We departed St Augustine marina and caught the 0730 opening of the Bridge of Lions. The plan is to make it to Cumberland Island and anchor. We are 3 hours into the incoming tide and it pushes us along nicely. Winds are 15+ and gusting so sailing in the really narrow stretches is next to impossible. When we did rollout the jib we recorded a top speed of 10.8 mph. Things get real breezy in the afternoon. Winds are out of the West or Southwest 20-25 with higher gusts. The wind is pushing water out and we encounter lots of areas with less than MLW. Ran aground dead middle of the channel in Sisters Creek, but was able to back off and “feel” our way through on the extreme starboard edge of the channel.
Weather for the evening now calling for winds from the Southwest at 20+ gusting to 30 mph. Cumberland anchorage is really exposed to the southwest so Donna started searching for another anchorage or marina. She found a mooring available at Fernandina Beach so we decided to stop there.
With the wind howling and the tide coming in it was pretty choppy in the mooring field. With Donna at the helm and me on the bow, we managed to snag the ball on the first approach. Amazing!! Arrival time 1715 hrs, total running time 9.5 hours and a distance of 62 miles.
Location: Fernandina Beach moorings at MM 717. Boat distance traveled, 62 miles. Time in actual transit, 9.5 hours. Top speed 10.8 mph, average speed 6.5 mph
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