St. Augustine, Fl to Port Royal, SC

April 16, 2015

Today in St. Augustine was cloudy and overcast with temps in the 70s, and it was the first day so far on this trip that we have elected not to move, because we are awaiting the arrival of Lou and Judy who have flown to Florida to pick up our car and take it home for us.  It was a quiet day which we used to catch up on our blog, make phone calls, clean the boat, etc.  We’re a little concerned, because despite the fact that Judy was not feeling well and was having some gastric problems, she was insistent on joining us anyway.  We kept in touch with them all day regarding their travel progress, and knew that they would not arrive until late, so we went out to dinner ourselves at “Hurricane Patty’s”, a popular indoor/outdoor restaurant on the premises of Rivers Edge marina.  It is a “happening” place with good seafood and lots of music.  Our friends finally arrived at the boat about 10:45 p.m. after having taken not only an early morning airline flight, but also having spent about twelve hours driving to Marathon from Ft. Lauderdale, and then from Marathon all the way to St. Augustine in one day.  These are true friends!

April 17, 2015

Tall Ship near The Bridge of Lions - St. Augustine, FL

 

American Cruise Line ship - "American Star"

 

Judy was feeling somewhat better this morning, and she and Pat planned to drive from St. Augustine to Fernandina today, while George and Lou moved the boat there.  “Reflection” left the dock at 7:50 a.m. in order to make the 8:30 a.m. timed opening at the Bridge of Lions, and the ladies drove to the City Park wall overlooking the St. Augustine mooring field so that they could take pictures of the boat as it came past them and headed for the bridge.  Afterwards, they found a great place for breakfast on the outskirts of town, and then headed to Fernandina for a pleasant day of shopping in this lovely southern town, followed by “lunching” on ice cream cones at one of its fudge stores. This was purely a “medicinal” measure, for after all, Judy needed something soothing for her stomach!  The men, meanwhile, travelled north with the boat on the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway for 65 miles, and arrived at Fernandina Harbor marina at 2:40 p.m., and were tied up at the same outside dock as the American Cruise Line’s ship, “American Star”. These ships are small in size with somewhat shallow drafts which allows them to explore interior rivers and waterways, and they also carry a much smaller amount of passengers than ocean-going ships. That evening we went to dinner at “Brett’s”, a popular restaurant which overlooks the water and is located right on the marina property.  This was followed by our playing “Mexican Train Dominoes” on board, which is one of our favorite and frequent pastimes on Friday nights at home.

  

April 18, 2015

Pat and Judy waiving "Goodbye" from Fernandina Beach

 

 Fort Clinch going out St, Mary's Inlet

 

St. Simon's Light coming into St. Simon's Inlet



 



Judy had a rough time overnight with more gastric distress.  This probably occurred because she had started feeling better yesterday, and possibly may have over-did it at dinner.  At any rate, she was a “trooper” again this morning, and decided that we should continue with our original plan.  So, the men pulled away from the dock at 8 a.m. for a 47 mile trip via the ocean north to Brunswick, Georgia, and after breakfast (a very light one for Judy) at the “Doo Wop Diner” on Amelia Island, the ladies drove to Brunswick, Georgia, and again did some shopping, had a walk around town, and even visited a small Farmers’ Market.  The weather was overcast, however, and some light rain began to fall as they waited to meet “Reflection” at Brunswick Landing Marina. George and Lou arrived at 12:30 p.m. and immediately had the boat filled with fuel.  Pat then headed to the marina’s laundry to do several loads of wash, and the others went out for lunch to “Tipsey McSweeney’s” in town.  We all reconvened later aboard for naps, some T.V., George’s delicious Pork Chops and Gravy dinner, and, of course, another game of “Mexican Dominoes”!

April 19, 2015



  Savannah Yacht Club at dusk

 



Sunset after the storm at the Savannah Yacht Club

 

It was still somewhat dark when ‘Reflection” left the dock at 6:30 a.m. bound for Savannah via the ocean route.  When possible, we always try to do an offshore trip around Georgia if the weather permits, because not only is it shorter, but also because we can avoid many of the tremendous tidal changes and swift currents on the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway in this area which offer a lot of potential for grounding situations. Despite the rain and thunderstorm predictions of the last several days, the sea was quite placid both yesterday and today with light and variable winds out of the south. The ladies again headed north with the car and made a stop for breakfast at a “Cracker Barrel” off of Route 95.  Judy was again feeling better, and so afterwards they headed for the new Tanger Outlets in the area which had just opened a few days before.  Unfortunately, however, they arrived too early, because the stores didn’t open that day until 11 a.m.  Undeterred, they then headed straight to the Savannah waterfront to the shops on River Street and had a wonderful time!  Meanwhile, the men also did very well, and made the 89 mile trip to the Savannah Yacht Club in 6 hours. “Reflection” was tied up at 12:30 p.m., and afterwards we all relaxed for a few hours.  Andrew and Clare Zeigler from Savannah, who we met through Lou and Judy, were due to come aboard around 4:30 p.m. for cocktails, but because thunderstorms with heavy rain were predicted, and there was also a tornado watch, we decided to meet in the Yacht Club Bar instead. The heavy rain did ensue, but when things started to clear, we then eventually headed to “Bella’s” Restaurant for a terrific Italian dinner.  Afterwards, when we returned to the Yacht Club, there was a beautiful sunset in the distance.  It was truly a great night with great friends!

 

April 20, 2015



American Cruise Line's "Independence"

 





Port Royal Landing Marina

Lou and Judy snuck quietly off the boat at 4:30 a.m. for their long car trip back to New Jersey, and we left the Savannah Yacht Club dock at 6:40 a.m. bound for the Port Royal Landing Marina in Port Royal, South Carolina. Our trip was quiet and uneventful, but the skies were still quite overcast with winds out of the southwest at 10-15 knots.  There were not many boats on the water, and the temperatures were in the 60s – not exactly what we have become accustomed to after a winter in the Florida Keys!  The only real vessel of note was the American Cruise Line’s “Independence”, which passed by us on its way south from Beaufort to Savannah.  After a trip of 46 miles we tied up at the marina at 11:40 a.m., and soon afterwards we borrowed the marina’s courtesy car (actually a truck), and headed out for a fast-food lunch, picked up a boat part at West Marine, and did some food shopping at the new Publix Supermarket on Lady’s Island. Later on, we both relaxed for the rest of the afternoon, took naps, and made use of the marina’s cable excellent T.V. service by watching some of our favorite shows, including, of course, Monday night’s “Dancing With The Stars”!