Tortuga Tour Day 4: Rivers Edge Marina, St. Augustine
Our destination today was St. Augustine, Florida. It is the oldest city in the US established by European Settlers. It is coming up on 450 years.
Last night was more restful than the previous two nights – no blowing wind, no rain shower and Cumberland Island is so peaceful. This morning was again beautiful! We have been so blessed!
Pulling up anchor was very smooth this morning. I followed Fred’s hand signals well and there was no question for me about the direction for leaving our anchorage. The water was calm, and I had two mornings of experience already.
I really can’t say enough about how scenic Cumberland Island is. It has not been spoiled by commercialism and since access is only by boat, that limits how many people can visit. The beach areas are pristine!
Amelia Island is across from Cumberland on the St. Mary’s River. As we passed by, we spotted an old fort. It is Fort Clinch, built in 1847-1869 and is now part of Fort Clinch State Park. We have included a picture, but you will find a better one online and historical information.
We also spotted more wildlife today. An eagle sitting up high on a range marker was busily digging into the morning catch. I forgot to mention the dolphins I saw fishing yesterday. Today there was a pair just swimming along. They are so graceful and remind me of synchronized swimmers. We passed several snowy egrets and lots of gulls.
Once again there was a parade of boats heading North, the snowbirds. You see them on the highways this time of year driving their motorhomes and towing their cars. We were pretty much the only boat heading South.
Parts of today challenged us more than usual. The tide was low, and there are portions of the ICW that are cuts and sometimes they are narrow. It takes even more concentration than normal to make sure you stay in the channel. If you veer too much, plan to have a good book on board because you might be sitting until the tide rises. We have come close, but the skilled Captain managed to prevent running aground. If you do run aground, never let it be at a high tide!
The other challenge affected the Admiral more than the Captain. The weekend boaters seemed to have gotten a jump start on the weekend. I felt like we had gone from being on a quiet back country road to the superhighway. The boats are the small to medium size and can zip right along at about 25 miles an hour (fast for the ICW). Those of us with sailboats and trawlers, (Betty Lou) prefer a slower pace between 6 to 10 miles an hour. The Captain takes it all in stride, but the Admiral gets a bit crazed! I left my calm at Cumberland Island.
The East Coast of Florida is different on the water than South Carolina and Georgia. There is so much more development along the water and new buildings going up all the time. I have included a picture of house after house all built close together. The picture really doesn’t give you an accurate portrayal of just how many homes there are or how close they are to each other. The other thing we noticed in some places was the size of homes. I have seen homes along the South Carolina and Georgia Coast that I felt were oversized. Today in some places along the waterway we saw homes that were gargantuan! I have included a picture of one that is on a smaller scale than some we passed.
Our day on the water was longer than we anticipated today, but we arrived safely in St. Augustine. We are staying at the Rivers Edge Marina which is off the main river that goes through the city. It is more our style. The plan is to spend a couple of days here so that we can clean Betty Lou inside and out and restock the larder. Then we want to walk around St. Augustine and appreciate it’s beauty. We will take pictures. I may not write tomorrow since we are not traveling.
Life is good and we are blessed!
Captains Comments:
The ICW in southern GA seems to wander through eternal, peaceful marsh. South of Jacksonville, FL, nearly to St. Augustine, the ICW follows a manmade canal (ditch). It is so long and straight that—after you have your autopilot activated and aimed–you can literally spend 5 minutes contemplating whether you need to make a 1-degree adjustment in course.
The Admiral was too generous in describing my piloting today. We touched bottom twice. Once, just a gentle kiss. The second definitely removed some of the new paint from the bottom of the keel.
When we stepped off the boat onto the dock in St. Augustine, we had been aboard continuously for 84 hours, which we think is the longest we’ve ever gone without stepping ashore. This boat makes anchoring so easy and peaceful, we may be setting some longer records in the future, but it is always great to step out and explore a new destination and meet new neighbors.
Peace
fks