Our run in Florida ended in Fernandina Beach on Sunday May
19. It was a four hour run and we timed our arrival carefully so there was a
slack tide for docking. Rick hired a guide to take him fishing Monday morning
and I picked up a rental car for two days of exploration. Monday dawned grey
and breezy, a front complete with fog dominated the next twenty four hours. We
could tolerate it because: Miracle of miracles, our intake valve cleared itself
and we had air conditioning without a repair bill!
We went out to Amelia Island to see how the other half
lives, checked out real estate, sifted for shark teeth on the beaches, toured
historic Fort Cinch and found the lighthouse. While antiquing at the edge of
town I discovered a new quilt shop near the bakery. In all, we had a good two
days on land. But wait, it was too good to be true, right? Our shower and AC
sump pump failed the morning of our departure. Not to worry, there are
mechanics in every port, or so we thought.
On Wednesday May 22 we motored a whole five miles to St.
Mary’s, Georgia. Insurance was now one less thing to worry about. We always
wanted to see the town and this was the only place to catch the National Park
Service ferry to Cumberland Island. So, two nights at Lang’s Marina it was- but never again. To other cruisers, this
place is almost unsafe. They have limited power and an aging infrastructure.
Current made docking a challenge and our propeller screamed all night. To add
insult to injury, we hired a mechanic who never showed up to replace our pump. Town
is pretty but small. Oh, well, we don’t need to return there.
A check of the weather and winds convinced us we could not
anchor this week off of Cumberland so the day trip on the ferry was a taste of
the island we couldn’t pass up. The island is carry-in-carry-out, so we schlepped
backpacks, camera and bathing suits in to see the ruins, wild horses and the most
gorgeous beach on the Atlantic. We were
exhausted by 92 degree heat and bright sun but so happy we made the trip. We can’t
wait to return in the fall to spend a few days at anchor.
The lure of wooded Cumberland Island is that Thomas and Lucy
Carnegie (of the Carnegie Brothers, Ltd.) built a mansion here to raise their
nine children as an oasis from the Pittsburg winters. They eventually lived and
farmed the 7,000 acres full time. Thomas died a year after they built the home but
Lucy remained until her death. She engaged in the high society social scene,
her contemporaries all had summer “cottages” at Jekyll Island, a half day’s
sail up the St. Mary’s River and across Jekyll Sound. Upon her death, she willed
her horses be allowed to roam free and they still do today. There is rich
history here from the days Indians lived on the island as well as the history
of slavery and servants, lumber farming, and then the fall of the untaxed
millionaires. Lucy’s children eventually had to give the island up, save a few
rights they hold today. PS This is where John Kennedy married his beautiful
bride in a tiny chapel adorned with Spanish moss and candle light.
We left the town of St. Mary’s and made our own passage up
to Jekyll but did not stop, electing to move at high tide through skinny (5-10’)
waters and make way across two rough
sounds before pulling into Morning Star Marina in St. Simons. By now the winds (15-25
knots) caught up to us and we could tell the predicted front from the west was
moving though. Hence, we chose to take a lazy two night stay here until winds
shift to the east/southeast and drop to a modest 10-15.
THIS is a marina. Courteous staff, clean conditions, a
newspaper and muffins delivered in the morning. We’ve had a great dinner at the
Coastal Kitchen (on site), caught up on chores, chatted with lots of nice
people today, everyone letting the wind blow out. They had a wonderful mechanic
from the Catalina dealer on site to replace our pump and sell us a spare within
an hour of docking. How lucky were we?
In the morning we cast off for Sunbury Crab Company and
Marina. The adventure continues on to Hilton Head, SC. We are no longer able to
get into Harbour Town as the entrance and harbor have silted to four feet at
low tide. Instead, we’ll try Hilton Head Harbor Mariana for two nights. Then, on
to Port Royal Landing near Beaufort, SC., for a night with friends. By then it
will be Wednesday and we are due in Charleston. Yeah . . . These days are a
little longer than we would like but the Chesapeake is calling, and high
boating season is here in the south making reservations a little hard to get in
some marinas. A week of cooler, drier air is before us so we will take an
opportunity when we can get it.
We'll share some photos on a second post.
