Hello Jacksonville!

(4/13/18)  Jacksonville has become almost like home.  We always return here after trips to the Bahamas.  Meandering Joy stays under a covered slip at Lamb’s Yacht center on the Ortega River.  The area is sometimes called marina mile because there are so many marinas along the Ortega.  

There are several places from St. Augustine to Jacksonville that represent another leg of the journey after passing under the Bridge of Lions.  First we have to go almost out to sea before making a hard turn north toward Jacksonville up the Tolomato River.  It is always tricky with missing buoy’s and shoaling.  

The homes scattered along  Palm Valley and Ponte Vedra are beautiful.   I think I could live quite happily in the one below.  

Steve would like to live here if for nothing else to be close to this restaurant that sits right on the ICW.  It was early when we passed–it can be teeming with hungry visitors during lunch and dinner.  

We even saw a dinosaur in Jacksonville–not at the museum.  I guess everyone has their own ideas about yard art.  We have real live peafowl in our yard other people have dinosaur bones.  

I know that when I see this beautiful white estate home that we are close to making our turn up the St. Johns River. 

It is very close to the Naval Station Mayport which is a protected harbor that can accommodate aircraft carrier sized vessels.  Along with the ships at the Naval Station there are three cargo ship terminals as well as a the JAXPORT Cruise terminal.  Many times when we come through this area we appear to be on land according to our GPS charts.  It is a “hold your breath” kind of place till you get through the winding buoy system and avoid the rock jetty that is sometimes just under the water’s surface. Now we just have to stay out of the way of these gigantic cargo ships. 

The red life boat below looks tiny compared to the ship.  This one is a totally enclosed boat which makes it water tight.  It an get turned over by the waves and right itself making it one of the safest life boats available.  

A Bell Boeing V-22 osprey helicopter flew overhead as we were making our way into the city.  

And just when I think about asking “Are we there yet?” the Jacksonville skyline rises up beyond the blue bridge.  

Next stop…Lamb’s Yacht Center. 

Joy