Back on the ICW

         We had a great time in Fernandina Beach.  Once again Ralph and Kim outdid themselves as hosts - cooking us meals and giving us the leftovers, taking us out to dinner and to trivia night at local restaurants, lending us their only car, and sightseeing with us at Fort Clinch.

Fort Clinch is at the northern end of Amelia Island.  A great fortification used sporadically and never finished, it overlooks the inlet between GA and FL and beaches to the east and west.  It never fired a shot and was never fired upon, but there’s an enormous amount of history to learn, and the surrounding state park is home to miles of walking and biking trails, beaches, and a couple campgrounds.  I would say it’s a must-see for anyone visiting 

Fernandina Beach. 

Fort Clinch

Tuesday, May 28, Dan and I drove down to Jacksonville and Jacksonville Beach.  Dan made the rounds of hardware stores for boat supplies while I had my appointment with the orthopedist.  I made friends with the ortho tech Dre, relating my own experience (nearly 40 years ago) in that same profession.  Turns out I broke three bones - the good people at Daytona Beach had diagnosed two of them, but did speculate about the third - and Dre efficiently put on a cast.  Purple, my color choice.  Four weeks from now I should be able to see someone in Maine who can remove it.  

Ralph & Kim display their baby gift for Leo

We bid goodbye to Ralph and Kim on Wednesday early afternoon, after yet another great home-cooked meal.  We ended up hanging out on the mooring there while Dan diagnosed and fixed an engine cooling issue, then zipped over to nearby Port Consolidated to take on fuel and water.  We didn’t plan to go very far - only over the border to Cumberland Island.  A good friend of ours virtually introduced us to one of his good friends, who invited us to tie up for the night at his dock.  Mitty and his wife Mary own & run the Greyfield Inn.  Mitty also runs the lobster-boat ferry that shuttles guests to and from their Inn on Cumberland Island.  

Greyfield Inn dock - late afternoon

Dan and I went ashore this morning for a long walk, taking in the grounds of the Inn and the trail to Little Greyfield Beach.  It was a beautiful day for a walk, and we had the beach entirely to ourselves.  On the way back to the dock we stopped for a short, self-guided tour of the common rooms of the Inn, where we admired fossils and antiques and the overall atmosphere of a southern B & B.  We felt very privileged to have had this opportunity!

        We left the dock late morning and continued a little ways along the ICW before stopping in the Brickhill River.  One of Dan’s acquaintances lost an anchor here, and Dan hopes to find it.  I’ll keep you posted about that.  

Dan searching for the lost anchor...