Port Royal to Fernandina, or so we thought!

We left Port Royal Landing Marina on Nov. 2, expecting a great sail on the ocean. Weather forecasts were favorable and the waves were to be 1-2 feet. Little did we know that the weather imps were afoot again. We got about 40 miles from Port Royal when the winds and the waves picked up, and on our nose, again. So we bailed out to the Savannah River to anchor for the night. It took us 9 hours to get there. Any port in a storm comes to mind. We went up as far as the USCG station with another sailboat behind us, Saber Tooth, and anchored with them. It was a lot calmer in the river, and warmer. The sunset was really beautiful, and appreciated, after the rough day we had. That's Saber Tooth on the left. Really great Canadians. More on them later.

We saw a SeaTow boat pulling a red marker up stream on the river as we went in. Not a usual sight. and it was still a little rolly at times.

Next morning, after checking the weather sites again, we left heading towards St. Augustine.  Fernandina was not an option as it would have put us there in the dark if we left early, and we didn't want to leave later. So, entering the North Atlantic was a completely different world. Winds were North and light and the waves were practically non existent. What a difference!  We saw very little boat traffic during the day and none at night until we got close to Jacksonville. That is were the winds starting picking up and the waves began to build. Elden turned Soteria towards shore, as the winds were from the SW. That was a great move as the ride became much smoother. It added a few hours, but it was worth it. As for Saber Tooth, we met up with them around Jacksonville and followed them into St. Augustine. It was good to have company, and someone with radar!  We slowed down to around 5 Kts. so we didn't arrive too early.
     We entered the inlet around 6:45 am following Saber Tooth and watching the out going boats. The USCG had a warning that  Markers 4,5,& 6 were off station, or in other words, missing. There was no problem, but a tight moment when a power boat decided to pass a shrimp boat coming out. Not much room, but credit goes to the shrimper for making room for us.We had the tide with us and we surfed into St. A, doing over 7 Kts. at times.  The sunrise was great and you can see how calm the ocean was.

     We made the 7:30 opening at the Bridge of Lions and docked at St. A City Marina at 7:45 am. It took us 24 1/2 hours to travel 140 nautical miles. in landsman's terms, 161.11 statue miles. Not bad at all! We even saw Vivere, the mega yacht we first saw in Southport. they actually left the dock sideways to get to the Bridge of Lions!

     After getting the mooring ball, we went into town for a hot shower, pizza, beer and bread. Pizzalley's is the best ( and we deserved the beers!)and the Spanish Bakery has fantastic bread. It was back to the boat to crash and wait for Mike & Bejay to arrive on Tuesday before heading out for Daytona. the local pirate ship was out for an evening cruise as well.

More later as we head south to Stuart to prepare and provision for the Bahamas!