Fernandina Beach, or Freddie B as I like to call it since
the actual name does not roll easily off my tongue, is about smells. Some
places are beautiful; some places are about the people. Freddie B is about
smells.
Flowers – everywhere you look are flowers, beautiful
smelling flowers in boxes and plantings everywhere you looked. The marina uses
woven metal as trim, which is pretty. At our dock entrance are electrical
cabinets. Most marinas just have these large objects out there. This marina
created a beautiful woven metal fence around the cabinets then planted
honeysuckle vines around it to camouflage the ugly cabinets. Honeysuckle smells
drifted over to our open windows with the east breeze off the ocean. Mmmmm….
BBQ – this is not a BBQ town but it is a town with amazing
chefs who grow their own food or source locally grown food. They experiment
with fascinating combinations including locally raised pork BBQ over a slow
fire. Spicy and sweet. Such an amazing smell. One morning Rusty and I followed
the smell to its source. We tried to go to dinner there but realized too late
that it was open for lunch only. Too bad. Missed that one.
We did visit 29 South Restaurant where the amazing sweet and
spicy BBQ was served on a BBQ Cobb Salad with cornbread, cheddar cheese, deviled
eggs, and a sweet mustardy dressing. To die for. We ordered it twice and ate
the BBQ both times in left overs later. Mmmmmm…. Better than anything else we
tried on the menu. They have a chef’s garden in the back so all greens are as
fresh as possible. 
Baked goods – breads and desserts baked daily at the many
restaurants. The smell floated over the whole town.
The paper plant – ok not all the smells were wonderful.
Thank goodness for federal EPA regulations or the smell would have been much
worse. But the marina was enveloped in paper mills on either side. The water
was thick like mud.
Freddie Beach is one of the places I would love to come back
to. It goes on the list of towns we would consider living in. Freddie B is the
town on the west end of Amelia Island. The marina side is on the ICW on the
west side and the ocean is on the east side of the island.
We had quite an adventure getting to Freddie Beach. Our
original goal after leaving St. Augustine was Fort George Marina, a new marina
just north of Jacksonville near the inlet.
It was a beautiful ride although we
were watching a storm in the Gulf that was supposed to make our evening
miserable. We would stay in Fort George for 1 night then move to Freddie B on Sunday.
The water was really low in many spots. Boats were getting stuck. 
The water was narrow too with loads of land where water used to be. In fact some of the docks appeared to be blocks away from the land. 
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| A swing bridge |
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| Every swing bridge needs a work boat to hang from the crane |
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| Really narrow water |
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| So narrow the boats sometimes take the land route I love those "boats on land" pictures! |
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| Fort George Marina |
Apparently for the first time in
this trip, Good Karma was a big boat for their marina. We felt awesome and
powerful… and way oversized and not in a good way. We adjusted ourselves so
Kermit felt comfortable and tied up. We towered over the relatively narrow
floating docks and chatted up the dock hands. All the while the current was
wild and we bounced all over the place.
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| The current was huge |
The dock hand had us all plugged in, a herculean effort
since the power wasn’t set up right. We took a breath to shoot the breeze about
what to see and do for the day. The rocking was pretty wild. We looked at each
other. It wasn’t getting better any time soon. The dock hand said he would go
away for 30 minutes and give us time to
consider our options. It was only 1pm anyway. We decided to move on to Freddie
Beach, only about 20 miles down the road. No sense taking chances with a big
storm coming in. The dock hand understood. What a good guy! He tried to give
back the tip!! We untied, unplugged and moved on with a wave.
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| this is the space we fit into (NOT) at Freddie Beach Marina |
So a funny thing happened on the way to Freddie Beach Marina.
