Slowly making our way south...

January 20, 2010
Hi 69 Lo 56
Lat/Lon 30 23.7 N, 81 30.4 W

Yesterday, we left Fernandina at 11:00 am and headed out into the Atlantic Ocean! We were officially ‘at sea’ by 11:50! It was beautiful! Sunny weather and the water was calm and glassy. Not much wind at first. We had to get out there several miles to find enough wind to sail. But then we scooted along at about 5 knots. We saw lots of dolphins. We could hear on the radio that right whales were being sighted somewhere in the area, but we never saw them. (Another item to check off my bucket list; I have now officially sailed on the ocean.) :o)

When you’re at sea, it can be very difficult to tell where to turn toward land and head inland to your destination. Everything looks the same from out there, so having good charts and watching your latitude and longitude is vital. This is so fantastic, I’m learning so much! We successfully navigated our way into the Jacksonville inlet, and up the St. John River toward Jacksonville. We followed a nuclear submarine into the inlet. It was sorta cool. I've never seen a military submarine before, let alone a HUGE one so close!

We found a place to anchor, off Marsh Island at the edge of town, about 6:30 pm. Not a moment too soon either, the sun had just set and we're not keen on navagating new waters in the dark.

Today we are in Jacksonville, Florida. We will be here for a few days to pick up supplies and equipment from Costco, West Marine, Petco, and a few other places. While here, we plan to fix the auto pilot, get the dingy outboard running better, and repair the fuel gage.

We hope to get the old name, ‘Kristina’, removed from the stern and get ‘Quest’ put on. I sent the graphic to sign shop here in town, and they should have it for us by Thursday. OH BOY!