. With the current against us and the seas chopping all over the place, the ride into Fernandina Beach was extremely uncomfortable and seemed to last forever. To make matters worse the anchorage boasts two huge paper mills with a lovely view and odor. We were tempted to keep going, but Michele had enough of traveling for one day (and night). We ended up taking a mooring for only $15 which allowed us access to the dinghy dock, laundry and showers, and trash disposal. Additionally, the tide here is 7 feet and the current is strong, so Steve didn't want the worry of anchoring. Although, we arrived here fairly early in the morning, we were too exhausted to go ashore. So we thought after a nap, we would head into town. That never happened though.
On Wednesday, we were pretty well rested and able to deal with setting up the dinghy to go ashore. We stopped by Rapscallion to visit with Dennis and Trudy and invited them over for dinner. After putting in laundry and showering, we started exploring the area. The historic downtown area of Fernandina Beach was a pleasant surprise. The town is very quaint with many little shops and restaurants. We ate lunch at very popular little restaurant called the Marina (which wasn't really at the Marina, but just up the street from it). The food was good and the service was incredible. Every couple of minutes someone came over to our table to see if we needed anything. After lunch we decided to head to the grocery store which supposedly was 3 or 4 miles away. We started walking with the intent of calling a taxi if it was getting to be too far. Well, turns out the Winn Dixie and Walmart were only 2 miles away. It was nice walking since we had been on the boat since last Friday when we left Charleston. The weather was partly sunny and close to 70 degrees. When we got there, we met another couple who were cruisers and shared the cab ride back to the Marina.
After picking up the laundry and loading up the dinghy with all our provisions, we barely had room for ourselves. It was 1600 when we got back to the boat, so we set about stowing all the groceries and preparing dinner for our guests. Michele made an artichoke dip and Trudy brought her awesome collection of cheeses, crackers and olives. We had a big salad and chicken parmigiana with linguine. We ran out of time to prepare a homemade dessert, so we just had an assortment of chocolate and cookies. And of course, we had plenty of wine. We love hanging out with Dennis and Trudy and hope we'll be seeing them again along the way.
Today we are hanging tight as a severe weather system moves through the area. There is a tornado warning in effect until later this afternoon. The winds are gusting around 30 to 40 knots and it just started raining. The skies are very ominous right now, but we have everything secured pretty well. If it does clear up later, we might go down river 10 or 15 miles to get closer to the McCormick bridge near Jacksonville which only opens between 12 and 1 pm. due to demolition of the old bascule bridge which was replaced with a high rise bridge. If we don't head out today, we will certainly be moving tomorrow if the weather calms down. There is a cold front moving through, but at least we're not freezing anymore.
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