Days 8 and 9

February 17, 2014

St Simons and Fernandina Beach  – 41 Miles

We spent an extra day in St Simons waiting for the winds to calm down. Local knowledge stated that St. Andrews sound would be to dangerous to cross in the 15 to 20mph winds out of the North, so we stayed put. Left at 7:30am Monday morning  on our way to Fernandina Beach with winds around 10 mph out of the east. We slowly navigated shallow Jekyll creek and made our way to St Andrews sound. The route through this area requires you to go out slightly into the ocean entrance and then turn almost 180 degrees and proceed up a river. The first part, heading towards the ocean wasn’t to bad but when we made our turn it became  more rough. We had an outgoing tide colliding with an in bound sea pushed by 10 mph winds. We tried to take our time but controlling the direction of the boat became very difficult, so we pushed “Rita” up to almost full throttle so we could get on top of the incoming swells. Now on a calm day this would push us at almost 17mph but because of the current conditions we could only maintain about 9 mph. Once we reached the entrance to the ICW things calmed down and we returned to our normal speed of 12mph. Other than navigating a few shallow areas the rest of the day was un-eventful(thank goodness). We arrived in the charming little town of Fernandina Beach to a little warmer weather and sunshine. We took the dogs for a walk through town looking for a good eating place for dinner later. We checked the forecast and a rainy day was predicted for Tuesday. We had dinner, watched some TV and called it a night. It started raining around 4am and will continue through 4am Wednesday. Well I have spent this rainy day catching up on a little work and very few chores. Connie took an opportunity in a weather break to head into town and do a little shopping. She didn’t mind at all that I stayed on the boat, that way she could take her time looking around. We plan to leave tomorrow at 7am, destination, St Augustine. Weather is forecast to be sunny and in the lower 50’s but the winds will be 15-25mph from the west. Will make for a challenging day, wouldn’t expect anything less. So far on this trip we have discovered it takes both of us to navigate the ICW. While I’m at the wheel Connie is busy studying all of the hazard areas ahead and helping watch for crab pots. They are one of the most aggravating things on our journey and could create serious damage if we hit one. When she takes the wheel I try to help with the navigation but I guess I get a little nervous watching her drive and ask to return to the pilot position. She does a great job, so I guess its a guy thing. Well until next time. No Worries!