Georgia
Adventures and Discoveries: April 7 2016
Our
anchorage after Cape Canaveral was Daytona Beach (3/23). It was quite a different anchoring scenario than
the previous night. Cape
Canaveral was
wide open with very little ambient light and only a small handful of
boats
scattered widely apart…Daytona was a dozen boats crammed into a small
wide-spot-in-the-road between a bridge overhead and a cable run below. Oh, some generalities remain the same – the
French are not good at anchoring. As the
sun was going down a French Canadian boat anchored in such a way that soon we
could have passed the Grey Poupon Mustard between us…gggrrrhhh. I smiled and waved and said, “No worries,”
(and hoped for the best). The night
passed uneventfully and we hauled the anchor for our seventh straight day of
moving.
Today
we returned to St Augustine – land ho and we are getting ashore (3/24). However, this time it was not for boat
work…we were tourists! We tied to a
mooring ball in strong current and provided a bit of a floor show for our
neighbors because it took a couple of tries to wrangle the mooring ball pennant
aboard. Phew – tied up on ball #27 in
the northern mooring field…closest to the bridge and the shore at St Augustine
Municipal Marina (http://www.staugustinegovernment.com/visitors/municipal-marina.cfm). It was a good thing we had made a reservation
because they were turning folks away.
We
started with a walk to old haunts; a stroll down stunning Magnolia Street with
her tunnel of live oaks, dinner at Kingfish Grill of familiar sushi, burger and
fish tacos and the Duke game at Mardi Gras Sports Bar. The only problem was that we were early for
the game and needed to kill two hours.
The bar sorted that out in a most unexpected way…Naughty Bingo…hosted by
a drag queen in a hot pink mini-dress and a perky bob to match. The whole thing was pretty hilarious and a
fantastic way to “wait” for the game to start.
Too bad the game did not go as well.
And to add insult to injury a drenching rainstorm accompanied us on our walk
back to the boat. Oh well, we strung up
wet clothes to dry once back aboard and collapsed into bed after midnight.
Our
day started with a few boat jobs like a provisioning run via the Port of Call
Cruiser Shuttle ($5 rt) and a new anchor bridle arrangement was spliced by our old
friends at Marine Supply and Oil (3/25).
Then it was social time and we were lucky enough to get together with
former cruising pals Jimmy and Caroline from s/v Blue Moon. They were part of our globe girdling pack and
a welcome sight for sore eyes…all the way from Gainesville, FL; however, it was
clear that some time had passed since we last saw each other because they now
have a third member of their family - beautiful, 16 month old son named James.
Wow – guys! Congrats! We happily whiled away the afternoon and
evening catching up on the past and learning about future plans. But all too quickly the night marched on and we
needed to separate until next time.
Thanks for the visit – see you down the road.
St
Augustine oozes with colonial history.
Unfortunately, we did not get to investigate much of it during our previous time
in the city because we had our heads down buried in boat work. This time we dove in head first and kicked
off our education with a train tour…after fueling up with coffee and fried
chicken and cheese biscuits at the Maple Street Biscuit Company (3/26). St Augustine is America’s First City, settled
in 1565 (42 years before Jamestown and 55 years before the pilgrims landed at
Plymouth rock). The late 16th
century was a tumultuous time of global colonization primarily accomplished by
Spain and Portugal (post-Vikings and pre-Dutch/British/French). Juan Ponce de Leon was the exploring
conquistador who arrived at St Augustine and founded Florida. He is also responsible for naming her; Florida
means flowery. There were forts and
canons; massacres and religious tensions; Indians and missionaries; lacey wrought
iron balconies and cobblestone streets…all thanks to Ponce and every inch of his
less than imposing stature at 4’11”. But
he clearly made a mark on history and a life-sized statue of him now stands atop
a very tall pedestal (much like an eternal set of shoe lifts) in the Plaza de
la Constitucion just beyond the Bridge of Lions. St Augustine would eventually become a less
blood thirsty locale better known as a popular escape from northern winters by northern
industrialists who built mansions and churches and gardens…and provided decidedly civilized
touches to the naturally swampy ecosystem.
The
next stop for us as we moved north along the Atlantic coast were the Barrier
islands of Georgia. This is new cruising
grounds for us and we are a bit nervous about its reputation for skinny water, massive
and fast running tides, shifting silt bottoms and winding waterways. There are a total of 17 Barrier islands and
only 4 have small populations. This
could take some time?! We started to
break-down the area with “A Cruising Guide to the Georgia Coast” by Nancy and
Tom Zydler (incidentally, the only other cruising guide these guys have written
was for the San Blas in Panama – we used that one in 2007 and liked it so we stuck
with them again). Digging into the guide
reinforced our initial anxieties with names like Devil’s Elbow, Crooked Creek,
Wally’s Leg and Great Buzzard Island.
