Day on the Cruise 9
From: The Marina at Ortega Landing, Jacksonville, FL To: Fernandina Beach, FL
Statute Miles 47
Time 5 hrs 30 min
Cumulative Miles 487 sm
On Board Chuck, Susan, Maggie, Trooper, Peanut
We got off from Ortega Landing at 8:20 this morning. The boat was covered with blind Mosquitos and spiders. It was gross! We decided to wait until we got in this afternoon to wash the boat and remove these deceased creatures.
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| "Blue Moon" Leaving Her Slip.....Photo Taken by our Next Slip Neighbor Patrick |
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| Leaving The Marina at Ortega Landing |
We will miss Bruce, Warren, Bill, Anthony, and Georgette at The Marina at Ortega Landing. It has been a great experience to keep our boat there for almost two years. They have been very accommodating and are very service oriented. We had to get an emergency holding tank pump out on Sunday,which was Easter. The tank filled up and would not take any more. Susan called the on call number and got Bruce on Sunday afternoon. He was at a family Easter Function. Bruce came to the Marina in his shirt and tie and pumped us out. I could not believe Bruce's customer service philosophy. Wonderful
I did not get fuel yesterday, and I wanted to get fresh fuel in the tank, so we bit the bullet and went to Lamb's Yacht Center about a half mile from the marina for refueling. This despite a very high price per gallon. I filled the tank for the first time. The amount of fuel that I put on board today verified that I have a 300 gallon tank instead of the standard 250 gallon tank. Live and learn!
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| Coming Into Lamb's Yacht Center |
We got off from Lamb's at 8:55, then went through the CSX Railroad Bridge, under the Roosevelt Bridge, and through the historic Ortega River Bridge. Our neighbor Linda used to summer in Ortega with her Aunt back in the 50's and 60's and remembers the old Ortega Bridge.
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| This is for Our Neighbor Linda.....Historic Ortega River Bridge With Jacksonville in the Background |
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| This is for Our Neighbor Linda.....Going Through The Ortega River Bridge |
We did hit the tide correctly going down the St. Johns and we picked up about 2 mph going up with the tide. When we got into the ICW, it didn't take long to start bucking the tide until we crossed Nassau Sound.
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| Goodbye Jacksonville! |
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| Cruising UP the St. Johns River at 10 MPH |
It was about this time that Susan spelled me at the helm while I took a bio break. She decided that she had had enough of running in the water, so she tried to run Blue Moon over some land. Suffice it to say that didn't work too well. She has been reassigned to the bunny slope for boat operators!
We got to Fernandina Beach very quickly. We were given a space on the inside face dock, and we docked with no problem. Much better than last time at Fernandina when we got caught by tide and wind and too much speed. Huckins took care of the resulting cosmetic damage incurred during docking. This also prompted me to get the stern thruster installed.
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| Welcome to Fernandina Harbor Marina |
It clouded over completely after we docked. Susan and I got busy and washed the boat. We got the salt off the boat from the spray on the water. We also cleaned the bug residue, etc. off the boat.
The main dock at Fernandina is public, and there is no shortage of tourists that walk the docks with their families and pets. When you are docked here, it is like being on display, which I really like. It harkens back to my childhood when our family would walk any dock with which we would come in contact. We would admire the boats that were tied up and dream of someday having a boat to dock at a big marina. I am thinking of my father when I see "Blue Moon" tied up at marinas like Fernandina where folks can "walk the docks"!
Cleaning the boat was a hoot. The tourists would walk by and comment on Susan's good work. It was fun to strike up conversations with them. Maggie enjoyed engaging their pets in a barking match. Even the bird got in the act, trying to scream louder than the barking. Of course the tourists would ask about the parrot, and this also spurred lively conversation!
It is now raining and the weather will be bad through tomorrow night. Glad we made it to Fernandina. We will try to explore the area tomorrow around the rain drops and the thunder. Severe T-Storms are in the forecast for tomorrow night.
Thanks for Reading!
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