Day 211
On Friday morning, 04/09/21, Mike and Marilou helped us throw off our lines as we left the Marina at Ortega Landing at 9:00 am. We waved goodbye to our new friends, with the usual promises to meet back up somewhere down the line. It was a cloudy but calm morning, with temperatures in the mid-60s. We headed for Fernandina Harbor Marina at Fernandina Beach, FL, on Amelia Island. This destination came highly-recommended by fellow Loopers and non-Loopers alike. Turns out, those recommendations were well-founded. We loved it there!
As we cruised the St. John’s River through Jacksonville, we passed what seemed like miles of container ships and shipyards. We also passed the famous Gold Looper, Grumpy, on the St. John’s River, as well as fellow Loopers, Salty Dreams. I snapped and posted pictures of both boats on the The Great Loop Facebook page for them. (It’s the Looper thing to do!)
We cruised past The Hills and Little Marsh Hill communities of Jacksonville, just before turning north back onto the ICW at Clapboard Creek. We encountered a lot more river current in this part of the ICW! As we traveled, the current calmed and we were suddenly back into wide marshy areas, on both sides of the ICW. We saw an occasional house here and there, but mostly we saw lowland wilderness. We followed Clapboard Creek past Fort George Island, and then through Timocuan Ecological and Historical Preserve. On up the ICW, we went past Big Talbot Island State Park and Black Hammock Island.
Eventually, Clapboard Creek meets the Amelia River South, which is the inlet to Nassau Sound and into the Atlantic Ocean, continuing on up the ICW, now on the Amelia River. With the inlet connecting with the Atlantic here, the waterway widens, the wind increased, the current regained strength. Steve could feel that current trying to take over Legacy’s steering from him! On our starboard side, we could see out into the ocean, where the waves were really kicking up. Once again, we were glad to be traveling inside on the ICW, rather than fighting the elements on the outside.
We passed the Amelia Island State Recreation Area, where the Amelia River is wide as a lake in places, and shallow. As with many others in Florida, the Amelia is lined with large, expensive waterfront properties, but they’re so far out from our cruising channel, I couldn’t get any good pictures of them. We eventually passed by Amelia City, and arrived at Fernandina Harbor Marina at 2:00 that afternoon. We tied-up to the transient wall right next to the fuel dock (which was temporarily out of fuel). Luckily we arrived during slack tide, so were able to dock without having to fight current.
Like other marina’s we’ve experienced, Fernandina Harbor Marina was positioned right beside the lovely Fernandina Beach downtown area and attractions. A little later into the afternoon, we walked over to the Salty Pelican for an early dinner, as the Spykman’s had recommended it. I ordered the Mac n’ cheese with pulled pork, which was delicious comfort food, but very filling, and enough for (4) people! Needless to say, we took a good portion of it back to the boat for future meals. After dinner, we strolled over to The Palace Saloon, which is the oldest bar in all of Florida that is still operating. It originally opened as a bar back in 1903.
Position: N 30° 40.280, W 81° 27.965
Distance traveled: 47 SM
Total distance traveled: 2988 SM
Total marina nights: 189
Total nights at anchor: 21
Locks today: 0
Locks Total: 27