Then there were the hand drawn maps…eegads…is that really a map?! Or drawings from Dr Seuss of Gertrude McFuzz
and her voluminous feathers?! We’ll
start scratching the surface with one eye on the tide tables and one eye on the
depth meter and see how we go. One of
the hints in the guide states, “…on most rivers which continue far inland, the
surface current usually keeps running out while the actual water level is
rising. The opposite is also true…” Really?!
How far is “far inland?” The same water travels in two directions?! Okay,
relax and take it one port at a time.
A
forecasted calm day cinched the deal for our first steps into Georgia…out the
St Augustine inlet and in the St Mary’s inlet (3/27). This had us going outside into the Atlantic
but conditions were expected to be mellow.
The forecast was mostly true but a bit bumpier than hoped for. It was a 9.5hr run that ended with us
anchored between Sea Camp Ranger Station and Kings Bay Submarine Base at the
southern end of Cumberland Island. Our
first land views after the fog lifted were as beautiful as we had been told;
wild horses grazing along the shoreline, dolphin leaping in the bow, live oaks
stretching up and out dripping with Spanish moss between salt water marshes…wow! The flora and fauna has taken a stark (and
stunning) change from Florida.
We
planned an entire day to walk the trails of Cumberland Island (3/28). There are 17 miles of uninterrupted beach not
to mention miles of inland trails shaded below a canopy of palms, pines and
live oaks…all draped in Spanish moss and ferns.
We will not cover it all but we will enjoy stretching our legs…but
first…long sleeves, long pants and bug spray from head to toe. After tying our dinghy to the Sea Camp dock
we got a ticket from our fee box payment and we were off. It has been awhile since we have been in such
a wooded environment and it is awesome.
We climbed up sand dunes, squished through muddy marshes and even
checked out the mansion ruins of Dungeness.
It seems humans have enjoyed this bit of tranquility off-and-on for
centuries. Plus, it is not hard to
imagine that 20 species of song birds come and go to the island because the
songs are LOUD…honest, really loud. And
then there are the horses. Who doesn't want a pony?! They
add a bit of action to break up the sedate flora and fauna. The
myth is that the horses are descendants of horses brought by the
Spanish in the 16th century; however, the more likely history is that
they are descendants of horses brought by the English in the 18th
century. The beach horses we saw seemed to be engaged in a bit of
dominance display...the bigger horse won, just sayin'. Once
we got walking we couldn’t stop and bit off a bit more than we could
chew once
we finally decided to head back.
Although the island is mostly preserved wilderness there is a single inn
– “the grand and graceful Geyfield Inn,” (http://www.greyfieldinn.com/). It is not hard to imagine the mansion’s
origination as the 19th century retreat of Thomas and Lucy Carnegie
but we will stick with our accommodations on Barefeet.
Back
aboard Barefeet we rested our sore muscles and settled into sundowners. We didn’t tour the intact Plum Orchard mansion
or see the church where JFK, Jr and Carolyn Bessett got married but we’ll do
that on a return visit because we’ll be back to this beautiful place again. Hey, we had a floor show to go with our
sundowners…a submarine exiting Cumberland Sound. There was a hint about what was
going on when the Coast Guard hailed private boats on VHF 16 demanding more
space for a “deep draft escort.”
Submarine?! Yep, just as the sun
set we viewed two large tugs escorting a submarine out to sea. Very cool!
The
Barrier islands of Georgia are organized into eight island groups. We departed the Cumberland island group and
arrived at the Jekyll island group after a short four-hour hop (3/29). The Jekyll island group is one of the three
groups connected to the mainland by bridges (St. Simons and Tybee are the other
two). However, the bridge was not
constructed until 1954 – well after the island was purchased by a group of
northerners who wanted a private, members only club where they could relax out
of sight from journalists and the general public. From
1886 until 1947 the island served as an
exclusive winter retreat and hunting preserve for millionaires with
names such as Morgan, Astor, Vanderbilt, Rockefeller, Pulitzer…you get
the picture.
Our
time at Jekyll was squeezed into a single afternoon so we tied up at the Jekyll
Harbor Marina’s face dock and headed into the Historic District (http://www.jekyllharbor.com/). Biking is a great option on the flat island
but we wanted to get a bit of background and history so we joined a 90-minute tram
tour. We were whisked back to the Gilded
Age when the only island inhabitants came for short periods of time to their “cottages.” These club members dined nightly at the
Jekyll Island Club where dinners took several hours and all attendees were
dressed in elegant, formal attire. The concentration
of business leaders resulted in some historic and infamous moments on the
island including the first transcontinental telephone call in 1915 and the
landing of the sailing ship the Wanderer in 1858. The Wanderer was created as a luxury racing
yacht in 1856; however, after twists and turns she landed at Jekyll with nearly
400 slaves enroute from Africa…38 years after the slave trade was declared
illegal and punishable by hanging. Author
Erik Calonius describes a little known conspiracy that jumps from New York City
to Savannah to the Congo and back in his novel, The Wanderer, which provides a fascinating
insight into the area and its slice of time.
