The Sawgrass Country

After leaving Jacksonville we passed through a low marshy area of the waterway to Fernandina Beach – the last miles of Florida.  North of Fernandina, which is the northern point of Amelia Island, we entered Georgia.

Generally the first stop we make in Georgia is Cumberland Island formerly property of the Thomas Carnegie family which built an incredible mansion there in 1882.  The island separates the Atlantic Ocean from the ICW and is a wonderful stop because it provides a safe anchorage, and sightseeing on the island, which is now a National Seashore, is spectacular.  But this time we didn’t stop for a number of reasons, the most important of which was that a friend of ours from our sailing days in St. Louis was up the coast about twenty-five miles at Jekyll Island and was only going to be there one night.  We hadn’t seen Barry in a few years and wanted to hurry along to say hello before he had to return home, and so we pressed on to Jekyll Harbor Marina.

Just beyond Cumberland we motored past the U.S. Navy’s Kings Bay Submarine base and were treated to the sight of two boats lying at the quay.  It is always a thrill for us to pass by a military installation and see our flag flying proudly.   We didn’t have much time to gawk however because the navigation marks change in this area and it requires our attention to make sure we remain on course.

In Georgia it is VERY important to remain on course because the waterway is often quite shallow and the tidal swing is significant, as much as 6-8’ in most locations.  We arrived at Jekyll at the max ebb tide which means that the current is running very fast; because we had to dock perpendicular to the current it was challenging but Larry handled it with his usual skill and even received compliments from the marina staff on his docking.  The plus benefit was that we got the last slip and it right next to our friend.  We had a great evening catching up on old times.

The second reason we felt compelled to hurry along was because bad weather was in the forecast.  After spending the night at Jekyll, also a stop worth a longer look, the forecast looked good for the first half of the day and we decided to move up another 20 miles or so.  Now normally we like to put in 50-60 miles a day, well to be honest I like to put in about that much – Larry will go for much more.  In Georgia, depending on the tide cycle, this becomes really important because the tidal swings are among the highest in the country, and certainly the most extreme for where we travel.  Add to that the fact that the ICW if very poorly maintained in this area and we often need the help of the high tide in order to have adequate depth in some areas.  Thus those twenty miles put us in a good position to get a run at a very shallow section and position ourselves to traverse it near high tide.

Anyway after a couple of hours we put in at another marina.  This is a first for us because on our past trips we have generally anchored in Georgia rather than paying marina fees for a one night stop.  This trip however, the weather has been in one of those cycles where it can’t decide.  After devastating Alabama and Arkansas the big storm that was forecast to hit us sort of stalled out and flooded the Gulf Coast before it moved on over to this coast.  Thus our stop at Hidden Harbor Club was for three days and not just one night.  Still, given the punch that this storm was packing we didn’t want to challenge it. 

View from the deck of Hidden Harbor Marina

 

Hidden Harbor is just north of Brunswick, GA and proved to be a delightful rural stop, just the kind of marina we like.  The floating docks were close to the clubhouse which had comfy rockers and overstuffed sofas as well as a television and fast Wi-Fi, so we were able to catch up on all of the video and you-tube of the storm damage in locations that we are oh so familiar with.  Including Lucy’s Branch Marina up on the Tennessee River, which was destroyed in a tornado, and the flooding in Fairhope, and Pensacola where we have friends.  Luckily, with the exception of the devastation at Lucy’s Branch, all of our friends fared OK - although some were without power.

By the time it finally got Brunswick the storm had pretty much wore itself out and rather than thunderstorms and north winds at 20-25 mph all we got was cooler air and a little drizzle.  But you never know and we try to err on the side of caution.  Part of what makes our lifestyle so much fun is that we don’t travel with much of a schedule and so it is easy to be flexible.  It is often when we do something we hadn’t anticipated that we meet the most interesting people and have the most fun.