Tuesday November 23rd 2010

We decided we would spend another night here in Fernandina. We had a visit from another Whitby 42 owner that is here. Andy and his youngest son Eli came over in their inflatable to introduce themselves. They are from Topsham, Maine, and have been sailing down the coast since the end of September. They, too, are headed for the Bahamas, along with Andy’s wife Chris and their two teenagers, Rachel and Jake. Five people on their Whitby!!!! They told us about a Thanksgiving for boaters in St. Mary’s, Georgia, just up the river, that sounds too good to pass up. It is a lot closer than going all the way into Jacksonville, as we had planned.

Andy told us that the city of St. Mary’s provides all of the turkey and ham, and the boaters are asked to bring a side dish or two. I didn’t have much on the boat that would be good for a turkey dinner, so we decided to go into town and do some shopping. We took the dinghy into shore and then called for a cab to take us to Walmart. It was maybe a 10 minute ride, but it cost $10.00, one way!! Ouch!!! Then we discovered that the Walmart did not have groceries. Fortunately, there was a Winn-Dixie right next door. We picked up an apple pie, a pecan pie, and a bag of dinner rolls, as well as a few other things to supplement our stores.

When we got back to the marina, we took the bags to the dinghy, then walked back into town to the Green Turtle for happy hour. Dave had hoped that some of his buddies at Rayonier would show up, but no such luck. We had a nice cold beer, and then found out that it was Taco night. Just like back home, Taco Tuesday!!! They weren’t that great, but they were cheap! Afterwards, we strolled down to the corner and had ice cream for dessert.

Wednesday November 24th 2010

This morning we headed for St. Mary’s, Georgia. Not sure what to expect. It was a beautiful day and a short cruise up the river. The anchorage was huge, but there were already close to 100 boats there. It was not easy to find a good place to anchor. We tried a couple spots, but were not certain that we had adequate space, so we moved on. Eventually we found a spot that looked pretty good, but the current was really running. We decided we would sit and watch for awhile after setting the anchor.

A short time later, an old friend from Green Cove Springs came over in his dinghy. He had seen us come in. He told us that there were several other boats from Green Cove there as well. He also mentioned that there was to be a Pain Killer Party, on the end of the dock, at 3:00PM, and an oyster roast at the Seagle Restaurant at 5:30. Cool!!!

About 2:00, we headed into the dinghy dock to check out the town. They have a very nice and well kept waterfront park. All of the walls around the park are concrete mixed with clam shells, and look really nice. They have a band shell, a fountain, restrooms, and benches and swings that face the water. The town also looks well kept and very old fashioned. We walked over to the Seagle, which was a part of the Riverview Inn, and headquarters for this holiday event. We were able to secure an itinerary for the next few days. It actually is a weeklong event, with something special happening each day.

We headed back to the dinghy to pick up our cups for the Pain Killers, and ran into Gordon and Susan from Green Cove. The four of us walked over to the dock party, where we found more old friends. Even the Pain Killers were like an old friend. Haven’t had them since we left the BVI. There was lots of good conversation and I marveled that everyone managed to stay on the dock. It got pretty crowded, and the dock was fairly narrow!

Pretty soon, the party broke up and everyone headed to their boats to get their appetizers for the oyster roast. As we neared the boat, we could see that Dream Ketcher was awfully close to another boat, and pretty soon, one of the officials came by and asked if we were adrift. We weren’t, but with the current ripping through, the boat was kiting quite badly. So, we decided we had better move. We hauled up the anchor and once again, circled the bay looking for a good spot. We then set the anchor once more, and hoped that this would be the last time.
I hadn’t planned on having to provide an appetizer, but found a head of cauliflower and some ranch dip to take. At least Dave would love it! Then we hopped in the dinghy and headed to shore again. Oddly enough, we ran into Gordon and Susan again and walked with them to the restaurant. Although we did not partake in the oysters, we did enjoy the vast array of appetizers that were brought in by the boaters, the beer, and the conversation. It was a nice ending to a very nice day!

Thursday November 25th 2010

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!! Our morning started off with a presentation in the band shell, for those interested in how to get to the Bahamas, and where to go when you get there. A lot of good information from those who had been there and done that! We’ll take all the advice we can get.

At 12:30, it looked like the town was being invaded, as every boat had a dinghy headed for shore for the big event, a turkey dinner with all the trimmings, and then some. They had planned for 300 people, and I think that was a good estimate. A long line started to form outside the doors, and after a brief prayer heard only by those at the start of the line, they opened the doors, and everyone filed by one of the three tables piled high with food. We spent the next three hours, eating and conversing with people from near and far. We met one man whose home is in Iceland and another young couple from Sweden.

