We left New Smyrna Beach at 7 am and dropped the anchor at Fernandina Beach, FL at 3:30.  We averaged 6.5 kits with following winds under 5 kts.  Once again, the generator went off and on while we were motor sailing, and a few times it died.   We don’t think it’s a fuel problem anymore, but possibly something the repairmen did, or didn’t do, when they were working on it.  It took them several days to find the problem as they had obviously never working on this particular genset before.  When we are in the ocean the generator stopping is not a huge problem, as long as it can be restarted.  However, today it also quit just as we were in the middle of St. Mary’s Inlet with rock jetties on either side.  We still had both sails up and were able to use the electric motor keeping us at 7 kts, but it was still worrisome.  

Fernandina Beach is on Amelia Island, which is a popular tourist area.  The first thing that greets you is the smell coming from a pulp mill (photo at the right).  For any Duluthians reading this, think “Cloquet.”  The small town has a few blocks of boutiques, restaurants and bars, but it is 2 miles to a Publix.  We need milk so we might ride our bikes there later.  There is a good size marina here and several smaller ones.  It is also a popular place to stop either from the ICW or ocean, so you’d think there would be at least a convenience store nearby.  We took Daisy ashore for a walk in town.  Some stores had water in dog dishes by their door.  The realty office (above) has a Golden Retriever statue by the door.  Daisy was a little confused when it didn’t want to play with her. 

Cumberland Island, GA is on the other side of the St. Mary’s Inlet, so tomorrow we will be out of Florida when we leave Fernandina Beach and turn north on the Atlantic.  We’ll be starting early in the morning to sail to our next stop, Walburg Creek.