Icw Cruise: Fernandina Sunrise, Becky Bad Girl Moves On, Tour Of Oyster Bay Harbour

Editor's Note: The ICW series of blog entries details the April 2010 cruise down the ICW made by WaterViewHome Network Publisher David Lott. The purpose of the trip is twofold: to accompany Captain Steve Weisbrod who is delivering a 43-foot Lagoon PowerCat from Lewis, DE, to Key West, FL, where it will become part of a charter fleet, and to visit golf and waterview communities and report on them. You can read all other posts by clicking on the headlines on the list of entries at the end of this installment.

Mile 717: Oyster Bay Harbour, Fernandina
The next morning I got up at the uncommon hour of 5 am in order to wave off Captain Steve as he continued on toward his final destination of Key West where he was to deliver Becky Bad Girl into a charter fleet.

It turned out to be a perfect sunrise. Marc Footlik motored by me on his way out with friends for some early morning fishing. I could see Fernandina in the distance lit up by the rising sun whose bright rays slowly crept over the marshes, the marina and finally the clubhouse.

The sun rises over 'Becky Bad Girl' prior to departure.

I thanked Captain Steve for all his help and for letting me ride aboard on his trip--a big success that fulfilled all my winter visions of how a trip down the ICW might be.

Then he was on board and slowly took the catamaran out of the marina and made a right turn toward the ICW. Good-by, Becky Bad Girl! It was always fun telling people the name of the boat I was riding. As Capt'n Steve would say with a big smile: "I just drive 'em, I don't name 'em!" Now I was on my own and a long way from the Chesapeake Bay.

Captain Steve makes the turn toward the ICW and points south.

Becky Bad Girl grows smaller in the distance.

A couple comes out from their yacht to give their dogs an early morning walk.

A Monet watercolor of reflected clouds.

_The pool and deck look out toward the marsh and marina.
_

The clubhouse where we had dinner last night and breakfast.

Once finished with breakfast I took a tour of the Yacht Club clubhouse, which features a fitness center, pool, and bar and grille. The community is surrounded by moss-draped ancient oaks, wildlife and spectacular waterviews, all a short drive from Jacksonville.

The club’s fitness center features state-of-the-art equipment, locker rooms and nearby tennis courts. Nature lovers can meander to the fishing pier and take in water and marsh views. Kayaks and canoes will be available for exploring the waterways.

Second floor of the clubhouse, note the louvered shades.

The Yacht Club clubhouse is a short walk from the marina which features floating docks, with 76 boat slips available in lengths of 40 to 65 feet, and will ultimately feature both port or starboard full length fingers. Built with great attention to detail, there is a minimum of six feet of depth at low tide.

The bar is around the corner from the pool.

Every modern convenience is provided, including a harbormaster and dock attendants at the ready. For boaters who want to get their cruise underway promptly, the Intracoastal Waterway lies only a mile away and the Atlantic Ocean just three miles further. Becky Bad Girl had barely warmed up her engines earlier that morning before she had hit the ICW again.

I also enjoyed a tour of homes already built at Oyster Bay Harbour and saw where new ones were going in. Request more information.

Sample home at Oyster Bay Harbour.

A live oak draped with moss.

The real estate offered here is a good value with wooded and lakefront lots from $100,000 to 150,000, marshfront lots from $200,000 to $300,000 and lot and slip package from $199,999. Slips are from $85,000. [Request more information.

The new Island Villas neighborhood is an excellent value being close to the Yacht Club and marina and featuring views of the marsh, waterways and boat slips and your purchase includes the initial payment for your Social Membership to the Yacht Club*.
*](https://www.waterviewhome.net/communities/CONTACT-Oysterbay.html)