Afterward, Dave, Susan, Gordon and I, walked farther into town to the used bookstore. They open on Thanksgiving, just for the boaters. It was a nice walk that took us by some very old homes and historic sites. They had a great selection of books, and a reading room, whose walls are covered with the names of boats and their owners who have visited. Of course we joined in and added our names to the wall!! As the sun began to set, we made our way back to the boat, where we spent the rest of the evening watching football and making phone calls to our loved ones. We missed being with them, but they were close at heart!!

Friday November 26th 2010

The only event on the schedule today, is a swap meet. So we headed to shore, not only for the swap meet, but for the showers!! We waited until late in the morning, and it paid off. Neither of us had to wait in line. Afterwards, we did a little Christmas shopping and had a snack, then headed for the dock. On the way, we noticed that several of the boats were moving and kiting quite badly. In fact, the boat next to us, was getting quite close. As we watched, it came right over and bumped against us! We took off at a trot and got Dave into the dinghy. I had scheduled a ride to the local Walmart, so needed to stay close to the pick-up point. I was worried as to whether Dave could handle the situation alone, but as I looked back out at the boat, I could see that someone else had boarded our boat to help out. Not sure what was going to happen, I boarded the van for the ride into town.

I spent the next hour picking up some more groceries, and having some “me” time, then went back out to the drop site, for a ride back to the dock. There were 8 of us that needed a ride back, plus all of the stuff we had bought. I don’t know how we did it, but we got everyone in, and all of the stuff, too! On the way back, I got a phone call from Dave, saying that he had to move the boat again and re-anchor. It was the only way he could get us away from the wandering boat. He asked if I could get a ride out to the boat with Chris (the wife of the other Whitby owner, Andy). Turns out, the good Samaritan that had boarded our boat, was Andy. He helped Dave move the boat and get re-anchored. Then he realized that his boat was having problems, too! So, while Dave and Andy watched the boats, his son Jake came to the rescue and picked up Chris and I on the dock, with all our stuff.

We spent the rest of the day on the boat, listening to the rain and the wind. There were a lot of boats that had to reset their anchors, due to the wind and the current. We thought that we might be able to watch the Oregon/Arizona game, but it was not on a channel we were able to get. Instead we spent a quiet night reading and watching TV.

Saturday November 27th 2010

Time to keep moving! We said good bye to all of our friends here and headed south again. It was sunny, but COLD! The wind was really whipping, so we had to bundle up in several layers. When we got to the St. John River, we were entering into unknown territory. We found the southern entrance for the Intercoastal Waterway and began to see an area we had not previously seen. It looked a lot like the rest of the canal, but seemed to be deeper.

We ended up at Beach Marina in the Jacksonville area. I’m not sure how I got the boat into the dock. They have a narrow entrance and even narrower fairways. It was a tight squeeze. After securing the boat, we went ashore to check out the facilities. We have laundry that needs to be done!!

After our long day at sea, we were parched! We headed into the Beach Marine Bar & Grill for a beer, and found ourselves in the middle of the Florida/Florida State game. It suddenly occurred to me that we might be able to listen to the Husky game, since the bar had WIFI. Dave ran back to the boat and was soon back with his laptop. In no time, we had our earphones in and were listening to Bob Rondeau. What a game!!! We had ordered some appetizers, so we moved from the bar to a table, where we could spread out. This lasted for quite awhile, then suddenly, as the Huskies were on the move, getting close to the goal line, Dave’s battery went dead!!! We made another move to another table that was close to an electrical outlet, and voila!, the game was back again. This was a nail biter to the bitter end, and I mean end. The Huskies made a touchdown on the last play of the game, with the game clock showing just 2 seconds, to win 16-13!!!!!!

Sunday November 28th 2010

We slept in this morning. Last night, as we got into bed, we heard these funny crunching noises. Dave decided it was either mice or cockroaches!! Not a happy thought to go to sleep on! We found out today that what we were hearing, was shrimp!!! I’ll definitely sleep better tonight!

Today was laundry day. They have a very nice laundry facility here, with 3 washers and 3 dryers. And, while the laundry was washing, Dave and I took showers! Then back to the boat for chores and blog updating, and football! Tonight we have friends from Jacksonville that are meeting us for dinner, and in the morning, we will leave for St. Augustine, where we will meet up with Phil and Roxy – the wonder dog!!!! Can’t wait to see them!

So, here we are at the end of November!! I can’t believe that in just a few weeks, we should be in the Bahamas! If the weather cooperates!!! We have been living on this boat for 7 months now. Unbelievable!

Hopefully, you all had a fantastic Thanksgiving, and you are now getting into the Christmas spirit. The end of the year will soon be upon us. Good luck with all of your shopping and holiday preparations, and check in again next week for more about our unconventional life. We do miss you!

Love & Hugs,

The Admiral