Tomorrow we enter our 4th week here at Fernandina awaiting our transmission repairs. It has been chilly here a few days as the cold fronts blow through, but at least we are in Florida and have missed the two snowstorms that have passed through Yorktown. We are moored in a fairly protected creek and have shorepower so we have heat that keeps the boat comfortable as long as outside temps are above 40deg. We have only had 2 nights when it dropped below that and we have the electric blanket to sleep under so are quite toasty. We've only had 2 days of rain in the 3 weeks where we had to stay onboard, otherwise we walk Rivah each morning, then walk to town most days. We also have walked through Fort Clinch park a couple times.
Most days the sun has been out and the enclosed cockpit warms up into the 60s so its comfortable with a sweatshirt on. Rivah moves around to ensure she is laying in the sun.
Just up the street from our dock is the house that was used in the movie Pippy Longstocking, where Pippy used to sit in the attic cupola and watch for ships to arrive. This house sits over the Amelia River with a good view of the ships coming into the harbor. It was recently purchased and restored and now is valued at over $1M.
Downtown is very well maintained and restored, probably the best we have seen along the East Coast. If it wasn't for the two large paper mill and cellulose mills that pollute the air downwind, it would be fully ideal. But we have found our favorite coffee shop with free wifi and craft brewery with fantastic pizza and hamburgers. Yesterday we found the Fish Shak that had superb food at reasonable prices. We are going to be sad to depart.
Yesterday we walked down to the Amelia Lighthouse, which turns out to be the most western lighthouse on the East Coast (because Florida bends in so far up here on the FL/GA border).
Today we walked on past the lighthouse to Fort Clinch park and out to the beach, then around the entire north end of the island back to our boat on the NW tip. Altogether a 12.5 mile walk. We are certainly getting our exercise in while we sit and wait for repairs her.
It's no problem walking 5 miles to town for a coffee or beer, but we are not walking that far to do the laundry. That still gets done onboard in a 3gal bucket. With all that walking we go through shirts, socks and underwear every day.
So we been stranded here for over 3 weeks now, but aren't complaining. Its been cool, but no snow. Meanwhile the Bahamas have had the same 3 cold fronts blow through with dangerously strong winds so we are grateful we haven't gotten there yet. Hopefully Feb and Mar weather will be milder there. Looks like we will be getting out of here later this week and back on our trek south towards Miami. Fingers crossed - but happy to hang out here for awhile.
