10/08/09 through 11/06/09
Fernandina Beach FL
30°24′04″N 81°16′27″W / 30.4010°N 81.2742°WWe spent four weeks in Fernandina so I have a lot to tell ya’ll about Fernandina Beach Florida so grab a comfy chair or pillow and take a few moments to experience my awesome experience in this great lovely town on Amelia Island in the most north east part of Florida.
Well we got up to the dock at 3am in the morning. We almost pulled up to the wrong dock, it was dark, and in the daylight the dock we almost tied off to was an old old fishing dock, in poor shape. When we tied off, I jumped onto the right dock and hugged it, and exclaimed “LAND! We had been out to sea for a good 20 hours, and the swells were huge (at least 8-10 foot swells) and building. Coming in through the channel markers in the inlet felt like we were sailing down a run way.
In the morning we were assigned our home for four weeks, pier 3 slip 47. We had to wait for high tide to get into our slip because the tide was six feet and at low tide in our slip we would be sitting in the mud.
We found a shop similar to Phil’s 550 Store, had fresh fish, shrimp, and ting (a Caribbean drink, grapefruit juice with carbonation, yum yum).
There were a few friendly characters that worked there and lots of other random things and trinkets just like shopping at Phil’s 550. It is called Atlantic Seafood, and the owner could have been Phil’s long long lost brother.
We had many great Neighbors, all whom I wish to keep in contact with.
While walking around town to get a feel for the place on that first day, we came across a sweet VMW van, all painted up in 60’s-70’s fashion, and parked in a bar driveway,. The bar was called the Green Turtle. We went there a lot after discovering the place.
Very friendly folks, a local joint. They also had a lot of live music, and good food.
After going about TWO months without hearing good live music, these men, Dan and John, were a sight for sore ears. They played at the Turtle on a regular basis, thus we all became good friends.
Really, I made many friends in Fernandina Beach, some were locals who worked at Atlantic Sea food, some were musicians who played in Fernandina Beach, and some were just locals. They all treated us just the same as we would back in Marquette, with open arms and willingness to show anyone what their town has to offer.
Like I said, we spent four weeks in Fernandina Beach.
found on the "tour da town event"
Pipi Longstockings House in Olde Town Fernandina, this house was painted over, because iin the movie it was multi colored. "Tour da town"
On my "tour da town" I found this sign!
Kayaking
I got a chance to go Kayaking on Amelia River, It was very fun.
Sean, my trusty tour guide, wanted to take me to Kingsley Plantation The Kingsley Plantation is an old plantation, and according to Sean, the plantation owner had a African American wife that was very well educated, once a slave. But the owner went off the NYC to do some business and died, and the wife inherited the plantation. It is a plantation where slaves were not abused or treated poorly, in fact many slaves had wished and dreampt of working on the Kingsley Plantation. We could however not quite make it there, even in sea kayaks, the wind and tidal currents were too strong, we were practically going backwards. He decided to show me some dunes instead.
Sean, my tour guide, pointing to The Kinsley Plantation
Shots of the dunes we explored, small dunes hey? nothing compared to the ones in the Grand AuSable Dunes by the Log Slide in Grand Marais MI.
HI EVERYONE
Because of the full moon, the neap tides were either very high or very low and stinky; so on our way back to the kayak place, we saw many canoes being portaged up the river sometimes in the mud, and lots of small craft fishing boats sitting in the mud, waiting for the tide to come back up.
Fort Clinch State Park
A map of Fort Clintch.
Enlisted mens Barracks
Officers Kitchen
Curtain wall, scarp and outer wall/dry ditch on west corner of fort
A peek inside the Storehouse/Dispensory
Looking north east from one of the Curtain walls
An old blue print of the fort.
Dan (yep the mandolin and guitar player from the Turtle) standing in the stairway of the East Bastion.
Dan standing out side of the solitary cell in the prison/guardhouse.
LOOK pirates! BLAST UM!
1847-1945 Fort Clinch was built at the mouth of the St. Mary’s River. It was constructed for the use of protection of coastal interior shipping, and to defend the deep water port of Fernandina.
The park itself was neat, with many hiking and biking trails along with a few camp grounds.
The Isle of 8 Flags
Starting in 1562 with Jean Ribault’s landing on the Island (previously inhabited by Native Americans, associated with the Timucuan mound-building culture) The Island is known as the Island of 8 Flags.
1. The French Flag. The French settled on the Island from 1562 to 1565.
2. The Spanish Flag. After slaughtering Jean Ribault and driving the French off the Island and that northeast section of Florida, they settle there from 1565 to 1763.
3. The British Flag. After Britain’s victory of the Seven Years War, Florida was ceded to the Brits from the Spanish giving them Havana. The British then flew their colors from 1763 to 1783.
4. North Americans Patriot Flag. Insurgents known as the "Patriots of Amelia Island" filch the island from the Brits and flew the Patriot flag in the year 1812.
5. Latin American Patriots' Green Cross of Florida Flag. Scottish-born South American freedom fighter, Gregor MacGregor and 55 wild musketeers attack and seize the fort which the Spanish built, Fort San Carlos, and claimed the island on the behalf of "the brethren of Mexico, Buenos Ayres, New Grenada and Venezuela. All in the Year of 1817.
