Adulting and playing in Jax

We tend to hit Jacksonville (Jax) on our transits for a couple of reasons—it’s near our mail facility (St. Brendan’s Isle), near our storage unit, we can provision easily, we can usually stay on base cheap, our doctor is nearby, and we are technically residents of nearby Green Cove Springs! This time there wasn’t room on base, but after negotiating a shallow spot (<6” under the keel!), we made it to the Ortega River Marina and really had a great stay. What did I like? It was tidy but not pretentious, great showers and laundry, fast WiFi, easy walk to stores (West Marine, Publix, CVS, etc.), a KILLER burrito shop next door, and super nice folks that offered us rides. I would absolutely return.

We rented a car for the week and managed to knock out medical appointments (including a few referrals), a huge mail pickup, renewing boat/car registration, a trip to the storage unit, lots of provisioning, and even a trip to a dive shop to freshen up our gear stash. On the fun side, the fam had a day of fun at a paintball field while I stuffed booze and food into the bilge. We didn’t have anything too major to take care of on the boat—only had to run up the mast to fix the steaming light (I hate festoon bulbs—so finicky in their mounts!). And we put up our Christmas lights! So we are ready for the holidays, mostly ready to cross to the Bahamas, and very ready to quarantine ourselves if needed.

Last night we also got to meet another liveaboard, Oak Meadow homeschooling family that I had connected with ages ago via Instagram. It was so great to finally meet in person, and we met another boating couple as well. That’s what’s great about being in FL—we can still have safe, outdoor gatherings without totally freezing. It really made me long for the days of boater beach parties. Someday...  

We made it out of the Ortega River and are bound for St. Augustine for the holidays!