Against the Wind, Part I
10 April 2010 | Fort Frederica
We left Fernandina Saturday morning after a quick trip to the Farmer's Market for fresh bread and veggies. Murphy scored some gourmet dog biscuits so he was exceptionally happy. His buddy Joanne, from Tropical Breeze, continues to spoil him with biscuits and such. She is rapidly becoming his best buddy.
We elected to take the inside route this time as 15-20kt NE winds did not sound like too much fun on the outside. They weren't too much fun on the inside either. The sounds were surprisingly benign, but the going was slow against the combined effects of wind and current. With the ICW, the current is always against you at one time or another. You may approach a sound with the current, but invariably as you turn the corner to go back into the ICW, the current and if your lucky like us, the wind as well, will be against you. However, with blue skies and at least only moderate wave action, who can complain.
We pulled into the Frederica River late in the day and motored up to one of our favorite anchorages, near the old fort. The Park Service is in the process of replacing the dock so although it is not complete, at least Murphy didn't have to walk the plank like he did in the fall. Tropical Breeze invited us over for dinner and we enjoyed a great meal and a rousing game of "Shut the Box". It's a traditional dice game of sailors that Dave picked up somewhere in his travels. I think we needed more rum to really get in the right mood!