Day #269 – Fernandina Beach (Amelia Island), FL

This was a beautiful day to go out and walk around the little historic downtown Fernandina Beach area.   It is a town rich in history.  Known as the “Isle of 8 Flags”, it has flown the following flags since 1562: France, Spain, Great Britain, Spain (again), the Patriots of Amelia Island, the Green Cross of Florida, Mexico, the Confederate States of America, and the United States. It is the only municipality in the United States that has flown eight different national flags.

As you walk the street, there are many art galleries and shops.

If you peek down the areas between buildings and there are beautifully decorated courtyards as well as little bistros and coffee stops.

Even some of the commercial buildings in town are historic, such as the post office.

and this insurance agency which used to be the railroad station.

This beautiful old hotel was built in 1857.

Patti and I not only walked through town, but up and down their 6th Street and their residential areas. They are lined with beautifully maintained historic homes.

And my favorite…

We walked back to the marina and found the Captains deep in discussion.

We went into town for dinner at The Marina restaurant.  Dinner was fair, but we were treated to a wonderful sunset while walking back to the boat.

For the final thought of the day on our last night in Florida…

Day #268 – Fernandina Beach (Amelia Island), FL

We left beautiful St. Augustine this morning as the sun was rising and Bob helped us off with our lines.

We passed under the infamous Bridge of Lions and hope to see it when it is completed.

A last minute decision was made to leave the ICW and travel outside in the Atlantic today.  The ocean is unbelievably calm and we are glad we decided to travel this route.

The ICW is very shallow and there is considerable shoaling in this area and the tides are huge.  Because of the phase of the moon, the tides swings are seven and a half feet.  That is a lot of tide to consider when you are boating.

We are definitely heading north now as the compass shows.

Fernandina Beach (Amelia Island) will be our last stop in Florida.  I decided to do a little reflection of our time spent in this beautiful state.

Our first stop in Pensacola, Florida was on November 13, 2008. From that day we have  enjoyed 101 days here, traveled 1,344 miles and 185 hours.  We have stayed in 29 different ports and the weather has been stupendous.  We have loved every minute.  We also toured the Abacos traveling 533 miles and 55 hours.  We cannot imagine a better way to spend five and a half months.

Shrimp boats are everywhere as you approach Fernandina Beach.  As we looked off the bow of the boat at one point we counted fifteen in sight.

We were sad to say good bye to Deb and Bob.  We always enjoy our time together and hope to do it again soon.  Today we look forward to getting back together with Patti and Brad.  They have been off Salvage Crew for two weeks as they went home for a visit with family.  We look forward to exploring and discovering Fernandina Beach and Amelia Island with them.

Patti and Brad even bought a bottle of champagne for the reunion!