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Trip's Log
Date: Jul 19 to Jul 23
Total Distance: 133 nms
Destination: St Augustine, Ft George River, Fernandina Beach,
Cumberland Island, Ga
Route: ICW
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| Jun 19 - Jul 18 We love Daytona Beach even though it rained incessantly
while we were there, and when it rained, it poured. On days when the sun
finally appeared, we would grab the opportunity and bike around the
downtown area, checking out the Harley motorcycle dealership,
getting our fresh fruits and vegetables at the farmers market and visiting
the library (excellent
collection of foreign films). We visited friends
Engin and Halil in
Heathrow, 45 minutes away, and celebrated the Fourth with Jon and Peggy
back in Ft Pierce, and house hunted from Ormond Beach to Palm Coast (no
luck on any deals. In case you're wondering, Florida housing is not
cheap!) While on one of those house hunting trips, we stumbled into Bulow
Creek State Park. In there lies a majestic live oak tree, noted to be more
than 800 years old! This section of the state is a reminder of the old
Florida before development. Trees lined the narrow streets around that
area you almost think you are somewhere up North. Back at the marina, Mark and Terri,
from our docks, were nice enough to invite us
to a going
away party one evening and we met several boaters, some of whom had just
come back from the Bahamas. Another day, we had a "surprise" birthday dinner
party for Cathy at Brickyard's Lounge (This may be where Jimmy Buffet had
his cheeseburger in paradise because it was sooo good), and another day a pot-luck
dinner at the boater's lounge. The ballpark across the water from the
marina twice had fireworks display at the games. And we had the best seat
in the house to view it! |
| Jul 19 If James Creek Marina in Washington DC
has the worst spiders,
Halifax Marina has the
worst roaches. Were we glad when we pull away from marina on this hot and
humid windless day, temperatures hovering between 99 and 101 degrees. Our destination
was St Augustine, 47 nautical miles away. As we approached St
Augustine, thunderstorm threatened. We saw a sailboat flying a Swiss flag anchored near
Fish Marina right after San Sebastian Bridge. It looked protected and had a
welcoming breeze we thought we'd join her before it started pouring. Normally
we don't even anchor in
such deep water (20 feet). Debbie and Alan of Trident had
left Daytona Beach one day earlier than us, and were anchored out at
Salt Run Creek, near St Augustine Light. They called and wondered if we
wanted to join them for dinner. We couldn't because we were too far away.
The rain did not come, but three hours later, our boat had swung around close to a full circle (strong
currents here) and our depth sounder was reading 4 feet. We didn't want to
have a sleepless night, so we retrieved our anchor and left for Salt Run. Trident,
on their way back from dinner, came over for dessert. |
| Jul 20 Dolphins flirted with us as we continued our
cruise to Ft
George River. One even performed for us showing its tail and later propping
up its head as if to see who we were. The ICW around Ponte Vedra,
halfway between St Augustine and Jacksonville, is awfully shallow at low
tide (sailboats, beware!). On a hot humid day like this day, cruising was
unbearable. Once passed there, conditions (wind and depth) were much
better. We ventured into Ft George River
just as the gray skies gave in to pelting rain. Numerous boats anchored
here were
all packing up and waiting out the weather a little before heading out. This
place reminded us of World's End in Hull (Mass where we used to hang out on summer
weekends). Come night time,
we were the only boat around. We got up early the next morning and ran
about with our dinghy to where the river meets the ocean. We saw lots of birds
on
one island, people already lined the beach and were fishing on another. We
helped towed a fellow on a personal watercraft back to land. Back at the
anchorage, boats started coming in by the
dozens and anchoring, many tying up together. Sophal had to set up another
anchor in the aft so our boat won't swing into another boat. Space was
getting tight. In the middle of this
anchorage is a narrow piece of land that would show up at low tide. People
would set up their beach chairs and picnicked there. Others swam, fished, barbequed, and personal watercrafts
zoomed about. The water was so
low the captain took the opportunity to scrape the barnacles off the hull. We liked it here
so much we stayed for another night! |
Jul 22 Our next
destination was Cumberland Island with a detour to Fernandina Beach on
Amelia Island. We had passed by this town twice but did not have the time
to stop. Unhurried this time, we were determined to check it out. We
anchored across from Fernandina Harbor Marina and took our dinghy in. Were we in for a pleasant surprise...this picturesque small town is
lined with neat historic houses, cute shops and restaurants galore. The
old railroad station has been turned into the Chamber of Commerce. We did not
make it to the beach, but it's written up to be "reminiscent of Cape
Cod". We'll definitely be back.
From here on up to Cumberland Island, the landscape is pretty much
marshland and shrimp boats. We anchored across from Dungeness, and
dinghied to the ferry dock. Cumberland Island National Seashore is blessed
with seventeen miles of secluded white, sandy beaches and is accessible
only by ferry. In some parts of the island, wild horses roamed freely. The
island is dotted with beautiful live oaks, with trails leading to undulating dunes
and walkways to the vast deserted beaches. We saw
people scattered here and there, but mostly it was desolate. If you crave
solitude, this is your sanctuary. We later learned that this was where the
late John F. Kennedy Jr got married, and where the Carnegies made their
home. |
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