FERNANDINA BEACH

For the first few nights of our passage north we found ourselves alone in anchorages and during the days saw few other boats heading north. We missed the company of others. At Titusville however, all of that suddenly changed when a convoy of boats came in from the Abacos via Canaveral We were surprised to see two old friends—Shadowfax and Mermaid—who we had met in Georgetown among the group and, when they invited us to join them all for dinner that evening, we jumped at the chance. Over the next few days we enjoyed the company of 5 other boats, traveling from one anchorage to the next together and socializing ashore. We spent 2 days in St. Augustine revisiting favourite places and managed to arrive at Fernandina Beach in time to celebrate the annual “8 Flags Shrimp Festival” held the first weekend of May.

At one time or another, this second oldest city of the US of A has been under the control of 8 different governments—Spain, Mexico, France, England, the “Confederates,” the “Patriots.” Florida, and finally the USA. And although people have been harvesting and eating shrimp for hundreds of years, the city of Fernandina Beach is the first place in the world where “shrimping” began to be carried on in a “commercial” capacity—hence the annual “8 Flags Shrimping Festival.”

When we arrived we found thousands of people already milling about the streets purchasing one-of-a-kind arts and crafts from the hundreds of stalls lining the sidewalks and enjoying the sounds of three different bands performing at various venues in the historic quarter of town. Shrimp of course was on offer everywhere—grilled, breaded, boiled, sautéed—you name it, they had it—fresh fragrant and succulent! For two days we reveled in the magic of this festival which transformed the quaint little town into a “happening” place. But on Monday morning we awoke to find all trace of the celebration gone—dismantled and removed during the night—revealing at first light lovely cobbled walkways lined with beautiful old trees shading pretty shops and restaurants. It was like being transported to an entirely different place altogether! At Fernandina Beach we enjoyed a completely unexpected “2 for 1” experience. And we DEFINITELY plan to return here at the same time next year for more fun, food and festivities that we know a repeat performance will provide.

p.s. On a sad note: We were horrified Sunday morning to hear a call to the coast guard from a boater who had come upon a wrecked plane and the body of a white male floating in the water 2.5 miles off Jeckyll Island!