Amelia Island: Pirate Paradise in North Florida

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Anything can happen at the beach. Anything. So stay calm and have a good time.

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Shaking off the Dust on Amelia

On this day, we fought gale-force winds at every step. I watched windsurfers get tossed up into the air and softly come down again. It looked like so much fun. Moe stomped on the sand-colored foam, barreling down the broad, flat expanse of hard-packed sand. She raced to catch up with it. Gulls stood sentry, braced against the wind; beaks piercing the steady blast of wind; aware and yet coolly oblivious to us walking by. There is nothing like a winter walk on the shores of the Atlantic to knock off the road dust after a long, dull drive.

Hobbled for Life

At my beach in the Florida panhandle, a 14-year-old girl was attacked by a bull shark. She was on a boogie board near a sandbar with another girl. Two very brave strangers ran into the water to try and save her, but she didn’t make it. I was in that same body of water the day before the girl was attacked. I remember treading water, facing the sea, and thinking how frightened I felt because I could not see what was underneath these huge, dark, gray swells of water. As Alex says, “It’s a wilderness.”

Since then, I have been hobbled and can now only frolic in the surf. A husk of my former self, I get sucked out, pushed in, and slapped sideways while flopping around in the surf. Then I see these super people plowing through the open sea with their arms and heads moving over huge waves. They look so strong. They are strong. And they are truly fearless. I admire them.

Dogs on the Beach

Dogs are allowed on the beach, but not near Fort Clinch.

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Ladies are allowed on the beach, but not near Fort Clinch

And campfires are allowed on the beach.