June 3 - Fernandina Beach, FL

Day 89 - Back in the South
Fernandina Harbor Marina Mooring Ball

It's nice to be back in the south where people are friendly and polite. The people in Fernandina Beach are extremely friendly...a very welcomed change. Everywhere we went today people said hello and went out of their way to see if we needed any help finding things in town. We started our day at the visitor's center where we learned a little history about the island. Amelia Island is known as the "Isle of 8 Flags", the flags that have flown over it since 1562 are: France, Spain, Great Britain, the Patriots of Amelia Island, the Green Cross of Florida, Mexico, the Confederate States of America, and the United States. Fernandina Beach is the only municipality in the United States that has flown eight different national flags. Its naturally deep harbor made it an important port for moving goods in and out of Florida. At one time pirates used the port to attack the Spanish galleons that moved up the Florida coast.

We rode our bikes around the Historical District, where most of the buildings were built in the mid 1800's. Then we rode over to the Atlantic Ocean, the water isn't as pretty here...our beautiful clear water is behind us. We had lunch at a place called T Ray's Station. It’s a local favorite that is in an old Exxon Station. One of the owners stopped and talked to us earlier in the morning. The food was great and the place was packed. 

After lunch we stopped at the bike shop to get new brake pads for my bike. While they were fixing my brakes we looked at the new bikes…by the time we left we were riding new aluminum light weight cruising bikes. It was a splurge, but they are wonderful and we've been using our bikes a lot. These will be a lot easier to get on and off the boat and are much more comfortable to ride. This evening we went back to town to enjoy Sounds on Centre, a free concert the town puts on the first Friday of the month. We had a wonderful day in this quaint little town.

Our view from the boat

Centre Street

Main Beach on Amelia Island

Our new rides...better pictures to come

Sound on Centre