Today,
in 2016, time spent on Jekyll is a bit less dramatic and more simply focused on vacation, relaxation…and
maybe a game of croquet dressed in your all whites on the lawn of the still
operating Jekyll Island Club. There is a
Westin Hotel, a realty office, frozen yogurt, a golf course and plenty of other
marks of the 21st century.
However, the natural beauty of the island remains evident in every view…including
the nearly 400 year old oak tree named Plantation Oak which measures 128 feet
limb to limb and is a veritable tent under which countless weddings are performed each year. Nature also slips nearby at our dock space
where a complicated two step fastening latch is used on all trash cans in order
to keep raccoons out of the bins…crafty bandits.
Continuing
north we leap-frogged through the St. Simons island group and the Sapelo island
group…finally coming to a stop at anchor in the St. Catherines island group in
the North Newport River (3/30). It was a
full day winding through rivers and creeks and crossing sounds. The ICW has green and red channel markers but
constant attention is needed when driving…unlike the wide open ocean when we
set the auto pilot and simply let the boat drive herself. In order to keep sharp and alert we have
devised a driving strategy of 1.5hrs on…then we switch. It works well and keeps each of us from being
too worn out at the end of the day.
Dinner under a blanket of stars with Chris’ hamburger and jalapeno pizza…fantastic.
Our
final stop in the Barrier islands was in the Wassaw island group at the Isle of
Hope Marina located just ten miles from downtown Savannah (3/31). We planned a four-night stay in order to
explore the area and visit with friends.
Shifting schedules kept our plans touch-and-go with Sue and Doug but the
stars were aligned and they greeted us at the dock soon after we arrived. Sue is a childhood friend of Chris’ Mom from
Massachusetts but she and her husband have called Skidaway their home for 20-years.
Sue has been filling us with information and history as we meander along
the Georgia coast with book titles (Wanderer, Our Man in Charleston), landmarks
and fun tid bits. Before having dinner
together Sue and Doug drove us around the area and pointed out highlights such
as the stunning row of antebellum homes along waterfront Bluff Drive, the
community of Pinpoint (birthplace of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas) and
an often frequented neighborhood Mexican restaurant, Jalapenos. We talked for hours about travels past and
present as well as fine tuning our local touring…including an Estate Sale
tomorrow just a short distance from the marina. Thanks for the warm welcome and solid introduction
to the area.
The
stars really are aligned because we were able to connect with globe girdling
Aussie cruisers Liam and Annie (s/v Gone With The Wind) and Chris’ grad school
classmates Brad and Nancy (4/1). Liam
and Annie are at Brunswick Landing Marina – a spot where we might like to leave
Barefeet as we make trips up and down the coast (http://brunswicklandingmarina.com/). And what better way to learn about the place
than from our (temporary) resident friends?! It was great to see
these guys and they look healthy and strong and ready for another cruising
season after a couple of health scares (one a piece). Take care guys – hope to see ya here later in
the year.
Grad
school in North Carolina for Chris was…gulp…twenty-five years ago?! Sadly, it has taken that long for us to get
to Savannah to visit Brad and Nancy. We
met for drinks at their lovely home and continued chatting and catching up right
through dinner at delicious Lili’s Restaurant and Bar (http://www.lilisrestaurantandbar.com/). Little did we know that the internationally
inspired dishes implied a vibrant ethnic food scene bursting in Savannah. Who knew?!
Thanks
to knowledgeable friends we have created long lists of eateries and shops and
parks and plantations to visit and it was time that we got started (4/2). Historic Savannah is a city on a river laid
out in an easily navigated grid pattern with more than twenty squares scattered
around the city. The squares better resemble
gleaming jewelry box sized gardens perfect for a bit of sitting in the shade between
shopping forays or landmark spotting. Former
cotton warehouses along the riverfront are now galleries, restaurants and bars. Savannah is both old and new. She was established in 1733, was a strategic
port during the Revolutionary and Civil Wars and today is an industrial port
only surpassed in terminal volumes on the east coast by the combined volumes of
New York and New Jersey. Savannah is
lively and vibrant at her core wrapped in a charming historical embrace. We are smitten.
Now
for a bit more about the practical side of Savannah. She is not just a tourist town with t-shirt
shops and photo ops. We
found ourselves
checking things off of our To Do lists right and left; haircut for
Chris, Home
Depot run, Supermarket stop, comforter for the bed (our bed has looked
like a pile of laundry as we stack as many blankets as we have
aboard...time to admit it is cold at night), ethnic ingredients like
panang curry…even a humble
cocktail on the river without 200 of our closest, bus touring friends. We like it here.
