Goodbye Florida, Hello Georgia

What can I say about the oldest diner in Florida?  Well, it was old.  Otherwise, it was pretty forgettable.

But, the company was excellent!

Saturday we cruised north again headed for Ortega Landing in Jacksonville.  About noon, we were passing the town of Glen Cove when we realized we were right into the path of an oncoming thunderstorm.  We, along with Boreas, managed to grab mooring balls for a couple hours while we rode out the storm.  It was a pretty impressive lightning and thunder show and very heavy rain for a short time.  We were glad we were not out in the St. Johns River when it passed.  My First Mate did what any good mom would do during stormy weather, whipping up tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches.  Life is good!

View from Once Around during the storm

After lunch the weather cleared, and although we knew more bad weather was coming later, we figured we could reach our destination.  We made it to Ortega just as the next storm cell approached.  A weather alert said this cell would carry 60 mph winds, so we were relieved to be tied to a dock when it hit.  It turned out the weather guys got it wrong (a first!) or we were just lucky enough not to have been in the center of it, because we saw nothing close to that.  Within an hour, we were all headed into town (walking).  The three ladies had a date with the nail salon folks. 

That left Fred, Evan and me free for…what else…a trip to West Marine which just happened to be in the same building.  Now most boaters will drop into a West Marine for no reason at all, or make one up if they have to.  In this case we had the thinnest of reasons.  Fred remembered just that day he had thought of something he needed there…he just couldn’t remember what.  After a half hour, he still couldn’t remember what, but I had spent sixty bucks!  How does that work?  Boating is fun.

Anyway, parched and exhausted from West Marine, we were lucky to find there was also a local watering hole in the same building (imagine that!), and the three of us enjoyed a couple cocktails while the ladies got all primped up.  Then we all hit the Publix supermarket for a few provisions and headed back to the boats.  Carrie and Evan grabbed a cab and a few minutes later were back at the marina with pizza for all.  By 9PM the four Loopers in the group were down for the count, but CJ and Evan took advantage of the pool and spa at the marina.  Must be nice to be young!

Evan and Carla

A beautiful sunset after the storm passed

The next morning before sunrise when I fired up Once Around, they weren’t so chipper.  But, they did manage to drag themselves up to the fly bridge as we passed through downtown Jacksonville and headed for our next stop at Fernandina Beach, on Amelia Island.  Evan (who hails from Georgia y'all remember) had vacationed on the island with his family years before.

Following Boreas through Jacksonville

The City of Fernandina Beach is one of those cool little beach towns, and the Admiral, CJ, Evan and I enjoyed the shopping, had lunch at a great little place called 29 something or other, and enjoyed the kid’s last day with us.  We topped it off with tacos on Once Around and Evan and I enjoyed cigars and bourbon on the fly bridge afterwards.  I think this guy is going to fit into the family just fine!

Monday morning at 8, the car arrived to take Carla and Evan back to Jacksonville to catch their plane back through Atlanta.  There they would visit with Evan’s mom at the airport for a few hours and return to San Diego.  We had a great week with the two kids and hated to see them go.

However, the fun never stops on the loop, and I needed to turn my attention to the inverter, which had decided to quit working during the trip from Jacksonville.  I spent much of the day in the engine room and on the phone with the Xantrex folks.  Long story short and an extra day’s stay at Fernandina Beach (and some help from Robert, the local mechanic), the repairs were complete.  Today we finally left Florida and are anchored at Cumberland Island, Georgia.  We spent four full months exploring Florida, from the Panhandle to the Keys, but it is time to move on. 

The path across Cumberland Island

The Admiral at the dunes

Miles of beautiful beach to play on



Our first look at Georgia was the National Park at Cumberland Island.  We enjoyed the hiking and the beach.  At first sight of the beach my First Mate said, “Oh, would Ben (our grandson and beach fanatic) ever like this place!”