A New Begining: Florida

 After two days anchored at Ossabaw island, I had the weather to head south for Fernandina Florida, only a 66 mile run that I would attempt to complete in daylight. I hate coming into a new port, or any port after dark. This trip adds up to averaging 6.6 knots for 10 hours, difficult! To improve my odds I would get up early and follow my GPS track out of my anchorage so no need to see much. I was up at 4am and hauling the anchor at 0515 and was sailing south by 0620. I choose this day and time because of the wind, and it delivered, and maybe a little extra. 

   

   I started out with all of my flags a flying, staysail included on a beam reach, the wind directly perpendicular to the boat. A great point of sail, it's fast, the boat can handle a lot of wind because it isn't increasing the apparent wind like sailing up wind and better than a run because the waves are not rolling you as long as there is steady pressure on the sails. There was, and then more, I rolled in the jib. Then more an I took in the first reef. Then more and I went to the second reef on the mainsail and yet I continued on at the average 6.6 knots I needed.

    If you compare this to the picture above you will see just the staysail, no jib and you can see the rolls of sail on the boom from having two reefs in along with the bow wave churning. I didn't get a good picture of the wave spray coming over the windward side because I was holding on, ducking and my phone didn't need a saltwater bath. Anecdotally, I noticed later while I was cleaning the windows, there is a skylight so I can see the mast head wind pointer, I went to clean the top but found the dried salt was on the inside directly above the helm. Luckily I wasn't hand steering, I was staying dry tucked behind the dodger you see in the pictures above. The entire boat was covered in a visible layer of salt the next day. 

    As you can see in the picture above, the sun is setting as I pass Fort Clinch at the entry of the bay at Fernandina Beach Florida. I made it to harbor before dark, I made it to Florida eleven days after leaving Gloucester Point, Virginia, I cried. I wept tears of joy for this milestone. It wasn't the eleven days, it was the bigger effort to find a boat, make it sea worthy, quit a great job, get the help I needed to overcome obstacles that I wasn't sure how to, to navigate coast I was unfamiliar with and head south. Being in Florida seemed like the first finish line I had crossed. That ten hour sail in 25 knots was a capstone, and Florida a new beginning. 

   The only problem with this milestone was that it was still cold! As you can see above, four layers and water proof clothes are not what you expect when sailing Florida; but what can you do? Go further south!

   First I need to rest and decide what to do with the even worse weather on the way. I needed some supplies, do some laundry and get more propane! Fernandina is another wonderful town on the ICW, the city dock marina is great, moorings are cheep and allow you to use the showers and laundry. Saturday there is a farmers market which had everything I needed, a great stop! But, it was too cold to hit up the oldest bar in Florida for some live music on a Friday night, I just didn't have it in me to do that dinghy ride both ways in the cold in the darkness! All well, I'll get there next time I'm in town.