Fernandina - at anchor

Perhaps not artistic but beautiful to the eyes of a cruiser - a dredge

We had stayed an extra day at Harbortown in order to start getting in sync with the high tides for the thin places. Today was the first test with lots of shallow spots between Jacksonville and Fernandina. As it turned out we would have made it through even at low tide but the extra depth from high tides certainly keeps the jitters down.

When in Fernandina - get styled

The hardest spot to figure out comes just south of Fernandina. The middle of the channel almost drys out at low tide and there are channels on either side but they shift due to the 2 to 3 kt currents produced by the tides here. We have a route mapped out and refined over the last five years and so we made it through without a problem today. I always update Active Captain with my latest findings on the best routes.

Fernandina is one of Ann's favorite places due to a great hair salon and the farmers market on Saturday morning. That's not to mention Pepper's the Mexican restaurant with great margaritas. So on Saturday morning, we'll pick up fresh vegetables at the farmers market and then set out for the Jekyll Island anchorage. After that its some serious northing, moving every day governed by the weather.