12/14/14
Fernadina Beach, FL
Position: 30 40.264N, 81 28.143W
Posted by Bill
We got to sleep in a bit today. Our major shoal area was primarily Jekyll Creek along Jekyll Island and high tide there was at around 2 PM, so we had to time our arrival for at least 2/3rds tide and rising, which meant getting to the entrance around noon. We were 6 nautical miles away in Brunswick so we left around 10:35 after getting fuel and our free pump out!
We made it through Jekyll Creek with no incident and had the tide with us almost the entire way to the St Marys ocean inlet, which was past the point where we were going to anchor. I was shocked to have the tide that far with us. Usually it pushes or pulls half way between ocean inlets and then reverses. We made such good time that we made it to Fernandina Beach Florida, which was our target for tomorrow, major coolness! Finally ahead of a schedule.
Along the way we saw dolphins…lots of them.
We are seeing more and more every day and we really like that.
Then we motored past Jekyll Island.
This Island was once a playground for families such as the Rockefellers, Morgans, Goodyears and Vanderbilts, and is now a state park. Under state law, 65 percent of the island must remain undeveloped (very cool, as it is beautiful). In 1885, a french family that owned the island sold it to a group of wealthy northerners for a hunting resort for $125,00. The 60 room clubhouse on Jekyll Creek (which I believe is in the picture above) was officially opened in January 1888. Golf courses, tennis courts and a marina to handle their yachts (the only way to get to the island) soon followed, as well as individual mansion-sized cottages. During the “club era”, a group of influential men met secretly in 1908 form what would become a modern monetary system for the United States that led to the formation of the Federal Reserve System. In 1915, Jekyll Island took part in the first transcontinental telephone call. (This paragraph is courtesy of Waterway Guide 2014).
Some cruisers that we met tonight said they paid for a historical tour of the island and it was fascinating. Might have to check that out on the way back north in the Spring.
In Jekyll Sound we saw this shrimping boat doing it’s thing. Look at all of the birds trying to get a free meal! Lots of poop…lots of poop!
South of Jekyll Island is Cumberland Island. It contains 36,000 acres of habitat and the only access is via water. It was absolutely beautiful from the water.
Check out the wild horses that inhabit the island:
Then we came to Amelia Island, our first time in Florida waters with Island Bound. Here is the first view of Amelia, Fort Clinch, which is reported to be the only fort in the US that was never attacked. You can go tour it which I think would be cool. If we have enough time, maybe we will.
Once you round the bend from Fort Clinch you come into a very industrial area with paper mills and who knows what else. To our surprise, Fernandina Beach and the mooring field we are staying at, is tucked between this to the right:
And this to the left:
Not what we expected of our first day/night in Florida! Not very picturesque…noisy…and a little smelly. But sandwiched in between is Fernandina Beach which turns out to be a very picturesque town.
We went ashore and walked around town and had dinner, then dinghied back to the boat. We are going to stay another day and will post some pictures of the town tomorrow.