We called in for a slip assignment. As we approached the marina we could see
the nice fellows in the blue shirts waving us in to an assignment on the south
end of the marina in the second row in on the south side of the fairway. Kermit
was at the helm and I was on the bow with lines. Slip 29. Really? Right next to
a trawler? No way. This was narrower than our slip at Venetian. At least there
we have about 18 inches between Stiebers and us. Kermit looked at the slip and
said, “We won’t fit there.” They said this is the slip assignment. So Kermit
put Good Karma in that slip slick as could be, with literally 2 inches to
space. Honest. For some reason we will never fathom, the trawler had at least 4
fenders out on the middle and we slid in between the dock and those fenders. It
was a miracle and an excellent captain that enabled us to get in that space in
the first place.
As the dock hands were tying us up Kermit took a good look
around and said, “No way”. A big storm was coming in with high winds reported.
We didn’t want to be in a slip tighter than a baby in a womb in a big storm. As we reviewed the situation, it seemed unnecessary to put
us in that slip anyway. The slips in the next row were wider and almost empty.
So we untied and backed out. I had put a fender on our boat
between the trawler’s fenders. We were so tight that our fender made it
difficult to back out!! We didn’t have space for the opposing fenders to move
against each other!!
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| High tide going down |
All we had to do was back out of the fairway around a corner
and down another fairway to our slip directly behind the tight slip. As he
backed out an engine died!! So sirens screaming, folks all over the docks
watching, deck hands moving around, I am on the bow sorting lines, wind blowing
in advance of the storms, our hero is at the helm trying to start the engine!
It died 3 times in the short distance around the corner including the moment he
turned into the new slip!! We kissed the ground after tying up! The next day Kermit got someone to fix a faulty switch so now everything should run smoothly.
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| Low tide - see all the exposed dirt and the high water mark on the posts? |
The marina here is really nice. Pretty new floating docks
with great restrooms, showers, and captain’s lounge. There is a really pretty
restaurant, Brett’s Place, with a deck. The city has really done a nice job
with amenities like flowers, benches, brick walkways, and shady trees.
Remember how the rivers in Melbourne and Cocoa had little or
no tides? We are not in Kansas any more. Freddie Beach has a 7 foot tide!! This
is a huge swing. No wonder they have floating docks! At low tide huge swaths of
land are exposed. If there was a storm surge or unnaturally high tide, the
water would flood easily into town, at least over the railroad tracks that
border the water between the two paper mills.
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| This little birdie fell out of the nest and did not make it |
Did I mention the critters? Cats everywhere. We saw cats
just sleeping on the sidewalk, not even moving when people passed. Cats
meandered through restaurants and shops. Rusty loved it. On a morning walk to
the north along the water Rusty spotted a Siamese cat that looked just like
Jack. His ears perked up and he started running over to say hello. 
Well this
guy and his little Siamese
Rusty had a rough time in Freddie B. It was hot and Rusty
doesn’t do hot. In Cocoa Rusty tripped over a curb and injured his right rear
knee joint a little. Over the week he licked it so much that he caused a hot
spot that looked kind of bad. We gave him aspirin and allergy medicine but
Rusty was still not comfortable. In the cool mornings he enjoyed walked around
the town but in the afternoon and evening it was all we could do to get him out
in the 80+ degree temps.
On one morning walk we met a dog named Big, a lab mix who is
18 years old!! I asked his owner what she does to help Big stay fit. She
mentioned some arthritis drugs and a pain reliever. I got the name of her vet
and Mike took us when he returned on Wednesday.
The vet cleaned the hot spot and gave us salve and
antibiotics for the wound. The leg is not injured except Rusty thinks it is
sore. She checked his hips and noticed the arthritis especially in the hind
legs. We talked about medicinal options and elected a NSAID arthritis medicine
in chewable tablet form. She also talked about the pain meds we got for Rusty
in Fort Pierce. We stopped giving it to him because it knocked him out to the
point that he couldn’t walk. This vet thinks the dosage is too high so she
recommended that if we want to give him narcotics to give him half a pill.
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| Pelican |
She also recommended he lose a few more pounds. He was 105
in Jan 2012, 95 in July 2012 when we left on the trip, 85 in Fort Lauderdale
before we left for the Bahamas, and 87 now. She would like to see him at 80
pounds to take more pressure off his legs. That means more vegetables in his
food!
