Yesterday as we traveled from Savannah to our planned stop at Amelia Island Florida, we were struck by the extensive and continued damage along the ICW from Hurricane Matthew. Boats aground, docks destroyed, and floating debris throughout.
None the less, it was a good day on the water, that is, until we reached Amelia Island and realized that the marina entrance was not only very narrow, but extremely shallow at low tide. In fact, had we stopped there, we would have had to wait until almost noon the next day in order to exit the marina basin.
So I called ahead to other marinas along the route and further south, only to find that they were fully booked or closed due to storm damage. We were running out of options quickly and starting to consider where we might anchor out for the night. At the last moment, I re-called Beach Marina in Jacksonville Beach who said they could now take us due to a cancellation. Only problem was, their entrance was also relatively shallow and we would have to depart at "first light" in order to get out before low tide. And so we did.
Early this morning, and I do mean early, we left Jacksonville Beach with just 18 inches under the bottom of hull and headed back into the ICW. It was none the less a great day, filled with dolphins in our bow wake, palm trees lining the shore and sunshine overhead. It felt good to be back in Florida. Some six hours later and 100 miles, we arrived in New Smyrna Beach in time to enjoy the afternoon sunshine and breeze, a casual dinner at Outriggers, not to mention an early night to bed!!
Just be happy it wasn't 41 degrees when you rose for your early morning. Can't say the same in the northeast. Looks like your making great time despite lots of variables - continue to enjoy!
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