Happy To Be Offshore

Fernandina Beach to St. Augustine  |  8.4 Hours  |  57 Miles  

With another chilly night ahead of us, it proved to be a wise decision to stay at Fernandina Harbor Marina. While plugged into shore power, we ran the heatpump all night and woke up to a comfortable 70 degrees onboard. The view from the pilothouse attempted to convince me it was equally balmy outside, but alas, it was 34 degrees. We moved Crossroads to the fuel dock and were first in line when it opened at 8:00. After pumping 306 gallons (at $4.50/gallon, $3.65 two weeks ago in VA, $6.85 today in the Exumas), we were on our way ... north. Yes, we backtracked a short distance, passing the Atlantic Reefer as it was being loaded with what looked like large rolls of paper in front of the WestRock plant. 

Once we reached the St. Mary's River, we turned east and made a beeline for the Atlantic Ocean. We finally got a good weather window to travel offshore and were excited to get moving. A waypoint was set for St. Augustine with an arrival time of 4:00. We sat back, relaxed, and enjoyed the day. There were no worries about running aground, maneuvering through tricky splits and switchbacks, or other vessels. A small fleet of shrimp boats ran close to shore, but miles from us. A low ocean swell on our beam provided a gentle rocking motion and the sun had us nice and toasty. Each of us took a nap (not at the same time) at some point during the trip. I also used the time to do some chores by cleaning and dusting the louvered doors throughout the boat and then vacuuming. I have missed these days where I can check items off my list. 

Right on time, we arrived at the St. Augustine Inlet and made the turn toward the shore. The waves that had been on our beam all day were breaking in the shallows to both sides of us. They weren't quite Hawaii Five-O caliber, but were impressive nonetheless. We slowed down approached the Bridge of Lions for its 4:30 opening. Barry called the marina and received our mooring ball assignment. We hooked up to the mooring like professionals, even though we had not executed the drill since last April. Soon thereafter we brought the dinghy down from the upper deck and headed into marina office. It felt wonderful to be in the dinghy. Today, we became cruisers and not just a delivery crew. 

Barry received our dinghy permit, attached it to the the transom, and then we tied up at the dinghy dock. We walked down the seawall far enough to get a picture of Crossroads on her mooring in front of the St. Augustine Lighthouse and a selfie with the mothership in the background. We were back onboard by nightfall and spent a few quiet moments in the pilothouse just watching the rotating beam of the lighthouse. 

The Bridge of Lions was off our stern and the city glowed to starboard. 

During our offshore passage, our helm-top bobblehead started doing his Happy Dance. That made us smile and his activity was another first for this trip. The accompanying song on the radio was a perfect soundtrack for the day. We had a lot to be happy about on this leg of our trip. We'll stay in St. Augustine for two days, even happier that the temperatures will rise into the upper 70s.