Monday, November 20, 2017

Alligator Creek - FL 11/20/17

 1958 48' Wheeler (wooden)
 Named Milly B
but owned by a woman named Lynn
 Lynn is living on this boat full time.  There is so much work that
needs to be done, but she can do just about anything when it comes
to this boat.  She was divorced recently and while she was showing
us around the inside of the boat we saw a bill from a Mayo Clinic
that was due, so not sure exactly what is going on?  She seems
very positive and will be waiting our arrival next year when we
return to see her progress!
 "Black Powder"
 Fort Clint
     This site was first fortified in 1736 by the Spanish, when they held colonies in Florida. From 1736, various nations to control the territory have garrisoned and fortified this site to protect the entrance to the St. Mary's River and Cumberland Sound.
     After the end of the Second Seminole War, the United States started construction of a fort, later named Fort Clinch, in 1847. It was part of its Third System of coastal defenses conceived earlier in the century, which guided fortifications throughout this period. The fortified compound is pentagonal in shape, with both inner and outer walls, and consists of almost five million bricks. There are corner bastions and embrasures in the outer walls and several structures in the interior courtyards, including a two-story barracks. The fort was named in honor of General Duncan Lamont Clinch after his death in 1849. General Clinch fought in the War of 1812 and was an important figure in the First and Second Seminole Wars.
     Confederate forces seized the fort in early 1861. It was used as a safe haven for Confederate blockade runners during the first year of the Civil War. However, changes in technology, specifically, the development of rifled cannon, had improved weaponry to the point that the fort's brick walls were vulnerable to attacks and thus obsolete. In March 1862 General Robert E. Lee ordered abandonment of the fort in order to use scarce troops in other areas. Federal troops re-occupied the fort in early 1862, taking control of the adjacent Georgia and Florida coasts. They used the fort as the base of Union operations in the area throughout the Civil War.
     The fort was placed on caretaker status in 1869; it remained so until 1898, when the Army garrisoned it during the short Spanish–American War. In September of that year, the Army abandoned it again. The fort gradually deteriorated.
     During the Great Depression workers of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) began restoration of the fort during the 1930s. It was restored to the Civil War era. In 1935, the State of Florida bought 256 acres (1.0 km2) that included the then-abandoned fort and the surrounding area. Fort Clinch State Park including the fort, opened to the public in 1938.
     The fort was closed to the public during World War II and used as a communications and security post. It was re-opened to public visits after the war ended.
     The fort was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. It is interpreted largely in terms of its use as a base of Union operations during the American Civil Wars State Park personnel reenact military life at the fort, which is open from 8:00am until sundown, year-round.
 Fernandina Plant
     Our first plant in the Southeast, the Fernandina Beach facility, was constructed in 1937 near downtown Fernandina Beach, Florida. The plant produces 155,000 metric tons of softwood cellulose specialties per year and employs more than 300 people. It contributes $35 million annually to Florida’s wages and salaries and $2 million to Florida’s property and sales taxes.
     The plant’s property is home to the new Eight Flags LLC combined heat and power (CHP) plant, a partnership between Rayonier Advanced Materials, Chesapeake Utilities and Florida Public Utilities. Fueled by natural gas, the CHP plant – which began operation in mid-2016 – generates 20 MW of power for FPU’s Amelia Island customers. In addition to leasing land to Eight Flags LLC for the project, Rayonier Advanced Materials entered into a 20-year agreement to purchase low-cost steam from the facility for use in our Fernandina plant.
 Some type of powered cat....she sure was bookin'!
 Old and new damaged boats from the last couple of hurricanes
 Canal in Fernandina
 Do you see the brown roof sitting in front of the paper mill?
 It's actually a sawdust pile!! 
 You can't see the sprinklers on the dock but they are there....
We're wondering why they are sprinkling down the docks???
 Restaurant open to the public
 Fuel pier and most of the slips are still not opened....they were
closed last year also....
 
 Sure isn't the same anymore!
 This is a live aboard.   He just poked his head out as we were passing....
 Anchorage area for Fernandina
People are still going into town.  That's good because from
the outside it's not very inviting, but once you get inside it's
a pretty cute town....
 Very rarely do you see big guys like this on the hook!
One of them got stuck (to close to beach) coming in....
 Sunset
 Brown pelican meeting!
White pelican meeting!
 
We went about 42 miles today.  We dropped anchor in Alligator Creek around 3:30 and decided to take a nap to warm ourselves up!  It was a cloudy, chilly day!
 
 


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