The seasons and weather are changing. We needed to get some miles behind us, so we decided to sprint to the sunshine and warmer temperatures. We cruised 167 nautical miles from Savannah, GA to Fernandina Beach, FL in 3 days. Fernandina Beach is the northernmost city in Florida, just off the coast of Amelia Island. Once again, we skipped some destinations in Georgia that were on our list to see, but we will catch them on the way north. On the ICW at MM 714, we cruised across the Amelia River and into Florida. Cruising the ICW changes radically from Georgia to Florida moving from long, open sounds and wide rives then transforming into a series of creeks and rivers connected by narrow land cuts. The tidal range in Georgia is 6- 8 feet. This is due to the shape of the coastline in North Carolina and Florida pushing water. In Florida, we are back to normal tides. The landscape also changes from open marshes with little development to planned neighborhoods and canals where the ICW is lined with houses, mostly huge and stunning but all almost touching each other.
Segment Stats
- Savannah, GA to Rockdedundy Creek, GA
- Wednesday, November 15, 2023
- Cruising Time: 8 hours 15 minutes
- 60.3 Nautical Miles
- Route: ICW MM 583 to ICW MM 651 Skidaway River to Vernon River to North Newport River to Rockdedundy River. Planned the Ossabow Sound aka Hell’s Gate crossing with a high tide which was 13 feet. Georgia has a 8 foot tide so we would not fit during low tide.
- Anchored in Rockdedundy Creek off of the Rockdedundy River. The creek had 8 foot tide and strong currents but we held well.
- Rockdedundy Creek, GA to Fernandina Beach, FL
- Thursday, November 16, 2023
- Cruising Time: 7 hours 15 minutes
- 54.6 Nautical Miles
- Picked up a mooring ball at Fernandina Beach Marina
- Fernandina Beach, FL to St. Augustine, FL
- Friday, November 17, 2023
- Cruising Time: 7 hours 7 minutes
- 52.8 Nautical Miles
- Route: ICW MM 716 to MM 776
- Picked up a mooring ball at St. Augustine Municipal Marina in the San Marco Mooring Field, north of the Bridge of Lions.
- St. Augustine, FL to Palm Coast, FL
- Saturday, November 18, 2023
- Cruising Time: 2 hours 57 minutes
- 28.1 Nautical Miles
- Route: ICW MM 776 to MM 803 Matanzas River (dredging by Ft. Matanzas)
- Docked at Palm Coast Marina
