Spending extra time on Jekyll meant we had to skip our next planned anchorage, Cumberland Island. We’ll catch that one – and hopefully the wild ponies – in the spring. For now, though, it was on to Amelia Island for a long-awaited visit with family.
Little Cumberland Island Light
Early out of Jekyll on a somewhat grey, but otherwise pleasant morning, 13 nm cruise south on the ICW…no subs at King’s Bay…but we did pass this interesting structure? Charts would indicate something, but let’s move on.
After being delayed by not one, but two, hurricanes (Ian and Nicole), we finally made it to Amelia Island!
And on to our dock at Fernandina Beach Marina.
After squeezing in between those two big Cats (trust us, it’s tighter than it looks!) and no sunset to be had, we were still excited to have arrived and to be expecting special guests. So, what’s first? You guessed it. A thorough wash of the boat to de-poop.
In the realm of “that’s odd,” this large, prehistoric-looking beetle (?) crawled up out of Murphy (our “never-kink” but Good Lord, it aways does – hose).
Just what is it??
But we digress. Back to the tale of the day. The cruise ship did depart the day after we arrived, and there was, as promised, a lovely sunset over there.
Just as we wrapped up the long day of boat chores, our ears picked up the sound of a marching band. A Christmas parade?! Let’s go! So, we threw on dry clothes and sprint-walked into town, where we enjoyed a whimsical parade. First time we’ve seen a Christmas parade that included pirate ships and cannon fire. Cool! Sure wish we’d grabbed a camera or a phone. Oh, well. You’ll have to take our word for it. It was fun. More Hallmark Movie moments. Ha!
Now with the boat all clean and sparkly, and the owners worn and weary, we hit the hay. In the wee hours, the first mate got up for a drink of water, only to be startled by a large heron perched on the bow rail. (The photo isn’t great – taken at 0100, without glasses, through the pilothouse screens – but he’s out there, just waiting to make a poopy mess. Which… he did, for two subsequent nights.)
Time with family is always relished, and wandering around downtown Amelia Island with Mike and Jackie was just that, fun! A few shops, a distillery, and great company. Siblings should seriously spend time together more often! I know. I know. Our lives have taken us to different places. Guess that just makes the together times that much sweeter. (We missed you, Shel!)
After enjoying the day together – eat, drink, and be merry! (with pizza & football thrown in), we settled in for our last night on Amelia Island.
For some reason Mike & Jackie declined our “offer” to return to toss off lines at 0700. Ha! 😉
Break of dawn start due to slack tide and getting out from between those Cats led us to Kingsley Creek Railroad Bridge at about 0830…. to find it….
No signs, no notice, no bridge operator for this “supposed” to be open short bridge! Hail to VHF Bridge Channel. Call to the nearby marina, no knowledge. Radio to other now stuck boats behind us, nada, nothing. About 45 minutes later the Coast Guard announces on the VHF that it would be closed until NOON! What? Oh well, drop the anchor, shut down the engine and relax… while planning a different destination anchorage.
A little past noon, we were on our way. Not much to report, just more beautiful lowlands of Georgia. We are on a mission to get to Saint Augustine! In the late afternoon, we anchored just off the St. Johns River as it goes through Jacksonville. Time to watch the world go by.
Tuesday morning, again up and at ’em at the break of dawn – we gotta get to the oldest city in the country for our month-long holiday dockage (been planning it since April). Let’s go! We slipped out at first light.
South of Jacksonville, the ICW really earns its name, “the Ditch,” but Christmas spirit was alive on the docks!
Getting to St. Augustine means back through the beautiful Bridge of Lions. This time we are continuing a bit south past St. Augustine city proper and then making a sharp right to come back up the San Sebastian River to sneak up on the “backside” of the old city. Tucking into our December home port was a very tight fit, but we handled it after a brief stop to wait for full slack.
Now, a month of more wondrous family visits and Christmas events. We are truly blessed.
Our Travels 