6. The Mexican Rebel Flag. Spanish soldiers force MacGregor off the island, and did not stay very long on the island in the year 1817.
7 and 8. The United States Flag and the Confederate Flags. The Untied States had there up first, Then Confederate soldiers attacked and flew their colors for a year in 1862, then the United States gained control and are still waving our flag.
Hmm what else about Fernandina Beach and Amelia Island.
Well, Amelia Island was named after King Georges Daughter, and it is 13 miles long, and 4 miles wide at its widest point. It also is a barrier island along the chain of islands on the east coast, there for being formed during the last glaciation and changing sea levels. I'm sure i'll think of more stuff to add at a later date, BUT if you become one of my followers, they (the blogging people) will notify you when such updates happen, or you can just check back when your bored.)
Now I would like to take some time to recognize a man who made a big impression on my life and my journey.
I knew him as Mac. Some called him Capt. Mac. He had a stick boat at the end of our pier and he always had music blaring from his sailboat always said hi when I walked by, and always seemed to be working on some project. I had many beverages with him at the Green Turtle and some late night discussions with him and the few other brave neighbors on pier 3 who stayed up till wee hours of the night. He sold many things to make money, and was somewhat of a music band agent for the local talent. He mostly sold t-shirts that said some things I’m not comfortable to post on this blog, and one design was meant to honor the BIG football game that attracts many people to the area, the big Florida vs. Georgia game. He was a good salty sailor, and such a friggin character.
At Mac's farewell at the Turtle, His parents are the ones in the upper left corner. We all got a Halloween Showdown Florida vs. Georgia t-shirt. HERE"S TO MAC
One early Sunday, night after Halloween, Mac brought us some coffee and a paper to the boat, and we invited him to came back later for some conversation and beverages on our boat. The last time I saw Mac, he looked happy as could be, getting his dingy ready to go to someones boat on a mooring ball and give them sailing lessons, he was pumping out his dingy, and said “it’s Miss Amelia Island (I made an Amelia Island costume for Halloween), have a good afternoon.” Then news came just as fast as the fire trucks, paramedics and police surrounding the marina, that someone had fallen in the water and a 20-25 minute CPR session followed with several AED treatments, the person, Mac, didn’t make it. . Mac had a heart attack; he fell in the water, and was gone before he hit the water. Rest in peace Mac, I believe because he was such a salty sailor, he wouldn’t have been happy dying on land, water is where he belongs.
Macs Boat
Now for the not so serious side of Fernandina Beach, some shots for your eyes!
I went into Jacksonville Beach FL with some locals to catch a concert (about a 30-45 minute drive from FB depending on if the Ferry is running or not) And i got to see the Dirty Dozen Brass band at the Freebird. It was amazing, my friends feet and mine were very sore from dancing the next day.
to pass the time at work
I would join in with the guys who worked at Atlantic Seafood, and we would take the ole eight iron and blast all the dead blue crab off the dock. If you hit Mac's boat directly across from the dock, you'd have to clean it and pay him to clean his boat. Can't let the poor dead crabs go completely to waste........right?
Oh Felix, you awesome dude!
Felix, he sells crackerjacks, plantines, oranges, boiled peanuts and news papers and donates the money to charity. So one day a stupid tourist got all on his case, and got all legalistic, and tried to stop felix. The town a Fernandina Beach stood behind Felix and told the tourist to show it and his ways. they wrote tons of articles about Felix, and he is a town hero. he is a little slow, was told he could never walk or talk and he can do both now, he is also a bad ass harmonica player too! I love you Felix!
Haili (he sailed his 36 boat up from St. Augustine by his self and was anchored out in Fernandina to get repair work done so he could sail to Jamaica mon.) He sang a song at the Palace, with the Monday night reggae band.
The lead and bass player for the reggae band.
Us (John, me and Dan) hanging out at reggae night!
My new friend, this picture is sad though, cause he usually had a kitten following him around and i never did see the kitten again. My friend Robert remarked on this thought, and said that were a bunch of Chinese Restaurants in town. :(
My sleeping quarters for a few weeks.
HURRY UP AND TAKE THE PICTURE THIS IS A HEAVY BOAT!!!! We had to get hauled out for an out of water insurance survey. 16 ton, 39 ft long, 11 ft wide, 56 ft height clearance and 5.9 ft of draft.
In honor of my "hand make from scratch Halloween costume the day before the festivities, I decided to be Amelia Island. I love maps anyways. Please take note that I'm wearing May Port Nike's. White boots that ALL the cool fisherman and Fish dock folks wear. I just had to have a pair, and one day, there they were a gift from an anonymous friend, I know who you are :).
I also found time to carve a pumpkin, I put it on the bow sprit for the whole pier to see.
fiddling session on Knot-a-Lot
Good Bye Fernandina Beach, may I visit you again! Thank you for the great times!
fishing and wishing
ok, this guy did the limbo under a stick which was placed on two beer bottles, he went under it with a two year old in his arms, and made it!
buying some fresh blue lobster tail, dockside!
on a bike ride threw the village, we met some salty fisher men cleaning fish
the "we crossed the stream(gulf stream) an hour ago" crew
me and a real live Bohemian
a view of one of the streets on the good part of town
an old church
feeding the sharks some dead birds