Okay,
the clock is ticking down for our time left in Savannah but we can squeeze in a
couple more sites; Bonaventure Cemetery and Wormsloe Plantation (4/3). The Bonaventure Cemetery is on a bluff
overlooking the Wilmington River.
Although beautiful and once described by John Muir as, “…the most
impressive assemblages of animal and plant creatures I have ever met,” the
cemetery was largely unknown until John Berendt’s novel “Midnight in the Garden
of Good and Evil” catapulted it into the world’s eye. We strolled beneath the live oaks draped in
Spanish moss (yes, we still love them).
Splashes of color explode randomly from bright blooming camellias and azaleas and wisteria. We found beloved young Gracie’s burial surrounded by toys
and stuffed animals but we could not find songwriter Johnny Mercer’s grave
(Moon River among others) – the biting bugs were simply too ferocious so close
to the river.
It
was coming up on 5pm and we needed to get to Wormsloe Plantation before it
closed. This was our last visit in
Savannah and located nearby the marina on Isle of Hope. The Plantation covers 822 acres including a
magnificent 1.5-mile oak avenue entrance.
Noble Jones built the original buildings in 1736 and his descendants still
live at Wormsloe House and its immediate surrounding area.
We simply do not get tired of the stately live oaks draped with Spanish
moss. Beyond the dense oak-pine forest
lay rambling creeks through grassy marshes.
It is stunning and tranquil. The
oak avenue is an especially popular spot for photos and we counted no less than
three wedding parties during our short visit on Sunday afternoon. Everyone exhibited immense discipline and
composure in their wedding finery striving for lovely photos until...shutters clicked…then all crumbles and everyone
immediately begins scratching and squirming from biting bugs.
That
is it for Georgia. We thoroughly enjoyed
exploring these new cruising grounds (to us) for the first time. It
was a real struggle not to carry the camera every second…something hard to imagine from all the plethora of photos in this log?!
The stunning beauty of the Barrier islands is wonderfully unique and did
not quit…not even at sunrise on the day of our early departure. Now it is onward to South Carolina.
We
took another hop outside since the weather was calm and quiet (4/4). We had many miles to make and were lucky to
have current pushing us along…we were going as much as 9.5 knots while exiting
the Savannah River. Speed demons! We exited the Savannah River into the Atlantic
Ocean, passed by Hilton Head, came back inside the ICW at Port Royal Sound,
passed Parris Island and anchored off Beaufort, SC. Back in familiar waters we celebrated
completing our Georgia adventures with grilled steaks, baked potatoes and
steamed artichokes with butter and lemon.
A bit too much wind against tide made for a noisy night with earplugs a requiremnt in
order to sleep more soundly. Wind against tide is a constant anchoring dilemma in this corner of the world.
Beaufort
holds fond memories for us and it was nice to return after...ten years. Where does the time go?! Tops on our list of must-eat was lunch at Sgt White’s BBQ
on Boundary Street. The place is only
open 11am – 3pm so we made sure not to miss the window (4/5). Holy cow!
It is as delicious as ever even if ownership has possibly changed. So much remains the same - icluding the emphasis on the Marines and it is definitely the décor
of choice. Veteran Sgt White showcases both
sides of war; the honor and the horror including great support for the Disabled
American Veterans. It is a real ying and
yang…one photo showing a squadron of smokers proudly improvised in a
battlefield kitchen thanks to dozens of metal trash cans and stove pipes…beside…the
inquiry - would you have made a different choice if you had known it all. It is a lot to think about as you wait your
turn to order at the counter, trying to keep taste buds in check. I had BBQ ribs with mac and cheese, fried
okra and corn bread, Chris had a pulled pork sandwich with mac and cheese and
candied sweet potatoes…and lemonade all around.
This meal will have us settled for dinner, too.
Cooler temperatures had us bundled up a bit more than usual including socks and shoes. The
town of Beaufort has lovely neighborhoods that Hollywood has often used in
movies (e.g. The Big Chill, Forest Gump, and others). We walked off a bit of lunch roaming the tree
lined streets before I dropped Chris at a coffee shop on Bay Street and I did a
bit of retail therapy. Winds had died
down by the time we returned to Barefeet which resulted in a calm feel to the boat
sitting at anchor. We settled into the top
deck for sundowners gently swaying with the shifting current. Darkness slowly descended as lights ashore
illuminated and we can imagine the twinkling flames glowing from gas lamps. Beaufort conjures romantic notions and simple
times.
Our
next few days will be slow steps north anchoring in creeks beside marshes on our way
to Charleston where we will gather friends Lino and Phyllis for time aboard.