Beaufort to Fernandina Beach | 20.3 Hours | 118 Miles
Beaufort remained frozen, but the offshore weather looked great for an overnight passage to Florida. The morning was spent cleaning, stowing, and waiting for the strong sunshine to melt more ice. We decided to attempt another trek to the grocery store. Thankfully, the entire quarter-mile length of the main dock was clear of ice when we departed. The marina office and restaurant were still closed, but the snow did not delay the USPS from the "swift completion of their appointed rounds". We gingerly made our way out of the heavily shaded and icy neighborhood streets to the main road which was clear. The sidewalks and parking lots were still a challenge. We took it slow and managed to check off all of our boxes at West Marine and Piggly Wiggly. (Very convenient for transients, an Ace Hardware and Rose's are also in the strip mall only a mile from the marina.) Our return trip was slushier and not quite as cold. We were glad to find the marina office staff had arrived. After putting away our purchases and having a quick bite of lunch, we dug our power cord and docklines out of the ice and headed over to the fuel dock at slack current. At $2.70 a gallon, it was in our best interest to top off the tanks with 300 gallons since we won't see prices that low again. A gull escorted us off the Port Royal Landing fuel dock at 3:10 pm. We passed the Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island as I cleaned up the last of the docklines and fenders.
No, that is not a white sand beach along the shore of the Beaufort River, but snow. No, that is not a white can channel marker. The birds have been busy white-washing it. Yes, we were tired of everything appearing white. Our first goal of this passage was to be in the Atlantic by dark and we were. The sun set out our starboard window. Time, speed, and distance calculations were done for our arrival at the Fernandina Beach inlet around 10:00 am so we could dock at slack current. We would have an easy, fuel-efficient night traveling at six knots. Our three-hour watch periods passed quickly. It was a perfect night offshore. One foot waves with an eight second period made for a smooth ride. There was minimal wind. The sky was completely clear and dense black, allowing the stars and planets (especially Mars) to shine brilliantly all night. The crescent moon rose around 3:00 am to provide just enough horizon to help me keep my bearings. We were close enough to shore to have internet and there were only two boats around us all night. My 6:00 am watch allowed me to enjoy the transition from night to day.
The sunrise was interesting if not easy to capture. Soon smokestacks from the paper mill on Amelia Island appeared on the horizon. We crossed into Florida and arrived at the inlet on schedule. Dolphin led us up the St. Mary's River. It had actually warmed up enough for me to go out and take a look at them playing in our bow wave. A dredge was working in the channel ...
... and so was a shrimp boat. I spotted someone walking the brown sand (not white) beach. The guns at Fort Clinch State Park still guard the inlet. As we turned south into the Amelia River and spotted two Selenes docked up a creek.
The current had dissipated when we crossed in front of the WestRock plant which occupies 216 acres on Amelia Island. We found it interesting that this location accounts for 8% of WestRock's total production. About 30% of the Fernandina Beach output of kraft liner, white top liner, corrugating medium and kraft paper for bags is exported, primarily to the Caribbean. We had another easy docking thanks to perfect timing of the current. We immediately started in on our To Do List. Barry hurled some ice chunks of his own from the pilot house roof into the water. We filled up our water tanks for the first time in a month. All other marinas have had their dock water turned off because of sub-freezing temperatures. (We had actually run out of water just hours before our arrival.) While tidying up the docklines I noticed the HMS Beagle across the way and had to smile. Although eight vessels in the Royal Navy have been so named -- most notably the one that took Charles Darwin around the world -- it seems most fitting that this sailboat would have Snoopy on the transom.
Soon we closed up Crossroads and began a quick loop around the historic district. We always look forward to the walk along Centre Street with its eclectic mix of retail, restaurants, history, and nature. The day was warmer, but still not warm. Sweaters and jackets were still required.
We had a late lunch/early supper at our customary spot. The bright sunshine baked us through the windows of the enclosed patio ... and we actually got hot! Back on Crossroads we settled in and watched the cormorants and pelicans as the sun dropped into the seagrass. We have made it back to the Sunshine State and that is a big morale booster. We will explore more of Fernandina Beach tomorrow.
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