Riding the currents - Sunday10March

At certain places along the coast, NOAA has installed current monitoring and prediction locations. Fortunate for me there is one near where I anchored in the St Johns River. It showed that there would be slack before ebb at 07:50. That means that at 07:50 the current would start being against me. I got moving before daylight, and sure 'nuff, the current helped me up the river a short distance and into Sister's Creek. At slow cruising RPM I was making 5.4 knots speed-over-ground. My hope was to make it 5 miles to the first anchorage before the current changed. Just as forecasted, at about 08:00 the current quite suddenly reversed. To see what would happen I did not change the RPMs. I was still about two miles from the anchorage. By the time I got to the anchorage the SOG went from 5.4 down to 2.9 knots. (still at slow cruising RPM). Anchor went down as planned. This gave me some good time to relax and do some chores about the boat. Four hours later, anchor up, and everything had changed. Even the wind and temperature was good. I swooshed up Sister's Creek, past Nassau Sound to Fernandina Beach and St. Marys Inlet at low tide. That the current changed to flood, and that carried us up the St Marys River, past King's Bay Submarine Base and up into the twisting snake-like marshes of Georgia, where the current again reversed and the speed went back down. In five hours 35 miles went under the keel. It was a delightful day, not only because of the favorable current, but it was a beautiful day, and there was even some sailing! Anchor down after a perfectly satisfying day. Cockpit shower and sundowners while the current boiled out from the stern. The boat has not been boiled out for its bottom cleaning and the knotmeter pinwheel is fouled so the knotmeter does not work. I would liked to have been able to see how fast the current was passing past the boat.
Yesterday, Saturday, was when all of northern Florida went for a boat ride. It was an unpleasant day; temp in the low 60's, overcast and dirty north-east wind. I think I saw more miserable women yesterday than I have ever seen. The guy proudly driving his center-console boat while the woman huddled on the floor behind him, on the only other seat in front of the windscreen, or beside him, trying to stay warm. Misery, misery and more misery. What a woman will do for love.... Come on dudes, what do you do to show your love for her?
The King's Bay Submarine Base is up the St Mary's River. The ICW goes up the river almost to the base, then un-obviously turns off. On a previous trip I missed the turn, and was turned around by a very formidable patrol boat. (That is a good time to say,"Yes sir".) Now there is an impenetrable gate with gunboats on both sides. Nobody wanders into Kings Bay any more!
Fortunately again there is a current station close by. Start tomorrow will be about 10:00, an hour before the slack. Then the ebb will help northward progress.
Bill