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ICW FROM
FERNANDINA, FL
We were nervous again, worrying about the shallow depths of ICW. We now had to be very aware of the tides to make sure we had enough depth to get us through some the shallower areas. Larry would calculate how long it would take to reach a shallow area and then figure out what the tide would be and how much depth we would have when we reached that point. I don’t know how he figured it out as the route curved like a snake but he did.
We sadly left Fernandina on our journey ahead. We had a great time there and will have fond memories of that quaint town. We headed past the southern tip of Cumberland Island and discussed how we would like to anchor out across from the island if we ever came back this way. We were amazed at the untouched beauty. The island stretched a good 17.5 miles of pure wild beaches, dotted with wild grazing horses, and acres of salt marshes. It was a site to behold.
Early on we passed Kings Bay submarine base and the start of the ICW markers that we had to pay serious attention to if we were to not go aground. We passed the large metal structure that is used to demagnetize the nuclear submarines. It was huge, about the length of a couple football fields. I was amazed to think that the path we were now traveling was the path that these monster nuclear subs took! I was also amazed at how close we were allowed to travel to the base. We were careful to make sure we were not too close as to come within the restricted limits of the base. We were also straining to watch for the first marker that would lead us into the shallow areas of the salt water marshes. We had been warned by locals that the first marker was tricky to spot and to be careful because many have had problems finding it. Suddenly, we were hailed on the radio by someone at the sub base making sure that we knew the correct turn. We couldn’t see anyone but we answered back that we did see the marker and proceeded on. It was like Big Brother was watching us. I took a last picture of base as we made our turn and in the days following as I was looking at my pictures, I blew up a spec on the picture to discover a small zodiac with a machine gun mounted on the front with a guy inside watching us. I guess that’s who called us. We thought how the world has changed with the increased security.
We watched as the tide changed. When the tide was low, the exposed mud sides of the channel showed clearly but then later as the tide came in, the water filled the channel well into the salt marshes and the channel was not as discernable. It was a changing landscape. We didn’t see much in the way of humanity or building structures because this was a remote area on the east coast as it very inaccessible by car and the mud base was not conducive to holding up any building. We were amazed at the abundance of wild life including birds of various sizes and shapes and we admired the various shades of greens and yellows of the salt march grass. It was a vast wasteland but full of life and activity.
It took a good part of the day to pass Cumberland Island.
We just marveled at the beauty of it natural untouched landscape. It was wild
yet beautiful with full bodied trees and cliff like shores with snarled
driftwood littering its grassy shores. The sight of wild stallions grazing
along the shore was just unbelievable. As we finally after many hours came to
the end of Cumberland island on our right and the flat salt marshes on our left
we had to almost go out to sea again to make our way back into to the ICW to
avoid a large shoal that has built up over the years at the inlet at the end of
Cumberland Island. This was another stretch of the journey that locals had
warned us about. They emphasized that we must continue on out to sea even
though the natural urge is to go straight across to Jekyll Island. We were
warned not to get the markers confused as it won’t see like we will be going the
right way. I’m glad they warned us because it was exactly as they said. We
left the calms waters of the ICW and headed straight out into the choppy windy
sea only to make a turn to come right back in but avoiding the building shoal. As we headed out to sea, I couldn’t help but gasp at the magnificent shoreline of Cumberland Island. It was wild like the stallions that made their home there and desolate. The white sands stretched as far as the eye could see and the winds kissed the shore blowing the trees and shaping them. The shore was straddled with large broken trees that were almost sand blasted from the strong winds that the Atlantic sends their way. It was magnificent in its loneliness and beauty!
As we turned and made our way back in the inlet but on the
opposite of the long shoal that forced us out to see we began to focus our
interest on the shores of Jekyll Island. It was littered with signs of humanity
and the most striking was a semi buried ship wreck. The only thing that was
visible was the lonely mast that projected up through the white sand. It was
slightly leaning over but still standing even after Mother Nature has continued
to bury it slowly deeper and deeper into the white sand.
We made the curve into the channel that cuts past the inside
of Jekyll Island. I was surprised to see a huge new bridge spanning the
short cut over to this small island. As we came closer I was shocked to see a huge structure
emerging from the landscape. It was none other than a huge water slide
park! What had happened to the quaint Jekyll Island that I had remembered
10 years ago? Beyond the mega structure was the old familiar small concrete
bridge that I had remembered. Now it was cut out in the center and was no longer useful,
just remnants left to remind us of a time gone by. We passed the small new
marina to our right and began to see the spire of the Jekyll Island Hotel ahead. It was like a tower of some European castle poking up
over the trees. It seemed so out of place but was so romantic and
whimsical that it excited me to see it in the distance.
