Post #41: Ah, Florida!

Friday, November 13, 2020 

I think I wrote earlier that Coinjock, NC was one of the places that many cruisers told us about as a great place to stay along the ICW.  The other most mentioned place is Fernandina, the first marina area in Florida.  We were surprised, therefore, to see this as we approached:

a scrap metal facility and a huge, belching paper mill—quite a shock after the pristine beauty of Cumberland Island.  Folks we’ve met along the way say the town is charming, though, so perhaps we should give Fernandina a second chance on the way north this spring.

Nonetheless, we have made it to Florida and it’s time for new a chart book and cruising guides.  Hooray!

What is the allure of Florida, you may well ask.  I don’t know how to explain it but for the Bensons, there has always been a pull to this land of swaying palms, gorgeous beaches, and warm sunshine.  I’ve seen photos from the 1930’s of Grammie and Papa Benson standing in an orange grove, obviously enjoying a road trip around Florida. All three of their daughters spent time in Florida when they retired. My father was stationed here in WWII for training missions.  Exotic names like Homosassa Springs, Pensacola, and Kissimmee conjured mystical places in my childhood mind. My parents took David and me to live in Hollywood Beach, Florida, for two winters back in the mid-1950s. For a while, Dad envisioned summers in New England running the ice cream stand and spending the rest of the year working and living in southern Florida. 

In the late 1960s, my parents took Alan and me out of school for a week (!) for two trips to the Miami area, including a visit to the just-barely-opened Walt Disney World in 1971.  The Magic Kingdom was only partially finished but we fell under the spell of it all, dazzled by the twinkly lights and Tinker Bell’s flight to Cinderella’s Castle. At 15, I remember wanting to live inside that park forever.

On this trip, it is the natural beauty of Florida that continues to beckon.  We were treated to a view of hundreds of white pelicans, egrets, herons, and other shore birds as we traveled down the Amelia and Nassau Rivers towards Jacksonville. We pulled in to the municipal docks maintained by the city and spent a restful evening watching folks fish off the piers and listening to the water rushing by. Simple pleasures.