Jacksonville Free dock was an easy turn around and out this morning. We had planned out 3 different anchor spots heading north through Georgia mainly due to the fact that we didn’t know the terrain and how fast we would be able to get along. We did leave Jacksonville as the tide was almost at its lowest. The free dock is on Sister’s Creek. Depths were around 6 feet at low tide and attention to gauges was very important. We did pass several large trawlers with more draft than us going south so they must have had a nerve racking time transiting.

I apologize in advance for this notation in our blog. It will be mostly about traversing this area for the boaters to read. The area is very different than anything we have traveled thus far.

We still see the effects of Hurricane Matthew along the route as this area from St. Augustine to Savannah are the hardest hit by the storm last November.

Heading into the marshlands of north Florida we did see very shallow depths with only about 5 feet under our belly at times. Heading towards Fernandino Beach area on the Amelia River was not a terrible run with a 3.5 foot draft however there were times when we did see less than 7 feet depths on the depth gauge.
Here we left Florida behind and said hello to Georgia.

We passed by Cumberland Inlet and the Island which would have been a great stop to see the history on the island. There are still wild horses that live on the island from when the Spanish settlers released them over 200 years ago. No appearances by the horses for us though. Also a Naval Nuclear Submarine base is here. We didn’t ee any Coast Guard Boats or security so the subs must be deployed. The dock for the sub is massive. There is a picture below and to show reference the building on the end is a storey structure. We were able to open up the throttle a bit through this area and added some distance to the day.After passing St. Mary’s Inlet (an inlet is access to the ocean) area there was significant depth changes. By this time the tide was coming in so the waters were rising. Paying attention to the depth gauge is always warranted but it is more often in these waters. The marshlands open up to vast areas.

At St. Andrew’s Sound the area opens up however a large shoal is in the middle. The boater must head towards the ocean and then come back in again. In our 44 ft Searay she handles the larger waves of about 3 feet very well. The rollers from the ocean are very normal and are more the nuisance than the wave heights. We made it literally around The Sound where the sand on the shore is very white and a lighthouse stands on the top of a cliff.

I would suggest if you need to stop at this point Jekyl Island is the place to do so. A great anchor spot near the marina is available as well as a calm less busy marina awaits you to take in the history of the island. We pushed on though knowing we’ll be back another time. The tides are with us at this time of the day.

Jekyl Creek past the marina should only be attempted at mid to high tide. Also be conscious of your time and look at when you will meet Mud River farther north where you need the high water. We saw 5 foot depths at times and moved slowly toward St Simons Sound. Jekyl Creek meanders through some marshland and unobstructed views of waterways and seagrass.

Now heading north and passing St Simon’s Sound and St Simon’s Island on the Mackay River the tide has given us several feet of water. The tides fluctuate about 5 feet here. We are able to run fairly quickly watching depths and buoys and open water. We know that Mud River has some of the most shallow portions on the ICW and must be transited at a rising to high tide. We decide to push on through this area to keep the high water.

Mud River is very shallow with depths around 9-10 feet at tide rising. We run this stretch a couple hours before high tide. No problems to report at all. It’s tight and attention is warranted.

Our anchorage for the night is just north of Doboy Sound in Duplin River. It’s a beautiful area. Passing the ferry travel approx. .5 miles to a nice anchorage. A nice deep, protected area with lots of bugs.

We drove 91 miles today in 5.5 hours. A good haul through the swamp, I mean, marsh!

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I was up at sunrise and to my delight a pod of dolphins was enjoying breakfast. They came within 10 feet of the boat. The sunrise was spectacular where only being on the east coast could provide. We pulled anchor around 8:30 and headed toward St Augustine. Today would be a long haul of about 68 miles. It took us approximately 6 hours to get settled. We passed through significantly more hurricane damaged areas with boats on shore, docks completely missing and palm trees with no palms. Buoys were not as the charts said so following the buoys was the only thing we could do to keep in the channel. We did see Ponce de Leon inlet to the ocean in the distance marked by its tall lighthouse.

We were hoping to stay on the anchor tonight but with the shoaling and the hurricane damage we decided to head to the City marina. The marina is directly across from the quaint downtown. A spanish architecture and early settlement of the British is here. There is so much history in this little town. We were able to see the first school house, the Fountain of Youth, buildings from the 1600 and earlier. Much native settlement is here as well. The Bridge of Lions which is the main causeway bridge is directly beside the marina.

The Municipal Marina has everything a boater needs. Close proximity to the town, restrooms, laundry, lounge, fuel, showers and 24 hour security.

St. Augustine is worth a couple night’s stay even if you are passing through.

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We haven”t posted since we first arrived mainly because it has been all maintenance and provisioning.  Scott has spent the last 3 days in the engine compartment changing the oil on the gen, doing a valve lash, disinfecting the water supply lines, changing out some seals that needed updating, and so much more.  He also spent some time upgrading the software for the chart plotter.  With groceries, laundry, waxing the boat and cleaning out of the way we are all set for a Monday morning start.  

I cannot say enough about this marina.  The staff is so accommodating, the slip location is awesome, wifi is fantastic, location to the little village with its artisan shops, restaurants and boutiques.  Provisioning is a short car ride away and an Enterprise Car Rental who will pick you up about 2 miles away as well.  We were lucky enough to be here for a dock party with the folks that are either living onboard, passing through or just an overnight.  

Tonight we will plan our journey to the next spot which will likely be on the hook someplace near St. Augustine.  The weather over the next few days is looking good with fair winds and blue skies.  

It’s Mother’s Day today too.  Happy Mom’s day to all the lovely ladies!

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We decided to stay at the lock another night so that we could spend our last full play day on the beach. We packed up all our snorkel gear, boogie boards, and wet suits. We headed south on Banana River in the dingy about 2 miles to a marina called Island Time Marina. Island Time Marina is undergoing a full and major renovation. It is to be completed by July, 2017, with showers, laundry, restroom, tiki bar and restaurant. It is situated about 3 blocks from the tourist strip in Cocoa Beach where the beach entrance is also. This marina had several boats with about a 3-4 foot draft. They have about 50 slips available.

We had a great day for the boogie boards. The surf was good with about 2-3 foot waves. The beach was busy and people watching is always in season. Cocoa Beach is known for its surf. This is the place to be for small and big surf in Florida. We noticed that the winds were getting big. We decided to leave and found that the Banana River had at least 4 foot waves. That would be too much for the dingy with our gear and us. We decided to hug the shore where there would be several homes and places to get to if needed. It proved to be the best of the worst situation. We found ourselves caught in water 1 foot deep and had to “portage” the dingy over. The waves were better near the shore but the 20 minute ride we had in the morning turned out to be about 2 hours to get home. We were very lucky that we left when we did because the winds picked up to gust of 35 mph. The last 600 feet was in open water to where we had Conductance well anchored. We watched as the waves grew and watched the weather. We had about 4 more hours of big winds so we watched a movie and put on the anchor alarm. The anchor alarm lets out a sound if the boat moves from its positioned anchor space.

Before the sun went down and in the big waves we watched another anchored buddy from Montreal when their anchor let go. We sounded the horn 5 times hoping they would hear but Scott figured they hit bottom on a shoal that was directly behind their boat. They quickly got on deck and reset their anchor. We settled in for an old time movie, Groundhog Day, and checked our position periodically. We were in really well considering the 35 mph gusts which started to taper off around 1 AM.

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