“On the road...ahem, waterway...again!

Traveling the coast of Georgia on the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) is a twisty-turny affair. At 7 miles an hour...your fast-paced walk...it takes three six-hour days of chugging to get from St. Mary’s to Savannah. The marsh land stretches out on both sides with creeks and fingerlets of water winding off into nowhere or somewhere every so often. After departing Brunswick Landing Marina, with its protected docks and welcoming atmosphere, we had three anchoring choices ahead of us. The marinas along that section are rustic and well off the ICW down some of those creeks. A 5-mile side-trip is maybe not the best plan for making progress.

It actually becomes a 10 mile detour! Two shrimp boats came out of one of those side creeks. It was a bit intimidating to share a confined space with the wings that extend far out on each side of these sizable work boats. We passed by two of the recommended anchoring spots because it was too early in the day. When we turned into the Wahoo River, we parted ways with a 40’ Heritage East Trawler “Companion” that had fallen in behind us early in the day.

Ron and Kathrin had been good company as we chatted on the VHF working channel through out the day. We had just begun to make our way up the Wahoo when we were greeted by a pod of dolphins. They escorted us up around the first bend in the river and we dropped anchor in their midst. Fantastic! The green-bodied horse flies that arrived in droves as the evening sky began to pink were not so fantastic. The screens protecting “the back porch” were our saving grace. Through them we were able to watch a mother wild pig and her four piglets root around on the river back. It doesn’t get much better than that!

Atlanta adventures....

Our 6 hour rental car ride to Atlanta cut a diagonal across Georgia. The southeastern roadways are lined with tree farms growing southern pine for the local production of pulp and paper, pallets and telephone poles. It was encouraging to see industry flourishing with renewable resources. We were welcomed to our “home-away-from-home” with balloon-bedecked poems on the mailbox. Emily(7) and Bailey(41/2) really know how to make Nan and Pop feel special! Erin and Brett have opened up the center of their Craftsman Bungalow home by removing some partitions and doorways and adding some drop lighting. It’s remarkable how much more useable the space is now. Erin always has a found-item project underway. She has recently rescued and restored a dining table and chairs. They are so attractive and comfortable. We are always impressed by her boundless enthusiasm for her home, her children, her husband and her extended family. Wally built a chicken tractor. It allows the three chickens to be able to scratch around the yard protected from hawk attacks or too much “attention” from puppy Cupcake. The girls and Cupcake did have to try it out first. Early in our stay, Erin treated us to one of her favorite Atlanta landmarks... Fernbank. It houses an amazing collection of natural history artifacts and great hands-on activities. She also made sure we had our spring pilgrimage to IKEA. You never know what clever space-saving ideas might work on a boat. Swimming at the neighborhood “Y”, walking the girls to the local park, visiting Emily’s school on Cultural Appreciation Day and seeing Bailey’s performance on Celebrate Diversity Day were all highlights of our 10 days. Brett, Emily and Bailey topped off our stay by creating wonderful Mother’s Day wall hangings for Mom and Nan and Grandma featuring the girls posing in the park with the letters LOVE. What a great way to take our sweeties along with us. We are truly blessed with such a loving family!

Brunswick, Georgia

We are about to leave Summertime for two weeks and make a 4-hour drive to Atlanta. Thanks to Enterprise Car Rentals who pick us up and deliver us back to the marina, we have wheels! We’ve been keeping in touch with Erin, Brett, Emily and Bailey by phone, but that’s not quite enough. We need some family time with them. We chose to come to Brunswick Landing Marina because it is a top-notch facility and a well-known “hurricane hole”... located well up the East River, it is out of the direct blow of storms. With the dreadful effects of tornadoes happening throughout the mid-west and deep south right now, we are trying to stage our floating home for safety and we’ve taken all the steps we can think of to “batten down the hatches”. We’ll be making a pause in the blog stories for a few weeks, but will resume them as we continue up the waterway in mid-May.

Jekyll Island, a jewel of the Golden Isles...

Once the exclusive playground of the super-rich, Jekyll Island is now owned by the state of Georgia. Wally and I took advantage of the free bike offer at the Jekyll Island Harbor Marina and pedaled much of the 11-mile-long bike trail system. We also took the narrated tram tour. We learned the stories behind the creation of the Jekyll Island Club and witnessed how the privileged lived as we were guided through two of the 19th century tycoon “cottages”. The beaches were stunning; families enjoyed the day playing in the waves and resting under colorful umbrellas as far as the eye could see. Driftwood Beach was especially memorable. Once towering live oaks, whose shallow root systems had been undermined by turbulent wave action, reclined with a silvery beauty all along the upper reaches of the sparkling sand.

Cumberland Island, Georgia...

Our first interaction with Georgia’s barrier islands was on Cumberland Island National Seashore. Over 50 miles of hiking trails lead visitors to beaches, through maritime forests, and beside saltwater marsh areas. We, and at least ten other cruisers, enjoyed a deep anchorage near one of two public docks used by the passenger ferry Lucy Ferguson..the only other way to access the island. Although people have lived on Cumberland Island for thousands of years, little remains to alter the natural features. Wilds horses, 123 at last count, roam and scamper free; quite a sight to behold. Ranger Rene brought the history of the island alive for a group of us as we strolled throughout the property that still has ruins of the Dungeness Mansion. It was first constructed in the late 1700’s and rebuilt in the late 1800’s by Thomas and Lucy Carnegie. A developed campground provides restrooms, cold showers and drinking water for intrepid tenters who are willing and able to carry their gear a half-mile or more.