April 2, 2023 Fernandina Beach

Sunday April 2, 2023 Fernandina Beach

So we took a mooring ball here in Fernandina Beach on Thursday. Thought we would just stay a night and move on. Weather looks wonderful, sunny and low to mid 80's but the wind has been howling outside our go/no-go parameters. We decided to stay put but haven't felt comfortable trying to drop the dingy in 20-30mph winds and associated wave action to head into town. So, we've been boat bound. Catching up on the blog and getting some reading done. Not uncomfortable but we've gotten bounced around a bit since the anchorage is somewhat exposed. At least the mooring has been secure and relatively inexpensive. Wind direction has changed from NE to SW and that's put the ever-present smell of the papermill directly on us. Funny thing about Fernandina. Old shrimping/fishing town so there's that. Then add the papermill to put odors over the top. The locals don't seem to mind and the town has survived with the beach resorts and a cute downtown for tourists.

Those aren't sand dunes behind the shrimp boats.
Piles of wood chips to feed the paper mill

The wind finally laid down Sunday so we dropped the dink and headed to town. Needed to get our land legs back! Nice town to walk around. Lots of historical markers. Well preserved older homes. Shops and restaurants a plenty. Now has 3 breweries within walking distance. We made it to First Love Brewery and Amelia Island Brewing Company. Mocama Beer Company will need to wait until our next visit.

First Love Flight

AIBC Flight and a little something to eat.
Roasted Brussel sprouts in a chili glaze and pickled onions

Tourist town, tourist shops, had to buy something

Restaurant selections get limited on Sunday. I had been checking restaurants and reviews while shipbound. Had my heart set on trying Wicked Bao - Asian Fusion cuisine. Menu looked awesome. Unfortunately, closed on Sundays. Second choice was Timoti's Seafood. Can't go wrong with that at the beach. Open when we walked past mid day, but closed when we went back around 4. Seems they close at 3 on Sunday!! Wound up with a wood fired pizza. Not bad, just not our first pick.

Got back to the boat and watched the evening show of dolphins. There's a pack of them that come through every night about an hour before dark. They play and surface around the anchored boats with the big tourist filled pontoon boat chasing them down for pictures. Good way to end the day.