Florida arrival!!!

Sunday, January 13, 2019

We made it to Florida!

After the last blog post, our plans changed unexpectedly.  Mark decided there was a good weather window to go offshore from near Charleston, SC and high-tail it to northern FL in one shot.  It took us about 16 hours, so we arrived in the dark, but fortunately, the inlet near Fernandina Beach is the same one Mark used for the submarines going in and out of the base at Kings Bay, GA (so he was very familiar with the channel).  While we were offshore, the weather was very good for the direction we were traveling, and the winds continued to calm throughout the day and evening.  The pictures aren't exciting, but it was our view for the whole offshore day.

Looking eastward into the vast Atlantic Ocean

I did really well with my anxiety until after dark when Mark tried to take a nap.  I didn't like not being able to see out and felt like I was unwillingly stuck doing the Bird Box challenge.  Needless to say he didn't get a very long nap..... 

Into the sunset....

Once arriving at and successfully navigating the St. Marys Inlet, we were able to get our anchor set for the night in the dark and got Thug to shore before we turned in for the night.  As it turns out, the Fernandina Harbor Marina was badly damaged by Hurricane Matthew and is currently closed during portions of their reconstruction.  There actually wasn't even a usable dinghy dock, so our plans to visit Fernandina Beach's shops and restaurants were thwarted.  It was also very chilly and windy (as you can tell from the flag in the pic below), so we decided against visiting our old stomping grounds in St. Marys, GA via dinghy, as well.  Instead, we spent a productive day at anchor having a "field day" and re-organizing a bit on board; we continued on southward the next day.

Fernandina Beach marina from our anchorage spot

Northern Florida ICW view

Northern Florida ICW view

We made it yesterday to St. Augustine, FL and hooked up to a mooring ball at the Municipal Marina (easier said than done, but we eventually got it - wicked current runs through here).  We are just a short dinghy ride from shore and all the fun things to do in downtown St. Augustine.

Bridge of Lions, St. Augustine, FL

Sunset view from our anchorage in St. Augustine

Had to shave my legs LOL

Grocery run to Aldi, which was a 10-minute dinghy ride and a half-mile walk to the store.

Bridge of Lions

St. Augustine waterfront

St. Augustine Bridge of Lions and Municipal Marina

Thug is having a marvelous time!

We'll be moving on tomorrow, headed towards warmer waters southward.  Our plan is to make our way slowly over to the Gulf Coast, where I can "sea-shell" to my heart's content.  Thanks for being part of our adventure - "see" y'all again soon from elsewhere in Florida!!!

: )  Mark, Sheryl and Thug