We passed the original dock of the hotel. It was small
and rustic. We could only get small glimpses of the hotel through
occasional breaks in the trees. We couldn’t take our eyes off the channel much to take it all
in as it was very shallow and at low tide. We could see the mud sides as
we meandered through the salt marshes that lead out from the island. We
passed that hotel that had so interested me years back in a swift moment. Our attention was focused on getting out of this narrow
shallow mud channel and into some deeper waters. We heard on the radio that a barge had intentions of
entering the channel and we really wanted to be out of there before he came in. Just as we made the long final narrow stretch and as fate
must test us again, we had failed to pass through the channel before the barge,
so we carefully maneuvered slowly past the barge with minimum clearance on each
side. We finally emptied into the large channel and entrance to St.
Simmons and New Brunswick a major shipping port.
Suddenly we left the serene pastoral landscape and its quiet beauty to the sudden challenges of channel buoys galore. We were entering major shipping channels and had to keep our wits about us. It was an additional challenge as some of the markers on our charts weren’t current with what was really there. It threw our bearings off a little at first but we soon figured out what direction we needed to go. We hailed our marina on the radio as we neared the river entrance for further directions and the dock master told us exactly how to find the current markers and make a safe entry into our next dock for the night.
ST SIMMONS
The marina was selected mostly for its
convenient location as it was close to the inlet to the Atlantic. We would be
venturing out again from the ICW to the ocean for our last leg to Savanna. We
chose this marina because it was close to the inlet and would not require a lot
of time to get out in the morning nor coordinating our departure with tides and
currents.
It wasn’t the most convenient for site seeing
if you don’t have a car. It was a long haul if you intended to walk
somewhere and then too long if you decided to walk back. I was somewhat
disappointed that we hadn’t docked at Jekyll Island but could understand Larry’s
logic about the ability to leave easily and quickly for our next long sea
journey up the coast. He
consoled me by renting a car so we could drive the few miles to Jekyll Island
and see it that way. I was happy with that suggestion and knowing that
also we could see the other surrounding sites nearby.
It was a good idea to have the protection of
the car because the weather had been quite rainy and the storm in the late
afternoon was a strong one. So now we had wheels and could venture anywhere and
be dry.
JEKYLL ISLAND Jekyll Island founded in 1886 was once the grand retreat of the rich and famous. Families with the names of Morgan, Pulitzer, Vanderbilt and Rockefeller were frequent visitors during the winter season. Now the old hotel has been turned into a modern day resort where everyone can experience a taste of the past. The hotel itself is a site to behold with its famed turret. The surrounding structures on the grounds have been restored to perfect condition. The mansions left by these fabulously rich people are amazing and within a small block of the hotel. Each mansion very different from the next, was very accessible by walking and easily viewed as there are no fences or hedges to block views. I find it so fascinating that these huge mansions were all built without kitchens since they did all their dining at the hotel.
CLICK ON JEKYLL PHOTOS to see more photos
NEW BRUNSWICK
We left Jekyll Island with different memories
than the memories I had ten years earlier.
The marina at New Brunswick was located within a block of what the cruising book described as the historical waterfront. The downtown area was like a ghost town. The stores, many of them, were vacant. There was not a restaurant or café to be found that was open. It was a charming old downtown and looked as if it has just been renovated with new pedestrian areas and plantings but nothing was happening. The store fronts were definitely period architecture at it’s best but, empty. We drove the many streets in the residential area and were amazed at the historical homes. It was block after block of history locked in place. Unfortunately, many of the homes were in need of renovating and paint and yards needed grooming. This town has so much potential. Block after block of total neighborhoods with parks and cottages, and mansions, all as it was in its time. If people were interested or had the money to come in and restore the homes it could be a fantastic place but not sure if it will ever happen. Hope it can be saved.
ST SIMMONS ISLAND
As we crossed the bridge over onto the island,
the lush green landscape and huge moss covered trees was such a contrast to
anything we had seen yet. The homes were beautiful and expensive. This was an
island of elegance, grace and money. We saw a glimpse of a different style of
architecture emerging and that was of the flood basement which seemed typical
for most of the houses. The main floor was on the second story and the bedrooms
on the third. They were all grand and stylish and we were beginning to get a
taste of what the old south is all about. Not only were the landscape and
houses different but the people were different. We were picking up on a
definite southern drawl and plenty good manners. It felt warm and welcoming and
oozed southern hospitality.
We soon found the small business district which
consisted of a couple of town blocks. It was mostly comprised of cute
shops and cafes. We decided on the one that was the busiest with people
waiting in line outside. It was also dog friendly and we didn’t have a
long wait, especially if we sat outside, because the weather was hot and muggy,
and most people wanted to sit inside with the air conditioning. We were
soon ordering up typical southern fare which is comfort food all the way.
It was hard to narrow choices down because everything sounded so delicious.
One thing that we especially liked was multiple choices on side dishes that came
with your order. You could order from a huge selection of delicious
sounding sides to complement your order. Things like sautéed spinach,
sweet potatoes, corn on the cob, garlic mashed potatoes and on and on.
