4/5/14: After leaving Fernandina Beach we had planned on anchoring out but the weather sent us seeking a marina. As always God provided us the perfect place to dock.  The city of Darien, Georgia offers free dockage with free electricity & water. In the boating world that is certainly a gem. Located 7 NM west of the ICW the city is small, population about 1800 people & is Georgia's second oldest city, founded in 1736.

We had read on other Loopers blogs about finding hidden places that turned out to be gems and this is certainly one of them. If you have to time this should be one of those "must stop" place. 

We were happy to see floating docks especially since they have an 8’ tide.

The approach to the dock is lined with shrimp boats. The dockmaster, David, told us the story of how the shrimp boats have turned into jellyball boats. Jellyballs are actually cannonball jellyfish found in the warm coastal waters of the SE United States.

The Georgia shrimp industry fell on hard times & some had to turn to jellyfish to make a living. The jellyballs they once discarded are now valued for export to Asian countries that consider jellyfish a delicacy. Jellyball fishing is Georgia’s third largest commercial fishery - after shrimp and crabs - but only five boats are permitted to catch them. That’s because the processing plant can handle only about 22,000 thousand kilos of jellyfish - one boat load - at a time, and there are no other processors. 

The jellyfish are dried, preserved and packaged before being sold to a seafood distributor that ships them to Japan, China, and Thailand. There, dried jellyfish are a delicacy, used in soups and salads. Jellyfish is considered a powerful health food because of their collagen-rich tissues -- believed to help alleviate arthritis, gout and high blood pressure.

4/4/14: After a restful night at the Landing in Jacksonville we docked at the Fernandina Harbor Marina in Fernandina Beach, Fl. The outside floating dock is perfect for a quick in & out. The downtown area has specialty shops & restaurants within a block of the marina.

Sunrise at Fernandina Harbor Marina

Heading north from Fernandina Beach, Florida we passed by Fort St. Andrews on Cumberland Island. We did not visit the island but some friends of our anchored near the island and spent the day exploring. They gave the experience rave reviews.

We passed by the Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay which is the east coast home to Trident nuclear powered submarines. 

Structure the submarines pull into.

Escorts for the submarines

A small security tug patrols the waters to make sure no one accidently strays into the base.

The ICW north of Fernandina Beach is mainly a flat open area with sea grass which offers little wind protection.