Special K starts Day 13 with a small detour facing white caps on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean before turning back on track with the ICW on route to St. Augustine Florida
This guest post blog series details the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway Cruise of two friends, Karen and George, as they cruise the east coast from Chesapeake Bay to the Florida Gulf Coast.
It has been two weeks since we left our home port in Georgetown Maryland to set off on our ICW adventure. We are getting anxious to finally meet our future awaiting us in Fort Myers Florida.
On Day 13 we left the port of Morningstar Marina in St. Simon’s Island, GA at 7:15 am. Destination – Historic St. Augustine, FL.
It started off as a quiet morning. I was inside cleaning up and enjoying some quiet personal time. The next thing I knew the Captain was shouting for the admiral on deck.
Captain George was just coming out of the St. Simon’s Sound when he saw the white caps ahead of him. Unable to find the green day marker marking the channel he did a quick U-turn before heading into the Atlantic Ocean. Once up-top I scanned the horizon, also unable to find the appointed marker.
“Power on!” I ordered as we headed into the six – seven foot swells. Special K was tossed all around and Diesel (geared up in his life jacket) was NOT happy. I swear he looked like he wanted to puke. It was a harrowing ride. Captain George did everything he could to hold the line with legs spread, feet braced and a tight grip on the wheel. The crew screamed as things were crashing around them.
After what seemed like a ride that would never end, we reached the next entrance of the ICW – and there she was, the missing green marker… washed up on the shoreline just to our port (left). Thank God that is over. Our adrenalin was still pumping as we assessed the damage. Now time to clean up the mess.
We crossed into Florida @11:00 am at
Fernandina Beach – a shrimping port on Amelia Island, just across Cumberland Sound from St. Mary’s GA. It was a bright sunny Saturday on Memorial Day weekend. Lots of yahoos and mayhem – cruise safely.
About seven miles before our destination we encountered a grounded sailboat. We tried to assist by making several passes in hopes creating enough of a wake of bounce them off the shoal they were stuck on. Unfortunately we were unsuccessful. They thanked us for our efforts and decided to wait out the tide.
(What to do if you run aground?…)
We arrived in beautiful historic St. Augustine FL at 4:00pm. We pulled into the Conch House Marina where the music was playing and weekend festivities were in full swing.
We learned we had arrived just in time for the 13th Annual Reggae Sunday. This is St. Augustine’s version of Chesapeake City’s Canal Days (as a point of reference for our friends back in MD).
So we decided to stay an extra day and enjoy the fun.
We got the opportunity to re-connect with some family and friends while we were in town.
That evening we met-up with my Aunt Terri and her husband for a wonderful meal at the Conch House Restaurant. It was a good time had by all.
Sunday Betty Ann and I walked into town to see the sights. We shopped on St. George Street and enjoyed the people watching and listening to the many different languages around us. St. Augustine (the oldest city in the US) is simply beautiful and I would recommend a stop there to anyone passing by.
We spent most of the day listening to Reggae music, watching the silliness around us and visiting with friends & family. We got to see our nephew Billy Blewitt and old friends Steve & Donna Franklin. It was a great Memorial Day holiday.
Hello to all our friends and family back home!
Follow the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway Cruise
Continue to follow their two week journey on this blog as Karen shares guest posts detailing each leg of their cruise along the Intracoastal Waterways.
See all the latest posts:
Intracoastal Waterway Cruise
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