The desserts were sinful and southern, including pecan pie and sweet potato pie
and not to forget rich bread pudding with rum sauce. Wow, it was great!
We walked off our lunch window shopping and exploring the waterfront. We noticed many signs in the windows thanking “our secret service”. We found out from the shop keepers that they were everywhere during the G8 Conference and had perfect manners and seemed to charm the town totally. All the people we talked to loved having the conference on their island even though it meant loss of income to many of them for a week. The town was filled with American flags of all sizes decorating all the store fronts, gates and fences. Even cars had flags and signs of patriotism. It was energizing to see the support. We walked to the town pier and read the permanent signs about hurricane evacuation procedures and wondered could it be possible that such a seemingly perfect place could be threatened with such disasters. We wandered over to the light house and the light house keeper’s house. We admired the ornate but simple detail in the architecture. It seemed like a different time when people had time or pride to detail the end of eaves and fence posts with such care. It makes the buildings look so much more important and pleasurable to look at. It was a time when fine craftsmanship was the norm and when people took time to make things sturdy, pleasing to the eye, and of good quality material. The island was a wonderment of wealth, charm and beauty and just oozed with the southern hospitality. As we made our way home, we came upon a roadside farm stand and loaded up as much fresh corn, beefsteak tomatoes, and fruit that we could. I noticed a sign for boiled peanuts and asked about them as the locals were buying them by the bagful. The lady gave me a handful to try and for the life of me I can’t understand how anybody could like them. YUK! Well, we drove by the famous golf course and resort that the G8 stayed in and it was elegant and lush. Someday it might be nice to come and stay there for a long weekend. We felt like we saw a lot in a day and were anxious to head on up the way to Savanna our next stop.......... NOW ON to SAVANNA
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The G8 Conference was over and the ICW was open again. It
was like a mass exit from Fernandina as all the boats were prohibited from
traveling the ICW near the conference and it had created quite a traffic jam. I
was anxious to take this route because it went by Jekyll Island Georgia. I had
been there years before with my mother and thought it was so beautiful. I was
anxious to show it to Larry.
We had a great day meandering through the salt marshes. We
didn’t cover much ground in a straight direction but miles in a back and forth
direction. The ICW was like a winding river, slowly making its way through the
salt marshes. At times we would pass a boat and hours later we would see it
again through the marshes, though we were miles ahead in distance covered, but
only a few miles in actual distance through the marshes. This was because the
path zig zagged back and forth so much. 
The only sign of life near this lonely sight was an odd mix of birds that seemed
to have found some kind of interest in hanging about near the graveyard of this
ship. We wondered at the circumstances of the ship that met such
a sad fate and we glad we were entering this precarious channel with good
weather and had been warned so well by the locals.
It was a friendly helpful staff at Golden
Isles Marina. They eagerly took our lines and helped us in. They immediately
apologized that the marina restaurant was closed because of the G8 Conference
but they would gladly shuttle us anywhere we’ d like to go for dinner. Amazed
at the hospitality we thanked them and settled in. Not much time had passed
before a huge afternoon storm came in and we decided that we’d forgo a shuttle
to a nice restaurant in this downpour and instead settle in for a nice home
cooked meal on the boat. There’s something really nice about staying in nice
and cozy during a rain storm.
The hotel in itself is an amazing place but
really needs a new face lift. The lobby is very run down and unimpressive. I
still loved the elegance of the main dining room and could easily visualize how
it was in its heyday. We wondered down to the hotel dock and though there were
a couple small boats there, we thought that the dock could handle a boat of our
size. The docks were old and worn, but sturdy. The center of the wooden
walkways was worn into a concave shape from years of use. They had a small “Rah
Bar” that wasn’t open but looked like a fun place to munch on some juicy
oysters. The huge trees are worth mentioning as they really give a romantic
feel to the area. They are evergreen oaks and enormous. They are quite
different from the oaks that we are used to in California. They are covered in
Spanish moss and the site of them really makes you feel like you’re in the
south. I love the old time elegance of the place and hope that the new bridge
and things like the water park don’t encourage overbuilding to take away from
this very special place that still seem locked in time.
We decided to drive over the new mega bridge to New Brunswick and see the
historic waterfront. It had been another consideration for a marina if we
had not been intent on leaving early to make our trip up the Atlantic. It
was only a short 10 minute drive from Jekyll so we decided to check it out.
We were getting hungry by now and we headed
back to the location of our marina. We decided to explore St. Simmons for a
small café to have some lunch. We hoped to find a little café where we could
sit outside with Ziggy. As we left Florida and got into Georgia, we noticed
more and more the popularity of Low Country cuisine. Things such as Low Country
Boil which is shrimp, smoked sausage, red potatoes, and corn on the cob in a
spicy boil or crab cakes was becoming a regular thing on menus. Shrimp and
grits is a favorite even for breakfast and everything comes with hush
puppies. There’s also a lot of delicious fried chicken and gravy, mmmh good and
of course beans and rice is a favorite. 
