Farewell to Georgia

On Tuesday, November 9th, fellow Cruising Club of Charleston members, Mike and Judy Fauss aboard "Odyssey," along with Lloyd Davis and Dick Anderson aboard "Condor," arrived at Jekyll Harbor Marina after an exciting overnighter sailing "outside" all the way from Beaufort, SC.  We managed to arrange for them to tie up near us and enjoyed some quality time that evening aboard the "Docker's Inn."

The following day three more boats from the Cruising Club arrived, with Bob and Beth Kelley aboard "Time for Play," Glenn and Brenda Young aboard "Young at Heart," and Rick and La Von McNaughton aboard "The Porch," all having cruised the entire route between Charleston and Jekyll Island "inside" along the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW). Once again, happy hour was aboard the "Docker's Inn."

The following morning, we all left the marina and headed for Cumberland Island.  Ken and I were a bit concerned about having to cross St. Andrews Sound with winds of about 12-14 mph causing some choppy water, but the "Docker" did just fine, and after a beautiful cruise down the ICW, we arrived and anchored out.

As soon as everyone was settled with their anchors secure, we all piled into our dinghys and headed for the Sea Camp dock to tie up while we explored the island.  This is also where the Cumberland Island ferry brings people from St. Marys.

When everyone had arrived we walked up to the information center to get our bearings before beginning our explorations of the island.

Cumberland Island is a national treasure maintained by the National Parks Service, with pristine beaches, maritime forests, and protected wildlife. We decided to take the trail through the forest, across the dunes to the beach.

Here we found some groups of school children learning how to catch fish with nets.

Along another trail we encountered some of the wildlife we had heard about, including the cutest armadillos snuffling under the leaves at the edge of the path for food.

And the wild horses we had been hoping to see did not disappoint us either.

This trail led us to the ruins of one of the Carnegie mansions for which this island is also famous.

This was the view from the mansion, but we enjoyed it for free!

On Friday the rest of the Cruising Club group continued on to Fernandina Beach, Florida, but we stayed on in Georgia because our boat insurance does not allow us into Florida until noon on November 15th, supposedly the end of the hurricane season. So we stayed on at Cumberland Island a second day and then cruised on to St. Marys, Georgia, just a whisper away from Florida.

Since docking space at Lang's Marina in St. Marys is on a first-come-first-served basis, we were lucky to get there early enough to secure the last spot at the dock.

What a precious little gem St. Marys is.  Most people pass it by when traveling down I-95 between Georgia and Florida, unless they have decided to come here to take the ferry to Cumberland Island. The waterfront dominates and is absolutely charming.

It's a great walking town, with plenty of restaurants to satisfy the most descriminating tastes. We wasted no time in trying out one across the street from the marina for lunch after our arrival.

Both the eggplant parmesan and chicken marsala were excellent! Just a short stroll along the main drag, Osbourne Street, reveals a rich history, with many of the 1800's era homes now preserved as bed and breakfast inns.

Along the waterfront, Lang's dominates, with Lang's Marina East (where we are docked), Lang's Marina West, Lang's Seafood (below), and Lang's Seafood Restaurant.

This is also a friendly town, with special services for boaters, including a daily VHF radio communication each morning at 8:00 a.m., the St. Marys Basin Radio Net on VHF channel 68. This service provides visiting mariners the opportunity to ask questions and share information with locals who might be able to help.

So, tomorrow we will bid a fond farewell to Georgia as we head to Fernandina Beach, Florida, just a stone's throw away.

Detour to AGLCA Fall 2010 Rendezvous

During the last week of October, we left the boat at Jekyll Island, GA, and took a road trip to Joe Wheeler State Park in northern Alabama to attend the America's Great Loop Association (AGLCA) Fall 2010 Rendezvous.

Many of the 200+ attendees are currently in the midst of their Great Loop cruise, having arrived by boat.  What an inspiration this was for us, meeting and talking with this great group of cruisers, many of whom graciously opened their boats to us (and others) on late afternoon "Looper Crawls."  It was amazing to see the many shapes, sizes, and types of cruising vessels these folks call home during their great adventure on Eastern America's waterways, such as the solar-powered canal boat below.

Among the many interesting and informative meetings and events we attended during our four-day stay was a lifeboat demonstration which took place in the swimming pool.

All in all, this was a very worthwhile detour for us.  Hopefully, next year we will be arriving at the AGLCA Fall 2011 Rendezvous aboard the "Docker's Inn."

Jekyll Island; the rest of the story

At the heart of the Historic District is the old Jekyll Island Club, now a luxury hotel.

The well tended grassy area out front is a croquet court. One day we saw a family, all decked out in white, playing croquet on this beautiful lawn and thought we had been transported back in time to a more genteel era.

As mentioned earlier, the beaches here are practically deserted and great for long walks.  The first week of our stay the weather was warm enough to be tempted in for a swim (with water temps in the mid 70's), but now it has turned cooler, more like fall.

Since we brought our car here after our arrival, we are also able to tour around to neighboring islands, such as St. Simons Island, another one of the Golden Isles.  When a friend came to visit early in our stay, we drove over to see the lighthouse. Here she is with Ken standing in front of it.

The lighthouse keeper's cottage attached to the lighthouse is now a museum, and people are also able to walk up to the top of the lighthouse itself for a gorgeous view. It was quite a hike up, but the view was definitely worth it. I'd love to post a photo showing this view, but (once again) the blog program is no longer allowing me to.  I guess, y'all will just have to go to St. Simons Island and climb up those steps yourselves if you want to see the view!

Jekyll Island Update

What a beautiful place this is, both the marina and the island.  Although the Jekyll Harbor Marina is relatively small, it has some really nice facilities, including an onsite restaurant (SeaJay's), a laundry, showers/toilets, plus a beautiful swimming pool and hot tub.

The island is very laid back, with miles of bicycle trails and long stretches of mostly deserted beaches perfect for long walks.  However, this island also has a fascinating history as the place where the rich and famous Robber Barons came to get away from it all.  There is a small Historic District where this history is honored and preserved, the center of which is the old Jekyll Island Club, now a beautiful hotel. Although we have a nice picture of it, plus some of the magnificent "Cottages" surrounding it, this blog program is currently not allowing me to access them.  Oh, well, technology is great --- when it works!

Hopefully, we can continue the story of our stay on Jekyll Island another day when this site is working better.  Guess we'll just have to hit the hot tub now to ease the frustration.