Passage Fernandina - Jekyll Harbor Marina, GA
34 SM 6.8 Engine Hours
8:41 AM Underway
9:40 AM Intercepted by the U.S. Coast Guard
10:16 AM Released from control of Coast Guard
2:24 PM Docked face dock, starboard side to Jekyll Harbor Marina

It’s never a good feeling when the Coast Guard zooms up to you, turns on their blue flashing lights and calls you on the radio. It’s very windy today. An odd day to be doing their random courtesy checks. After speaking with the Coast Guard on the radio I was instructed to follow them out of the channel. I was told to hold my position and keep my bow pointed away from the channel. Hey are you sweating yet? I was! Now there is a guy on the bow of the Coast Guard boat manning the machine gun. He wasn’t there when they first showed up. It’s a chilly day. But, now I’m really sweating. Then the Coast Guard tells me that there is a Navy Asset going to be coming down the ICW channel ( that I am now 1 mile from). The Coast Guard instructs me to stay 1 mile away as this asset passes my stern and reaffirms that I should keep my bow pointed away from the asset. The asset is escorted first by what appears to be a tug. Then two more mine sweeper looking crafts. Then the asset comes by escorted on either side with a small ship of some type. And behind the asset is a Coast Guard cutter that I am instructed to call to get permission to re-enter the channel and resume my passage.
The asset was a ballistic missile nuclear submarine coming out of Kings Bay Submarine Base. Hey they are really serious about a submarine going to sea. I don’t know if they expect terrorism or were on high alert for some other reason.

After I’m pretty sure the asset is far enough away I contact the Coast Guard cutter and they give me permission to resume my operations. All of this takes about 1 1/2 hours and puts me a mile up a channel that I have to come back down and retrace on back to the ICW.

I haven’t gone but about 1 mile ( now headed towards Kings Bay Sub base ) and another small Coast Guard boat comes by me turns around and the guy comes out to man the machine gun. They don’t call me on the radio. And, before I can call them they zoom off. The machine gun guy is now not in sight. Did I mention it was cold? And, that I am sweating? The wind is blowing about 15-20 and I’m headed into it 5 knots with the tidal current working against me. 20-25 knots of relative wind. I really would like to see Kings Bay in my rear view mirror.

No more Coast Guard encounters. And, I turn and follow the ICW away from Kings Bay. Hey, now it’s just windy and the boat is a rockn’ .

After that we had one more difficult spot. St. Andrews sound with the wind blowing 15-20 out of the N.E. and we have to go technically into the Atlantic for a short distance, then turn back toward the coast. I look on my AIS and see a boat cutting the preferred path to avoid going into the ocean. He is about 3 miles ahead of me and I give him a call on the radio to see how he is riding. It’s high tide and he said it’s certainly bouncing but not dangerous. I decide to follow his path. I call Susan on the phone and tell her to prepare for heavy seas. Over the phone I hear the wine glasses tinkling hanging in their overhead rack. The wine glasses tinkle when it’s rough. Susan straps the refrigerator shut and secures everything else. We are getting ocean swells mixed with short chop. Nothing more that 4-5’ but they are coming fast and the boat is hopping up and down like a hobby horse. I know that I’m going to have to turn 90º to port and that will put the seas hitting us broadside for about a mile. Not sure that would be a good ride or not. I elect to go a little further before turning so that the waves will hit me on the stern quarter instead of broadside. And, after the turn we were surfing some - a better ride. We finally rounded Jekyll Island and even with the strong wind the ride is smooth. We docked and went ashore for late lunch early dinner.

Every day is not calm and peaceful cruising.

Today’s picture is NOT the asset. I wasn’t sure I should take pictures after all the explicit instructions. Instead we have a nice sunset looking across the ICW from Jekyll Island.