November 12th continued
After anchoring in the Bells River in Florida the wind picked up so we decided to stay on board rather than take a dinghy trip to Fernandina Beach. On Saturday morning the winds settled, so after breakfast we launched the dinghy for the first time during this trip. We have started a tradition in our family to celebrate Birthday Boxing Day. After 5 days on board we head to shore to find our land legs again and walk around town. We went to the Marina Restaurant for lunch for my favourite crab burger and Ted had deep fried soft shelled crab. They batter the whole crab and deep fry it so you are eating the whole crab.
Deep fried crab sandwich.
The Marina Restaurant building is one of the oldest buildings in Fernandina built in 1882 as an office building for the collector of customs, newspaper, bank and bar. With 400 years of history under 8 different flags, the town is not only a historic but is a pretty little town comparable to Niagara on the Lake in Ontario with lots of boutique shops, art galleries, a great ice cream/fudge store. The blocks are short and the streets are narrow with lots of huge palm and other native trees. My favourite building in the 50 block historic downtown is Lesesne House which was built in 1860 of hand-hewn timber and wooden pegs for Dr. Lesesne and later sold to Judge Friend in 1868. The house is still owned today by the descendents of that family.
This is a cruiser friendly location and regular stop for boaters like us. The marina has a dinghy dock, laundry, showers, garbage and recycle services and a boater’s lounge. So it doesn’t matter if you are at dock, on a mooring ball or at anchor everyone has access to the facilities. The seafood stop next door has local fresh crab, shrimp and other fish available and guaranteed fresh – not frozen. We spent most of the day just strolling around getting to know the area, kind of feels like coming home again. Back to the boat to test out a new crab dip on the captain. It passed in flying colours.
We decided to do a dinghy trip to historic St. Mary’s and tour the area. We studied the charts before we left and tried to memorize the many little cuts in the Bells River. Our plan was not very successfully because we very quickly got lost. We were going pretty fast and then all of a sudden the water was only a foot deep. We stopped right on top of oyster beds was not a very good thing with a soft bottom dinghy. We lifted the outboard as quickly as we could (but still got some damage to the prop). We paddled out of the area. Realizing that you can get there from here we head back to the boat to pick up our VHF radio which we had forgotten. First rule of gunkholing is to bring a radio in case you break down (or end up on top of oyster beds). We headed out a second time but took the safe (big boat) route towards the ICW and North to St. Mary’s. St. Mary’s is in Georgia so we had to cross the Georgia/ Florida border to get there however without any sign posts we once again got lost. Traveling by dinghy through the marsh is alot like walking in a corn field. You can’t see a way out and then all of a sudden you turn a corner and the path continues. We did this for miles, weaving in s-turns trying to find our way. We kept going north until we eventually ran out of water again. The waterway literally stopped at a bridge so we did the Captain Ron thing and pulled over to ask directions. A couple were fishing and they gladly offered us directions, except that they kept talking at the same time and correcting each other. I wished I could have video taped them. Basically do 3 S-turns in the route that we had come from and then at the boat launch go straight and follow the water. Surprising we found St. Mary’s and it truly is a charming town where people ride around in golf carts. Even though Thanksgiving is around the corner we found that most of the town was already decorated for Christmas.
Decorated for Christmas
We received a warm greeting at the dock by Ken who hosts the cruisers net every morning at 8 am. A “cruisers net” is a morning VHF radio broadcast for a group of local and or transient boaters. It covers the weather; general announcements; an open mike time for anyone to ask for help and the all important social activities. This is the only cruisers net that we have found outside of the Bahamas. Ken arrived 3 years ago by boat, liked it so he stayed. He has become the honorary mayor of St. Mary’s Harbour. Ken told us that if we need to go anywhere we could use the truck in the parking lot which was for any of the boaters who needed wheels to go somewhere. Every community should be like this one! We also learned that St. Mary’s was hosting the annual Thanksgiving Week events at Seagles Bar, which also hosts a happy hour every night (bring your own snacks!). The whole community kicks in for the Thanksgiving Dinner with people volunteering to cook turkeys, hams and casseroles. Everyone shows up with something to offer. Thanksgiving Day at St. Mary’s started 10 years ago with 7 or 8 boaters who were together because of a storm. The next year there were 30 people and this year they expect 300. Too bad we aren’t going to be around to attend the dinner, sounds like fun. On the way back to the boat we spotted a flock of white pelicans and I managed to get some of them in flight as we approached to get a closer picture.
