Leg #16, April 17, 2022, St. Augustine to Fernandina Beach, Florida. Last Stop in Florida

We departed St. Augustine at 6:50 a.m. under calm conditions but strong conflicting currents in the harbor. We had an immediate bridge that would be opening at 7:00 a.m. Our timing was just about perfect for the opening. Today’s leg was one of our (my) more stressful. Again, shallow water and shoaling to worry about and although our destination was north, we seemed to be doing more east, west and even south with all the hairpin turns and snaking through the channel. Glen had the helm most of the day. I took it on the few straightaways we had and after I came upon an inlet or river with a strong unexpected current that grabbed Saunter and began to turn her around, I gave Glen control the rest of the trip. On the ICW you always need to be prepared for the unexpected.

Although stressful, it was a beautiful trip. And we were always in the presence of large pods of dolphin. Notice the baby fin in the second photo? We have been seeing a lot of little ones with their moms.

1-leaving St. Augustine, 2-Thats a sailboat mast below the bridge, 3-5 a ship yard

We received notice that the approach to the marina needs special attention to navigate due to shoaling and shallow water. We typically consult three, no four sources for navigating. We use Garmin, Navionics, Aquamaps, Active Captain and Bob423. Oops, that's 5 navigation app. sources. We always have our paper map out and available to reference often. We also have the Waterways Guide and other books open for area information. And a few weather apps to watch wind, storms, tides, etc. We are learning to not only rely on technology and books but the knowledge of locals and other boaters about the area’s waterways. Find out what they know of the waterway’s current updated information and past experiences.

Time to dock. This always creates anxiety for me. This time we would be at a long dock, under strong currents, windy conditions and in-between two other boats. We were about to parallel park Saunter which is 43.5’ into a 50’ area. After doing some line and fender adjustments, we were ready to make our approach. Glen was at the helm receiving directions from the dockmaster and from me on the side of the boat communicating distances and clearances. All lines ready to toss over. “20’ on stern, 15’ on stern, stern is clear (of the boat behind us) bring her over, stern line over, mid-ship over, bow over, all lines

on, forward spring set” were the communications shared to Glen from me. There was a large group of people watching us come in and expecting a big show of mishaps I’m sure (based on conditions). But after lines were secure, I looked up to receive applause from the bystanders. One gentleman even said, “that was beautiful”. That was a confidence builder for sure. The dockmaster complimented Glen on the smooth landing.

Storm coming in: See anything out of place?

Look closer: How does this happen?

We spent the rest of the day relaxing on the boat after taking the girls for a stroll through the downtown area. We right away decided we wanted to stay another night to regroup and look at the ever-changing charts to determine the next leg. Glen went up to the local Atlantic Seafood Market and purchased a pound of fresh caught shrimp which we sautéed in butter and garlic, then added riced cauliflower and a spinach/kale mix. Turned out great.

We planned for a Tuesday morning departure at 8:00 a.m. with three other boats also headed to St. Simmons Island. That was altered. About 12:30 a.m. winds came in strong out of the north and continued the rest of the night. Morning wasn’t much different. We were pinned against the outside wall with 20 mph winds straight on our starboard side and a boat docked close to both our bow and stern. Getting off the wall was possible but not smart and a bit of a risk. So, we and two of the three boats opted to leave on Wednesday morning, April 20th.

Monday, we walked a good part of the town, had happy hour at The Salty Pelican (great stop) and back to Saunter for leftovers from the night before. Fernandina Beach has a small-town feel. Although there seemed to be quite a few tourist it is a historic town that wants to maintain the history and not become overly commercial. All locals were very friendly and welcoming.

Today I will blog, Glen is working, we will visit downtown again and take a few photos for our memories of Fernandina Beach.