FLORIDA

Dropped the hook just over the Florida border about 3 miles past Fernandina Beach. Lots of powering through these waters. Tom was listening to the radio when someone came on saying " I am the southbound trawler on your stern. I 'd like to pass you to your port side. " The sailboat he wanted to pass replied that "in these waters we are all trawlers . Some of us just have sticks. " The way has been so narrow and winding, with so much shoaling that we haven't had the sail up in days . Fernandina Beach is a great place ashore, fun and friendly. But as you first sail over the border all that comes into view are industrial works and barges. It is not what comes to mind when we think Florida. The tides here are still pretty big and we nearly ran aground following a tug and barge down the channel at low tide. I blithely thought that if he could go there so could we. I guess a tug has enough power to make his own channel! As night began to fall we were in the Amelia river. This was a pretty anchorage with good holding but very narrow. We were too close to shore to put out enough anchor line. When the tide and wind came up before we went to bed, Tom had to put out a lot more scope. Then he needed to reel all that line in at about 3 AM so we wouldn't end up on the shore at low tide. We opted to leave that anchorage early before we had to go through the drill again!