May 7, 2014

We departed St Augustine with a planned full day destination of Fernandina Beach, Fl or Cumberland Island, Ga. Tidal currents seemed to have other plans from the get-go. Temps were mid 80F to 90F and humidity Florida style.

It was close to 1500 hrs as we crossed the St Johns River and headed into Sisters Creek. We noticed that the Jim King Park Courtesy Dock was empty so we stopped short for the day. We have never stopped at this location and were pleasantly surprised. The dock has city water, bathrooms, trash/recycling and a long floating dock with room for several boats. By nightfall, we were still the only boat there. The best part is it's free.

Since we stopped early, I decided to tackle the alternator problem. It seems to be charging, but not a lot. I suspected maybe the brushes were worn down and needed replacing. I pulled it off and disassembled it and found one brush seemed shorter than the other one. The spring tension also seemed less on that brush. I cleaned the slip rings and did all the VOM tests I could remember from my old electrician days, but I could find no other problems. Reassembled, reinstalled, and tested. It seems OK, but I suspect the problem will be back. I’ll try for brushes at the next place where we are near a NAPA auto part store.
 

As we were celebrating Happy Hour, a gentleman came down the dock and introduced himself as the “self-appointed unofficial greeter” for the dock facility. He presented us with gifts, proceeded to tell us all about the facilities, and offered to assist us with transportation to stores, etc. No surprise to find out he was a sailboater just “paying it forward”. Our conversation with him was a real treat.

Start: 0730

Stop: 1500
Location: Jim King Park Courtesy Dock, Jacksonville, FL
Distance Traveled: 40 miles
Avg Speed: 5.5 mph