OH, what a feeling to be underway again. We'd really enjoyed our time at Green Cove Springs & their work yard but we had accomplished everything possible from new batteries and a paint job to hernia surgery. We'd had all the fun Green Cove had to offer...
so we sallied forth into the wild blue yonder...
Started hauling anchor at 7am, sun was just breaking the horizon enough to see well. The temps were in the low 30's with winds of 10-12. brrr? No, BRRRR is more like it. But the sunrise was simply amazing, a sort or omen maybe.
71 miles and 13 hours later we pulled into Fernandina Beach, FL. Now, for some 71 miles is nothing...well, you can just quit reading if you refuse to match my enthusiasm...because I'm bouncing off the walls!
We've barely broken 50 on a point to point one day run before this. The Campbell Sailer prop is simply amazing. If we broke 5.5 before we were happy. Now we're moving 6+ without any stress. 7+ sailing. My eyes about popped out of my head when we put up the jib and broke 7.3 knots.
It was only supposed to blow 3-8 and from the N-NW and be in the mid 60's with waves 2' or less. NOAA couldn't predict their own sneezes 10 seconds ahead of time much less the weather.... it blew 10-18 from the N clocking to the E then to the S... huh? The temp never got above 50 or so.
The St. John's River is deep, wide, and a pleasure to cruise. We had tide with us the entire 45 miles out to the Atlantic. We hit the Atlantic with swells of 3+ about 3 seconds apart but on the nose so we were taking a beating softly. Shortly thereafter the winds clocked to the E, seas got confused and we got a bit bobbly...
We were in a race with the sun. We COULD make Fernandina but the approach at St. Mary's inlet is loong....very long, 7mi or so. By now the wind had switched to the S, the waves too...so between the sea buoys coming in we had 3-4' + seas on the beam. We were a washing machine...taking water in the cockpit.
Sun set at 7:49, we were anchored by 8, a bit on the dusky side but WE DID IT!
A fairly crowded anchorage which didn't thrill us but it is done.
The bad news...
The fridge decided to quit yesterday morning. Have to do some troubleshooting today but we can buy ice and salvage.
It's early, time to make some pancakes and bacon to celebrate. Come one, come all...let's feast upon pancakes and revel in the joy of breaking new records, seeing new things, and going new places.
"We're hauling up the hook, it's passage time..." Eiliien Quinn, song Passage Time. | 