Friday November 20, 2015

Friday............Leaving Jekyll Island Georgia to enter Florida


After a great evening,  we decided to sleep in a little late. That meant 7:30 am.  By the time we pulled away from the pier at 8 am, the other 6 boats that also stayed at the marina were already gone and back on the inter-coastal.  The dock that was full of transients the night before was empty.   As we have mentioned before, you tend to see the same boats at various stops so we will likely meet up again.   It was great to wake up to see the sun and  was a great day to cruise. The first place we had to navigate was to get back on course as the marina was a little off the inter coastal.   So far, so good.

Sunrise

Now we found ourselves on Jekyll's Creek.  The problem was that the winds were howling at 25-30 mph out of the North East and Jekyll's Creek was only half full of water.   It was a hairy passing but we did OK. The tide was extremely low and all the boats were warning others of the "skinny" water. We had go slow and be very careful as there were areas showing 3-4 feet.

"Skinny" Water on Jekyll Creek

We breathed a sigh of relief after getting through Jekyll Creek and very shallow water,  only to realize that the next leg of the journey involved traveling through an inlet that lead to the Ocean. While we didn't have to travel in the Ocean, inlets can be very turbulent.  Remember the 25 -30 mph winds?  It was a bit rough with waves 3 - 5 feet, but Capt. Mike cut across an area and put us back in smooth water.  Some of these experiences definitely make you respect the power of rough water and the skill of the Captain.    While we didn't have any close calls,  it was tense.   Shortly after the inlet crossing,  while Carol was at the helm,  two boats in front of our boat ran aground.   We were fortunate not to be one of them attributed to the skill of the acting captain.  Despite the rough waters, seeing the landscape and glistening water made it all worthwhile.

Yeah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! finally we arrived in Florida.    By noon we were passing a quaint little water front town called  Ferdina Beach.

Ferdina Beach

 

After a nerve racking morning and considering the distance to our next destination of St. Augustine, we decided to call it a day and pull into a marina tucked back deep into narrow canal. Again, winds blowing 25 -30 mph.....  We stopped at Amelia Island Yacht Basin.  It is always a bit scary maneuvering around the piers and boats in the close quarters of some of the marinas especially with strong tides and winds.  Again, the Captain did a great job and we fueled up for the next day.

At the marina were a couple Tom and Cindy on a catamaran that had been traveling in the same areas as us.  They were from Whorton Creek which is about 9 miles across the Chesapeake Bay from where we live.  We compared stories about the trip and compared the challenges of traveling in catamaran sailboat vs. a power boat.   They left the Chesapeake about 5 days before us and are planning to leave their boat at this marina,  rent a car tomorrow and drive home to MD for the holidays.

We hope to travel to St. Augustine tomorrow.  We have heard there is a celebration of lights for the holidays.  We hope to get a glimpse as well as catch up with a friend.