Cleared Back Into The USA

Great Harbour, Bahamas to Fernandina Beach, Florida |  50 Hours  |  368 Miles  

The Bahamas sent us off in style with one last amazing display of its blues. Different combinations of cloud cover vs. full sun, sandy bottom vs. grassy bottom, and depth vs. shallows created every hue, shade, and tint of blue. We enjoyed the view from the flybridge as we moved north toward Coco Cay. At the resort island, the passengers from two "small" cruise ships had occupied every beach chair within view. 

Once beyond the tip of the island and into deep water, we set a waypoint for Freeport, Grand Bahama. Soon thereafter we lost cell service. The seas were confused with waves traveling in two directions. Crossroads found it tough to maintain six knots at the diesel-sipping RPM we preferred to run. We were, however, in no rush. A pod of dolphin rode our bow wave for a while. There was little boat traffic on our radar, but we did pick up returns from a few scattered showers. It never rained on us, but we were treated to a strong rainbow that eventually closed to complete a full arc (with a faint hint of a double arc).

As daylight ended and we neared Freeport boat traffic increased. Tankers, cargo carriers, bulk carriers, and cruise ships were darting across the screen while going to and from this busy port city. Thankfully, once we passed Freeport, the traffic jam disappeared. We began our three hour watches. From midnight to 3:00 am, the distant Carnival Freedom was our only travel companion. Far in the distance and well lit, it was the perfect travel companion. We had entered the Gulf Stream, were getting a push, and making good time. The clouds had moved out and the stars were captivatingly bright. Back for my next watch at 6:00 a.m., I could have sworn there was a dancing elephant on dawn's horizon. Or I could have still been groggy from short, restless sleep.   

Our first sunrise across the ocean was a good one. After breakfast we lowered our Bahamian courtesy flag and stowed it for use next year. As the day progressed the beam seas within the Gulf Stream made for an increasingly bumpy ride. I went to Fiberglass Beach to soak up some sun, but had to retreat when I soaked up too much sea spray. I went downstairs to do some computer work, but spent most of the time watching the beam sea swamp my view trough the starboard side ports. Moving up to the salon, I could see the swells in the distance rise above the caprail level. Crossroads and the stabilizers handled it all like a champ. We were joined by an occasional pod of dolphin and were thankful for the diversion. We did not see another vessel all day and were quickly tiring of the same playlist cycling on my phone. Before dark we turned a bit more west to give us a more comfortable ride. We both slept better on our second night offshore.

Our final morning was sunny with much calmer seas. Overnight the wind had lessened and clocked around to the southwest. My first order of business was to survey the decks and check to see if we caught any fish. I found one good-sized flying fish that had met his unfortunate demise on our deck. After a photo and a few kind words he was returned to the sea. We were on track to arrive at Fernandina Beach at high tide/slack current. Our next big event would be to regain cell service. Barry was quite pleased that his Pixel picked up a signal a full hour before my iPhone. As we neared our turn inland on the St. Mary's River, I spotted a large sea turtle just off our bow. I'm sure the turtle was thinking the same thing that we thought about the traffic in Freeport, "Its a huge ocean, why do you have to be so close to me?".  A fleet of shrimp boats with their nets down was patrolling just off the channel. Once in the cut, we got a great view of Fort Clinch off to port. The 35-star Grand Luminary Flag few over the cannons as it did in 1864. To starboard, several sailboats were out taking advantage of the steady breeze.

We followed the St. Mary's River to the south and along the commercial dock where several other shrimp boats were tied up. We dropped our anchor and completed our check-in with US Customs. Once legal, we were able to enjoy our view of the marsh off our bow. We lowered the dinghy into the brown water, each of us commenting about missing the crystal clear Bahamian waters. The period of slack current had past and a max ebb tide was racing through the anchorage. To be US legal, we had to put our life jackets in the dinghy.   

We zipped across the anchorage to the dinghy dock at the town marina. We took a leisurely stroll around town, spending time in areas that were new to us. Ash Street led us away from the marina. It was lined with grand houses with beautiful landscaping and points of interest. I'm not sure whether the large stainless steel shrimp or the carousel horses on the porch were my favorite. A lady planting hydrangeas in her front yard stopped us and we had a great chat about plants, the history of the area and her house, and places to visit. We crossed to Centre Street and made our way back to the waterfront. Amongst the typical T-shirt and souvenir stores, and ice cream shops a bubble machine was a novel attention-grabber. The street was nicely landscaped with many areas to sit and people-watch.

We staked claim to a park bench and made a few calls and texts home. We finished our walking tour outside the visitor's center where Barry sat with David Yulee for a while. Yulee founded the Florida Railroad Company and is known as the "Father of Florida's Railroads." His likeness sits in front of his Florida Rail Road train depot holding a pocket watch awaiting his next train. We had a wonderful dinner at Pablo's and I give the Avocado Loco high marks. When we exited the restaurant, it was beginning to sprinkle. Our pace picked up considerably as we made our way back to the dinghy dock. A large dark cloud was over the anchorage and it did not wait for us to get back to the mothership. We all got a good freshwater rinse. The view had definitely deteriorated from just a few hours earlier.

The clouds moved out in time for a nice sunset. The view from the cockpit was rivaled by the reflection of the scene in our door. The flag was a fitting element in tonight's photos. It is nice to be back in the United States and feel more connected with family. We will be here tomorrow and go for another walk. The most difficult part of long offshore travels for me is that my knees get stiff. It takes a few miles to get them moving smoothly. We will pick up fuel first thing Monday morning and continue on our way north.