The Kingsley Plantation to Jacksonville
Trip Start
Jul 21, 2001
1
32
45
Trip End
Apr 22, 2002
Jacksonville,
Florida,
United States
Friday, November 23, 2001
We stayed at the docks until check out time at noon in order to enjoy this beautiful island and with the hope that the wind would moderate a little. The reason for the second was the warning in the cruising guide: "The ICW passage through St. Andrew Sound is one of the most dreaded sections of the entire Atlantic Intercoastal Waterway from Norfolk to Miami. When wind and tide oppose one another, this passage can be truly daunting." Yes, those were exactly the conditions we were going out into.
There is a protected passageway but it is 15 miles long. Instead, we decided to attempt the much shorter passage which took us out into the Atlantic Ocean for a time. 15 knot winds punching against the tidal flow made for some big seas but we were fine and considered it as a rather tame run after our experiences to date. Later in the day, we watched a well constructed 40 foot sailboat come out of the protected passage waterway. Margaret looked over at their boat and said quietly "CHICKEN". I couldn't believe her expression and how nonchalantly she and the cats handled the passage . It just shows how much this trip has increased our confidence in the boat and in our abilities to handle adverse weather. When we think back to the days in the North Channel when we stayed put because it "looks too rough out there" we just smile. That's not to say either of us like rough weather but, within reason, it doesn't deter us when we wish to go somewhere.
Nov. 18
We anchored in the middle of Crooked River just off the ICW at mile 704. The Florida border is at mile 713 but we stayed put in the morning because the fog was so thick. We hoped that when we finally left, we would see in the distance the US submarine base at King's Bay off the ICW at mile 708. Six nuclear subs use this base and I had a picture another boat took of a passing submarine half showing above the surface as it entered Cumberland Sound. Maybe we would be that lucky.
The fog lifted just enough to convince us to try the passage as we truly wanted to cross into Florida that day. The fog was so thick that we never did see the submarine base but finally we passed Buoy#35 at the mouth of the St. Mary's River. This is Florida's northern boundary and at approximately 12:30, we entered Florida waters. Wow. It had taken us four months to travel this far. In the 1970's, we had driven to Florida in four days but then we didn't have to take our home along with us.
The cruise guides all say that when one finally arrives in Florida, it instantly feels 10 degrees warmer. In celebration of our arrival, we donned T shirts and shorts in the coolness of the fog. About an hour later, the sun came out, burned away the fog and yes it was 10 degrees warmer. :-)
We have arrived!!!
Nov. 19
When you drive to Florida they have a nice welcome booth as you cross the state line where they give out free orange juice. After days of traveling through miles of unpopulated marshes, we were greeted with the huge pulp mills of Fernandina and a commercial big-ship dock with several freighters and container ships tied up and no WELCOME BOATERS sign. Oh well, who cares, we had arrived in the sunshine state. Life is good.
We were invited to meet with friends of Bob Laird, who had sailed with us in the North Channel many years ago and with whom we have kept in touch ever since. We saw the Amelia Island Marina where we said we might stay but it had turned into such a nice day that, with the tide with us, we decided to keep going and take advantage of an anchorage off a spot of the chart labeled Amelia City. When we got there we found the city was inland of the ICW and the anchorage was a large open area with little protection. Since going back meant fighting the tide we decided to pass up Scott and Lisa Inglis kind offer to helping us with shopping etc. and we cruised onward, enjoying the boost from the tide until we
finally anchored in Fort George River. We were tired from the constant traveling since Beaufort,SC and decided to actually spend two nights in the same spot.
Nov. 20 In the morning, we moved up river and anchored off Florida's oldest plantation. The Kingsley Plantation, dating back to 1798, is looked after by the National Park Service. We felt quite special to be anchored in front of such an historic plantation and in such a beautiful location.
The residence, kitchen house, barn/stable and the ruins of 23 slave houses are open for viewing. I took the dingy ashore, tied it up with a very long line as the tide changes 7 feet in this area. The guide warns about walking the grounds only to return and find the dingy you carefully beached to have floated far away.
This plantation produced Sea Island cotton, citrus, sugar cane and indigo. Although it was a slave plantation and he was a slave owner, Zephaniah Kingsley was against the cruel practices of the time and, in 1828, published A Treatise on ... Slavery in which he stated Power may for a while
triumph over weakness and misfortune. But as all nature takes part with weakness against power, the re-action finally must be terrible and overwhelming. To escape what Kingsley called a spirit of intolerant prejudice he moved to Haiti with his wife, Anna Madgigine Jai, a slave he had originally purchased, and their family. In Haiti, he established a colony for his family and some of his former slaves whom he had freed. A number of the freed slaves from this plantation went on to make their mark in history and many of their stories are just now being published and used in area schools.
That day a Grade six class was touring the plantation and they were told that the Plantation symbolizes a time and a place in history but more than that it represents people, free and enslaved, ordinary and extraordinary, and their efforts to survive in a changing land.
I saw for the first time a different type of building material called Tabby. I learned that Tabby was formed from local materials consisting of oyster shells, lime, sand and water. The lime came from burning and then powdering the oyster shells. This material was mixed then poured into forms. When the forms were removed and a thin layer of mortar was spread over the walls. Both tabby brick and poured tabby were used in the construction of the barn and the slave quarters.The oyster shells were so numerous because they had been left behind long ago in huge middens by Timucuan Indians.
In the afternoon, we saw the result of not being extra careful in navigation during a falling tide. A sailboat and a power boat both went aground in the anchorage. A TOW US boat tried to pull the sailboat off but with the falling tide the boat just kept going further and further over on its side. By that time, it was too late to help the power boat which was also solidly aground but upright. By supper time the couple on the power boat walked on the sand which surrounded their boat and took advantage of the grounding to scrape barnacles off their hull. We couldn't imagine what it was like inside the sailboat as it was now totally on its side on the sand bar. At midnight, we awoke to the sounds of the powerful TOW US boat finally pulling the sailboat free.
Nov. 21- 23
Alida and John from ACCLAIM had visited Jacksonville earlier and told us of the docks at the Municipal Park which provided free tie up for 72 hours. No services are provided but they highly recommended the site as a free location to use as a base from which to tour the city. Jacksonville is 16 miles up the St. Marys River but it was well worth the trip as we found beautiful cement floating docks in front of the Alltel Stadium also known as the Gator Bowl. This is the stadium, out of which the NFL Jacksonville Jaguars play, and has won the right to host Super Bowl XXXIX in 2005. The Waterway Guide also describes it as the home of the Georgia-Florida football game, often described as the world's largest outdoor cocktail party."
The city bus is only a 5 minute walk from the boat and only cost 75 cents to ride. There is also a free trolley service which tours inside the downtown area. We have used the time to see the city, do a little shopping, rest, read, catch up on a long overdue log and while I was typing, Margaret polished the stainless steel for the ??? time as it had started to rust again.
