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| SHRIMP BOAT WORKING THE WATERS |
81 NM
The Quest crew was again up and at it early this morning
with St. Augustine as our day’s goal.
The skies are blue and the temperature pleasant as we weave around the
charming Jekyll Island and Cumberland.
We are lucky to see a couple of wild horses in the far distance on Cumberland. There are many theories as to their origin
but they have been known to freely roam this island fore ages.
The Cumberland Sound, known for its Kings Bay Submarine Base
that homes the Atlantic Fleet’s Trident II Submarines, did not disappoint us. The “Keep Out” signs and the vigilant patrol
boat kept us from getting too near the present submarine but the binoculars and
the camera’s zoom sure helps to bring things up close and personal.
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| GOT IT!! |
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AND JUST IN CASE WE DIDN'T "GET IT", THIS PATROL BOAT
WAS THERE TO KEEP US AT BAY |
Moving on across the St. Mary River we entered Florida
waters and made a stop for fuel in Fernandina at Port Consolidated (office--904-425-4730,
cell for Willi Flannery—904-753-4258) where prices are extremely favorable. Due to the current we had to tie up with a
starboard-to and drag the fuel hose through the pilot house to the port side
fills.
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| PORT CONSOLIDATED FUEL DOCK |
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DAN MANNING THE FUEL HOSE AND
RICHARD WATCHING THE GAUGE |
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| CHARLENE HAPPY TO BE ON THE WATER |
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| BALD EAGLE ALERT!!!! |
We were rich with glimpses of wildlife today. Dolphin would join us frequently, the lovely
White Pelicans began to line the water’s edge and Dan spotted a magnificent
Bald Eagle. Lucky us!!
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THE WHITE PELICANS TAKE FLIGHT
|
It was nice to see the waterways being used for commerce, as
they were originally intended. The tow
Sun Merchant was pushing her barge along, headed towards the Fernandina area.
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| SUN MERCHANT WORKING ON THE WATERWAYS |
As we neared the Sister’s Creek Bridge we heard chatter on
the radio of her temporary closure due to some electrical glitch. Monitoring the radio, we were happy to hear
that “all was well” as we approached and were welcomed through. These old bridges must be constantly in need
of maintenance and we do appreciate those great Bridge Tenders that assist us
boaters in managing our passages.
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| SISTER'S CREEK BRIDGE OPENS FOR THE QUEST |
Thinking we had things timed just right to pass through the
Bridge of Lyons’s 5:00 opening, we somehow realized that we had misunderstood
the printed timetable. Even though she opened
on the hour and the half hour, she does not
open at 5:00 PM due to commuter traffic.
So there we sat, so near yet so far from our destination. We were able to catch a photo of the Great
Cross erected in St. Augustine to celebrate the 400th anniversary of
the Mission of Nombre de Dios and the City of St. Augustine. It rises 208’ and weighs 70 tons.
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| THE GREAT CROSS |
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| BRIDGE OF LYONS |
Once through the bridge opening we quickly tied up, checked
in, cleaned up and headed to shore for dinner.
We decided on O.C. Whites where we encountered another couple waiting to
be seated. We chit-chatted for a bit
then ended seated near their table. As
we were both leaving, we began to talk a little and found that David and Karen
were here from Knoxville, TN and that we had met David’s mother and father in
Little Farmer’s Cay a couple of years ago.
We are looking forward to seeing Valt and Sandy on Amber Isles again this
season in the Bahamas. What a small
world!!!
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