We started Rusty on the arthritis meds right away. He seems
to be a little stronger. Yesterday on his morning walk he almost trotted so
maybe it is working. Of course last night his legs buckled a little so I guess
we are six of one half a dozen of another. The good boy is getting old. I
suspect he won’t make it to 18 like Big.
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| turtles at low tide |
Other critters included tiny little crabs that got lost on
the docks at low tide when the barnacle they were living in suddenly rose out
of the water, pelicans so bold they sat on posts along walkways, cranes, and of
course turtles on logs in the swampy part that moves between high and low tide.
The story in the marina is that there is a 250 pound grouper living by the
ramp. We didn’t see him.
We rode our bikes to the ocean a few miles away on the east
end of the island where we had drinks and watched the water. We saw the
lighthouse but the gate was locked. We arrived just a few minutes too late. We
would have been on time if we didn’t have that second beer at the beach. Oh
well, it was worth it.
The really rich people live on the south end of the island
under canopies of live oaks with Spanish Moss. We drove through that part when
we re-provisioned (the cupboards were REALLY bare – you know you need groceries
when you eat the summer sausage you have been carting around since you left and
you start sharing Rusty’s vegetables!)
We arrived at Freddie B on 5/12. Our plan was to wait for
One September to arrive back from a visit home on 5/15 then travel north on
5/16. To our delight Sareanna arrived on 5/14 too. So we explored the town with
Dick and Deanna then re-provisioned when Mike and Judy arrived.
It sure is nice to travel with these folks. We have a rhythm
and travel style that complements each other. And we have fun, which is what
boating is all about.
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| Tow boat pulling a sailboat near Jacksonville |
The large tides really influence travel. With a 7 foot tide,
low tide translates into really low water. Right outside Freddie B marina is
one of the low spots. On the way in to Freddie B we passed a sailboat
apparently stopped in the middle of the channel. After swearing about
inconsiderate sailboats, we discovered they were stuck. Stuck, not
inconsiderate. We stopped but the current was so strong that we couldn’t turn
back. Fortunately just at that moment Tow Boat US came passed to help them off
the low spot.
There are times in Lake Erie when southwest winds blow the water
from south western Lake Erie to northeast and we are low in the water. But this
happens every day on a predictable schedule. Tides influence everything.
Just the other side of Freddie B we encountered a bunch of Coast Guard and military boats protecting a submarine!! Isn't that cool? We are told we will find more subs as we head north but this was our first.  |
| One September passing the guard boats |
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| The submarine is in here! |
Our next major port after Freddie B is Savannah which is 135
miles away, too much for one day. So we planned to stop in Jekyll Island, 25
miles north, then somewhere in the middle, then Savannah on the third day. We
made the short trip to Jekyll Island without any problem, leaving Freddie Beach
around 9 or so on the rising tide. We could make 100 miles in 10 hours no
problem but we couldn’t leave Jekyll Island until 11am so we could travel over
low spots at low tide without running aground. Tides really make planning more
complicated.
On the way to Jekyll Island we passed white sand beaches and cliffs.
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| this is Sareanna around the corner as it appears on the GPS |
A gazillion bugs - especially the black flies that covered our bimini
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| This water is really winding |
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| Black flies |
Jekyll Island is really pretty. The marina is a long dock on
the east starboard side. After filling up with gas (145 gallons at $4.71 per
gallon) we tied up along the wall in the first position at the extreme south
end of the dock, about as far away from the ramp as we could be. The people
were really friendly. We met up with some folks we met at Freddie B earlier and
Why Knot was here too! Also Aslan, a 65’ Fleming and a few other boats we
continue to run into.  |
| Jekyll Island Marina |
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| Rusty at the marina |
We took down the bikes and toured the fancy “cottages” built
by really rich people in the 1880s.
