Travel Tips

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EPA boat in the shipyard

There were big ships in the river. There was a Navy ship in the dockyard and there was an anxious little Navy gunboat boat patrolling in front of it to be sure no one got close.

There was also an EPA boat over there.

NEVER BETTER III was turning into Sister's Creek. I called the Sister's Creek bridge for an opening when we were still out in the river because I thought NEVER BETTER III might get him to open and then we'd have to wait. But they didn't need an opening, so the bridge opened just for us. I had to ask Bob to slow down a little so he wouldn't give the bridge tender a heart attack by trying to thread the mast through the bridge when it was only open a couple of feet. I guess the current must have been with us.

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Waked white pelicans

We were passed by NIGHTSHIFT, the big Carver from Canada and LOOKEN GOOD also passed about 0900.

We saw some more white pelicans, which are much rarer than the brown ones. There were some on a sand bar which was sticking out of the river. When a power boat went by and created waves with their wake, the water washed up over the bar. Some of the pelicans didn't like that I guess, and they swam over to another piece of sand bar that's out of this picture on the right.

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East side of the fixed bridge

1115 - TIE BREAKER, a power cat from Massachusetts passed.

We went through the fixed bridge - the current is really whipping through there. It makes little whirlpools around the fenders. We see the Amelia Island marina entrance just past the bridge.

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End of Railroad Bridge

We also went by the railroad bridge which looks very dilapidated - like it couldn't possibly have been used in recent memory (but we know that is wrong because it closed for a train just after we went through going south last year. It is probably used a lot given the amount of train traffic in Florida).

This time I got a picture of the sign which says it has 2 coats of red lead and one coat of aluminum.

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Fernandina dock and schooner

I hear the small cruise ship AMERICAN EAGLE calling for the Nassau county sheriff with no result. Then we hear the boat WALKABOUT asking the Fernandina City Marina for a slip for a 96 foot boat.

Fernandina tells them to tie up behind the 300 ft long marked off area south of the fuel dock (which was reserved for AMERICAN EAGLE after they finished taking on fuel). We see WALKABOUT on the pier as we pass.

The photo shows the space reserved for American Eagle behind the tall ship. The gas dock office is just visible on the far right (little grey building with a blue roof). WALKABOUT is a good bit south of the fuel dock.

I hear a somewhat amusing exchange between AMERICAN EAGLE and another large boat (CAROLINA QUEEN). I gathered that CAROLINA QUEEN was smaller than AMERICAN EAGLE, but still a big boat - probably about 100 feet. They wanted to tie up at Fernandina also. The conversation went as follows:

AE - We will be getting underway and (some phrase I don't remember but means they will be going over there in a few minutes).

CQ - I think I can tie up ahead of the large power boat facing north (which was Walkabout) if that's all right with you

AE - We are going to be leaving the dock soon and are going to tie up just past the angle in the pier (i.e. ahead of WALKABOUT).

CQ - If it's OK with you I think I can get tied up behind the schooner (which is the area ahead of WALKABOUT that's partitioned off for AE) before you leave the gas dock.

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Car ferry

AE - It will be OK with us if you wait to tie up until we get tied up. (IOW - it is NOT OK with us if you take our space on the dock and we don't want you mucking about at the dock when we are coming in)

CQ- (finally gets the message) OK we will stand by until you get tied up.

Next: St. Mary's, Georgia