11/12/22

 Who would have guessed we had to worry about a possible hurricane when arriving in Jacksonville, FL in November!  I guess hurricane season is not officially over until the end of November.  

It seemed most prudent to stay anchored behind Blount Island off the St. John's River near Jacksonville when we heard of the tropical storm that was forming in the Caribbean.  We had good protection from the NE winds which were supposed to be quite brisk for a few days ahead of the storm's arrival.  The first few days anchored here we dinghied to shore and enjoyed walking a several miles each day.  The sun was out and the weather warm.  Nice!  Our friends Ralph and Leslie from Now and Zen live on their catamaran near here and came by car to meet us for lunch.

Lunch at Palms Fish Camp with Leslie and Ralph

We took the bimini off the frame and made sure everything else on deck was put away or tied down.  We've been anchored in 60 knot winds before and even had a gust one time to 90 in the Chesapeake but never a storm with a name!  Our spare anchor, our Fortress aluminum anchor, was put together and on deck just in case we needed it. 

And then the wind started to pick up, Tropical Storm Nicole had formed turning into a hurricane as it reached the coast of south Florida on Wednesday.  There were only 4 other boats anchored nearby - lots of room so everyone had plenty of room to swing with the current and wind.

 3 days of wind in the 20 - 30 knot range with gusts to 40.  Lots of rain!  

We stayed onboard and worked on projects, played backgammon, read books and kept an eye on the weather forecast and conditions.  And then it was over.  Jerry took advantage of the rain that had collected in the dinghy to do his laundry!  

Jerry collects about 30 gallons of water in the buckets from the dinghy.

We had company!  Conor and Stephanie & dog Toby (who live here in Jacksonville) and Brandon and Dustyn (who are anchored next to us right now) came out for dinner aboard Persephone.  What a wonderful evening!  Lots of reminiscing about our time together during the beginning of Covid when we were all "isolated" in the Ragged Islands and lots of catching up since we last got together.  Nice!

Brandon and Dustyn sail "Ada" into the anchorage at Blounts Island.

  

Let's go back to the Ragged Islands!

Dinner aboard Persephone

Now we're ready for the next passage - a short hop from Jacksonville to Ft. Pierce!  You can follow our progress on the SPOT GPS (Thanks again Brian!) starting late Saturday or early Sunday.  Should be about a 36 hour sail.

Karen & Jerry

PS - Happy Birthday Dad!  83 tomorrow on the 13th!