FL: Marineland to Jacksonville Free Dock

Sunday 4/1/2018
Depart: Marineland Marina 10:10
Arrive: Jacksonville Free Dock 4:30
Distance: 50 nm

We woke to fog and a damp chill in the air. With a 50 nm trip planned for today, we wanted to leave early. However, we also wanted to see what the Farmer's Market had to offer in the way of vegetables. Unfortunately, the Farmer's Market did not open until 10:00. We got all prepped to pull in our lines, visited the market, grabbed a bunch of veggies, and took off shortly after.

We left Marineland with a heavy fog in the air and poor visibility for waterway markers. Fortunately, the fog lifted along the way and made boat navigation easier.

Leaving the fog behind!

When we passed St. Augustine, we had good visibility to see the sights.

St. Augustine "Bridge of Lions"

Fort at St. Augustine

We arrived at the park with free docking where we stayed on our way into Florida in November. Once again we docked on Sisters Creek. When we arrived at the dock, we found a space large enough to accommodate us. However, several people has positioned themselves and all their fishing paraphernalia on that section of the dock. As they saw that we wanted to dock there, they quickly gathered up their items and then positioned themselves to assist us with docking.

Having made a last minute decision to dock port side instead of on starboard, I had to scurry to move lines and fenders. With four lines and at least two fenders to move, it takes time. Unfortunately, Clark assumed I was ready when I still needed to get one more fender in place, so we landed a bit harder than either of us would prefer. As soon as we got close to the dock, the "helpers" immediately started grabbing the lines I had out. Very quickly we were tied up tight and secure for the night.

Clark met the neighbors on a boat named Beatrice. I, on the other hand, stayed on board to relax and read. I did not get off the boat once after we landed.

As usual, Clark watched for the sunset and snagged a couple of pictures for the blog.