These are the same folks who supposedly
stayed at the Ponce de Leon Hotel in St. Augustine for three months in the
winter. Did these folks never go home? Evidently they spent months in Jekyll
Island too at this big hotel with cottages (large mansions) spread out on the
property. This was a hunting club with golf courses. Now it is a resort. It was
nice.  |
| Judy checking out the phone that made the first transcontinental phone call from this hotel |
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| The Jekyll Island club |
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| Cool old transportation on the island |
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| Residents |
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| The private-er residence hall |
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| The dining room at Jekyll Island Club |
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| Our crowd: Kermit, Deanna, Dick, Judy, and Mike |
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| back on the bikes: Dick, Deanna, Kermit, Mike, and Judy |
The bugs were AWFUL here. Just awful. I am covered with bug
bites. Interesting, the bugs especially the no-see-ums were much worse in the
morning and not visible in the evening. I don’t get it. I don’t like it.
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| Dinner at Sea Jays: Dick, Katherine, Kermit, Lisa, Darrell, and Deanna |
We ate dinner in the marina restaurant, Sea Jays. Excellent
crab chowder. I wish I could get that recipe. There was live music and drinks all around. A
wonderful time!
We left at 10:30am on Friday 5/17 for a long day up the
river. Low tide was 9am so we wanted to leave on the rising half tide. There
are 6 hours between tides. If low tide is at 9am then it starts rising at 9am.
10:30 is not exactly half tide but at least it is rising so we probably
wouldn’t get stuck at Little Mud River, appropriately named because of what it
is like at low tide with only a few feet of water.
Darrell and Lisa on Why Knot opted to run outside in the
ocean so they could get to St. Catherine’s Inlet faster. Unfortunately the
conditions turned out to be unlike advertised. They left at 7am, went south to
the Inlet then out to the ocean but they bumped so much and got pushed aground
by the currents and waves that they returned to Jekyll Island Marina. They
decided to run with us along the ICW instead. Someday I would like to run in
the ocean too if the condition are right. Along the GA coast my motives would
be to avoid the bugs.
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| More black flies |
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| porpoises! |
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| Porpoises blowing |
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| Two porpoises swimming together!! |
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| Anchoring out - Sareanna and One September go in first |
We anchored off of Walpole Island #2 along a stretch with a
tiny beach for Rusty to do his business. We haven’t anchored since we left this
same group last fall. We fell into our normal rhythm with everyone helping
everyone else. Why Knot never rafted like this. Sareanna went in first and set
their anchor. One September rafted off their starboard side. We came in next on
Sareanna’s port side. Why Knot tied up to us on our port side. All cozy as can
be!
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| Off they go! |
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| We anchored next to Why Knot - Darrell watching Rusty go for a walk |
Dinner on One September grilled courtesy of Sareanna’s back
deck grill. As usual a healthy, delicious combinations of offerings. We watched
the stars come out and laughed like old times. It was a great evening.
We are on our way to Savannah today.
Here is how the next weeks/months will go. Kermit and I
decided we will come home in mid-September. Here is sort of how we intend to do
it
- Weekend 5/18 in Savannah then to Hilton Head, Beaufort SC until Memorial Day in Charleston SC
- We will spend 6/1-2 in Moorhead City diving with Martha and Blue Region Scuba friends then a few more days with Martha in Pamlico Sound, heading to Manteo in the Outer Banks then Norfolk and Virginia Beach, Yorktown, Deltaville up to the Potomac
- 6/15 ish to Wash DC for a few days with Marissa
- Then back down the Chesapeake for a few weeks with Mike and Judy – St. Marys, St. Michaels, Rock Hall, Baltimore, Chesapeake City to Cape May
- Somewhere around 8/10 up the NJ coast to NYC around 8/15
- Then up the Hudson on the return trip home
- At Albany we plan to turn left on the Erie Canal to Oswego into Lake Ontario, around to the Welland Canal into Lake Erie
- Then it is a quick trip home, probably 4 days in good weather
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