Wednesday, May 20
River’s Edge Marina (St. Augustine) to Sisters Creek Anchorage (Jacksonville)
36.9 NM 6.8 hours underway
Today was our first real lesson in coordinating both tide and bridge schedules—a combination that sounds simple in theory but adds just enough complexity to keep things interesting. Our target was the Bridge of Lions in St. Augustine, an iconic bascule bridge that opens on the hour and half hour… with a few exceptions. Because it runs right through the heart of town, it doesn’t open at 8 AM, 12 PM, or 6 PM—prime times for road traffic.
We had a plan to catch the 8:30 opening, aiming to leave the dock at 7:45. But the tide had other ideas.
As departure time approached, we powered up the depth sounder only to find the tide was still too low—getting off the dock would be iffy. So, we waited. And adjusted. And reminded ourselves that boating is about being flexible – Semper Gumby as Tomas likes to say.
By 8:45, we finally had enough water under us and set out for the 9:30 opening.
We’d heard the stories—strong currents pushing boats around and a not-so-patient bridge tender—so Heather had a bit of nervous energy. The goal was simple: don’t arrive too early and fight the current, but definitely don’t be late. Kevin nailed it. We idled up with about a minute to spare before the bridge opened. Perfect timing.
Seeing St. Augustine from the water gives a whole different perspective.
From there, the day settled into an easy rhythm.
As we continued north, the scenery began to shift in a way that felt almost abrupt. The dense mangroves gave way to wide-open marshes. It was fascinating—like crossing an invisible line where the landscape simply decided to change.
The waterways felt bigger, the skies wider, and the whole environment just a little more expansive.
By late afternoon, we found ourselves debating: dock or anchor?
We had the option of a free dock in Jacksonville, which always comes with the comfort of being tied up securely. But we’d also been itching to really test out the “new” anchor—and there’s something special about a quiet night on the hook.
The anchor won.
We found a protected spot tucked behind a small island, nicely shielded from the easterly winds. The anchor set beautifully on the first try, and we settled in feeling pretty confident about our choice.
Tacos for dinner. Taco Tuesday a day delayed – since we enjoyed Mediterranean yesterday.
But, the tide got the last word.
Right around the tide change, the anchor decided it was no longer interested in holding. What followed was a quick scramble—up anchor, reposition, reset. Not exactly how we planned to end the evening, but all part of the experience.
The second set held firm, and the rest of the night was calm and peaceful.
We were surrounded by the quiet sounds of nature, and even caught a glimpse of a roseate spoonbill—one of those moments you wish you could capture, but always seem to miss.
Tomorrow: we enter state number two.
And we’ve never been so excited to see Georgia!
While we’ve been adding these screenshots of birds – it occurred to us that you may not know why/how we’re doing this. We’re using an app called Merlin Bird ID – you open the app and turn on the speaker and it identifies the different birds. We thought it would be interesting to see/hear how the birds change through the journey!
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