Not sure what these trees are
The pink flowers on these trees are like paper
White pelican‘s in flight
Monday November 15
When asked, we both have no idea what date it is and more often than not we don’t know what day of the week it is either. The days don’t really matter anymore. Our plans are usually made in the morning for that day with little thought about what tomorrow will bring. It’s an usual lifestyle we lead. We turn on the VHF radio and find that our friends on Saber Tooth are at the entrance of the harbour so we decide to dinghy into town and greet them at the dock and go for breakfast. By the time we got to dock they had already arrived and they decided to join us for breakfast. While we were shopping it was decided that we would have pot luck dinner together aboard our boat. We picked up more fresh crab and tested a new crab cake recipe. Someone else brought fresh shrimp. Over the next few days we spent time working on the boat and going into dock to check emails, do errands and get to know some other boaters.
On Thursday we planned a road trip to Jacksonville and Green Cove Springs to tour a couple of Mirage Great Harbour boats. We stopped into West Marine to provision and did groceries for a second time since New York.
Friday we stopped at a neighbouring boat on the way to town to ask if they needed us to bring back anything. As it turns out the couple was from Oakville aboard a 40 year old wooden trawler named Jawbone. They were in dire need of oil to fix an engine problem and with no cell phone or VHF radio connection they needed our help. They only had one engine so going into a crowded dock with current was not an option for them. We made arrangement for the oil and took Patrick by dinghy to pick up the oil he needed to repair the engine. In return they invited us over for drinks before dinner. It was a bit of an inconvenience however they needed help and one day we could be in their position. This is in fact the mantra by which we cruisers live. Going into dock we watched another boat try to turn in a narrow channel which clearly was not wide enough for them to turn. We quickly docked the dinghy and came to their rescue. We grabbed lines and walk the boat around so that it cleared the dock. The first mate aboard Salty Dog said “we owe you guys”. We responded with a “pass it on” and help someone else in need and so the saga continues as we help each other any way we can. No money is every exchanged hands for assistance rendered and no one keeps score, it’s just something we do. If someone needs something and you have it then you give it to them, because someday you might need something yourself. We were fortunate to have had the opportunity to have helped two couples today. If you have not seen the movie “Pay it forward” then you should rent it and it will help you understand the unwritten cruisers rules by which we live.
November 22nd
In the morning the people from Jawbone dropped off something we had forgotten on their boat. The hand off was made with precise precision and the help of a boat pole.
We had planned to stay a few days or maybe a week in Fernandina Beach but now its 10 days later. We wanted to make sure that the hurricanes were not a threat but now the water temperature has dropped and there appears to be no hurricane activity so its time to head further south. We had planned to leave today after going to dock and getting fuel but we felt rushed this morning to get everything ready so we decided to wait until tomorrow. No use being rushed or stressed right? So we decide to go to dock this afternoon, fuel up, wash the boat, cook a turkey ($9.49 for a 14 pound turkey) and invite friends over for dinner. The turkey is defrosted so we decide to celebrate US Thanksgiving a few days early. We have after all much to be thankful for. We will be ready to leave in the morning at first light for a 32 hour trip from Fernandina Beach to Lake Worth (West Palm Beach). We expect light winds (5 to 10 knots) and a full moon. Once we arrive in Lake Worth we will do our final provisioning before we head to the Bahamas.
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