Our First Free Dock

72 hour Free Dock in Jacksonville

While I checked the engines and v-drives, Elyse made hot oatmeal with walnuts, almond butter, chocolate chips, and bananas. She also started our dinner, 12 bean soup, in the slow cooker so it would be ready for dinner later.

We pulled up the anchor and got moving right as the sun came up. Pine Island was a wonderful anchorage, definitely a must-stop if you’re passing through. The cruise was another beautiful cool Florida day filled with tons of “real Florida” views and critters – including a fellow swamp puppy!

We made it to our first free dock, which allows 72 hours of docking. Chris, a navy vet and a Gold Looper (with a catamaran, Wildfire), caught our lines and took a few minutes to help us get set up properly. Other than briefly stopping twice at a dock to fill up on water, we hadn’t been to a dock since we set sail eleven days ago. Pretty wild considering most cruisers go from marina to marina! It’s very similar to RV life — the majority stay in RV parks.

Tied up behind us at the dock was Liam, a Kiwi (New Zealander), who had just sailed north from St. Augustine. He regretted paying $120/night to dock at the St. Augustine Municipal Marina, only to listen to the regular blasting of the horn from the Bridge of Lions. We had shared the same experience, being anchored just north of the bridge. However, we only paid $15 to use the dinghy dock. All and all, money well saved by dropping the hook!