With the trip to North Carolina behind us, we were anxious to get moving. We had a nice weather window that allowed us to jump offshore and get to Jacksonville in one overnight passage. For the first time this entire trip, it was warm. As we made our way down the Wilmington River toward the Atlantic it was 77 degrees. I enjoyed the sunshine while taking in the view from Fiberglass Beach. Large houses lined the Intracoastal Waterway. A steady stream of jets crossed over us on final approach to the Savannah airport. The massive Wilmington Plantation towered along the port-side shore. The landmark structure was built in 1927 as The Oglethorpe Hotel and spent time as a Sheraton Hotel before being converted to luxury condominiums.
The transition to the ocean was gradual as the lowcountry dissolved into the river delta. The ocean waves were low and on our nose, but the period was short which made for a bumpy ride. We settled into our watch schedule. Barry was downstairs when I throttled down and called him up. Seven miles off of Ossabow Island, I had spotted a lone mylar balloon floating on the surface that had to be rescued. I grabbed the boat hook and Barry brought Crossroads around. It was fun to scoop it up and save it from the wildlife. Released balloons end up in the remotest of places. A near-full moon rose in the east as the sun set in the west. The moon provided just enough light to keep a horizon visible. We encountered only a few boats all night. Mostly we were watching the rain showers come and go. Thankfully, I skirted most of them on my midnight to 3:00 am shift. When I came up at 6:00 we had entered the St. John's River and were approaching Jacksonville. Large cargo ships and fuel carriers were well-lit along the way.
The cold front that brought the overnight showers also brought a return of chilly temperatures. As the sun rose into an overcast sky, we checked out the city through the windows -- multiple bridges, the skyline, TIAA Bank Field (home of the NFL Jaguars), and the Maxwell House coffee plant. Maxwell House first came to Jacksonville in 1910. This plant was built in 1924. It is the last remaining manufacturing plant for the Kraft-Heinz brand in the United States. We should have opened the pilot house and smelled the coffee, but we didn't think that fast.
We had to wait for a railroad bridge to open before heading up the Ortega River. The water was surprisingly skinny and we were very glad to have arrived at high tide. Mental note: we must also depart on a high tide at the end of January. Our final bridge of the day was a tiny bascule span that led into the marina. The opening was made to accommodate only one boat at a time. We received our slip assignment and proceeded down the fairway. My first words to the assisting harbormaster were, "Are you sure?" He was adamant that we would fit and somehow we did ... with just enough room for one set of fenders between us and our neighbor. We remembered back to July 5, 2018 when we stressed over squeezing into a much wider slip (by maybe six inches) just outside of Montreal.
We arrived just in time to catch a final visit with our dear Loop friends from Miss Utah. They were live-aboards for close to seven years and have just sold their 52-foot Bayliner. I enjoyed a nice visit with Chris while Barry helped Roger load up the U-Haul with their belongings. Chris and I have shared many great times and chats, and more than a few "final farewells" over the last year, but always seem to cross paths for one more visit. Here's hoping that pattern continues and we will meet again down the road. I failed to capture a new photo today, but will use this one taken on August 23 when they hosted us for a few days in Charleston. As night fell, the clubhouse and several boats began to glow with Christmas lights.
Tomorrow we'll begin the process of packing for our trip home for Christmas. We want to take all of our cold-weather clothes off the boat, but it looks like we'll be wearing them for a few more days.
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