Fernandina Beach, FL to Beaufort, SC | 19.3 Hours | 118 Miles
We were able to visit a large section of Amelia Island during our short stay in Fernandina Beach. While we were off exploring restaurants, beaches, parks, and museums, Crossroads was also busy in the anchorage. The effect of high and low levels of both tide and wind was a complete circle on the anchor monitor. No worries though, for our anchor held firm. Exploring the town was a wonderful bonus for us over the weekend. The primary reason, however, that we made Fernandina Beach our first stop in the United States was the cheapest source of diesel on the east coast. We timed our 12:45 pm departure to coincide with slack tide at the fuel dock at Port Consolidated. Barry eased us onto the dock in front of the large sport fisher and I securely tied us up and made sure we were well-fendered. It was some of my finest work. We then were told that the second pump was inoperable because it had been struck by lightning. I was disappointed that we would have to move, but even more so that we'd have to wait for the sport fisher to take on almost 2,000 gallons. Our turn eventually came and we filled up with 409 gallons. Doing the math, we saved over $300 vs. re-filling in Virginia, and over $1,000 on this quantity if we had topped off in Spanish Wells. By 2:30 we were done and heading back into the Atlantic to fast-track some straight line miles and avoid the meandering shallows of the Georgia ICW. The afternoon was gray and overcast. A half dozen shrimp boats were working on the horizon, under the glow of their deck lights. Moving north, the vessel of choice transitioned from shrimp boats to large RoRos moving automobiles from the Port of Brunswick through St. Simon's Sound. A light drizzle developed, but the wind remained light. We had low waves, close together on the nose. Our ride was bumpy, but not uncomfortable. The rain stopped just prior to sunset and the clouds broke enough to get a little show.
We lost cell reception, but were able to pick up over-the-air radio stations. For the first time in a while we did not have to listen to the well-worn playlist on my phone. We watched the waxing crescent moon set at our 9:00 shift change. There were a few points of interest during the night. The VHF radio was busty with chatter about a 36-foot sailboat with two aboard that ran aground and was taking on water. The Coast Guard came and rescued them, but left the boat to salvage. Light pollution from coastal development gave us a well-defined horizon. We passed through a parking lot of large tankers and cargo ships awaiting passage into the Port of Savannah. The wind clocked around to the north and increased the size of the waves through which we were plowing. Even with all of that, we arrived at the sea buoy making the entrance into Port Royal Sound as scheduled at first light. A turn to the west put the waves on our beam. The stabilizers worked hard and gave us a smooth passage of the 10-mile long channel through the low-country shallows. A combination of salt spray and rain covered the windows as the sun rose over the cloud bank. A lone pelican napped as we passed close to him. Once in the sound, we recognized the white/green marker from our January passage. The crew of pelicans were on the job early, applying a fresh coat of white-washing to the channel marker. At Parris Island we veered right to Beaufort and got a much better look (than in January) at the water tower on the grounds of the Marine Corps Recruit Depot.
A short distance later we passed under the Ladys Island Bridge and made a quick U-turn to dock into the current with a starboard tie at Port Royal Landing marina. We cleaned up the boat and ourselves then headed to the onsite restaurant for lunch. The view from the patio and our meals were excellent. The only complaint was that it was COLD. I had pulled long pants out of storage and attempted to squeeze into them. The extra clothes combined with the "french fry" lights glowing brightly in the rafters did little to simulate warmth. To finally warm up, we took an afternoon walk to West Marine and Piggly Wiggly. The neighborhood surrounding the marina has a dense canopy of mature trees that dripped with the baggage of Spanish moss. While the temperature didn't little to convince me we were in the south, the landscaping drove the point home. Tomorrow we will get a rental car and take care of a few important matters. I'm hoping I won't have to turn on the heat.
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