Mike and Beth's Adventures

Fernandina Beach  March 27th-29th, 2022  Fernandina is a vibrant, cute Florida beach town with hints of Carmel.  The main street businesses  are prosperous and designed to lure you in with promises, of food, drink, art, ice cream, t-shirts, and other trappings of towns whose allure beckons people to visit.  It delivers on its promise. Mike along the waterfront It is also the last bastion of the quintessential Florida Beach.  Once you travel north a few miles, into Georgia, you will no longer find beaches that stretch on for miles, begging to be walked, while the waves run out around your ankles.   Mike and Beth Enjoy Florida's Northern Most Beach We gave in to temptation and beach walked while visiting friends from Santa Rosa that relocated to Amelia Island.  They have a lovely home in an established neighborhood.  They are surrounded by trees draped in Spanish moss and eagles keep watch from the top of coastal fir trees.  Fernandin...

Amy Marie at the Palatka Free Public Dock  March 25th & 26th, 2022   Palatka is home to the Azalea Festival, one of the oldest in Florida.  It is also a slice of Old Florida, with historic houses flanking the river front.  In the center, jutting from shore, is the free city dock. Only two other boats occupied slips.  We chose a slip that kept our bow pointed into the strong afternoon wind.  A friendly fellow came over to help with our lines.  Turns out he was a young fellow who lived on a sailboat anchored just offshore.   The "Katie B" arrives in Palatka As we were getting settled, we saw some friends of our arrive in a 47’ Great Harbor.  They docked at the nearby marina. We texted and arranged to meet for dinner at a local Italian restaurant called, “Pizza Boys”.  To get there we walked through downtown on St. John’s Street.  Sadly, there were many closed storefronts.  The buildings look sound, but there was limite...

Cruising Dead River near Hontoon State Park Great Loop:  Hontoon State Park – Jungle Cruise March 22 nd , 2022 It all began with a conversation on the dock.  We stopped to talk with a fellow on a Rosborough trailerable trawler.  He is retired and volunteering for a couple of months at Hontoon State Park on the St. John’s River.  As we always do, we made his acquaintance and inquired  about what fun or interesting things there are to do locally.  Mast is in the Down Position The conversation ended with “Can you get your air draft down to 10’ or less, I’m taking family out for a cruise around Hontoon Island tomorrow, would you are welcome to follow along?”  “We’ll be following a dead branch of the St. John’s River and it’s full of wildlife.” Why a 10’ air draft I asked.  Well for the overhanging trees was the reply.  Our Ranger Tug, being trailerable, has a fold down mast.  We can reduce our air draft to 9’.  We were in! We foll...