Georgia, the part of the trip we’ve dreaded most. The part of the Loop we said we’d like to skip. We’ve done this part of the ICW before. Our memories are: hot, buggy, marshy, winding rivers and no water in the channel.
When we left Fernandina Beach, we motored about 8 miles across the FL/GA line and dropped anchor off Cumberland Island. We planned to dinghy in to enjoy a day of hiking and playing on the beach. First, we had to get the dingy motor, i.e., the “evil twin” running. We haven’t used it in nearly two years. We lowered the dinghy from the davits, got the Lehr motor down from the bracket and onto the dinghy. Jim added oil and screwed on a propane cylinder. After about 25 pulls, she sprang to life! Amazing😊
We dinghied to the landing and went ashore at this National Seashore. Paid our entry fee, got a map, and headed to the beach, about ½ mile of beautiful trail with a live oak canopy. We had a picnic lunch on the beach and played in the waves for a while. We decided to take the Lower Loop trail, about 4 ½ miles round-trip. We headed down the beach looking for the trail marker. About 1 ¼ mile down the beach, we hit the trail with boardwalks through the dunes and over the marshy areas. This is where we first saw a few wild horses.
A little further along, we came to the Dungeness ruins, the remains of the Carnegie winter estate. Unbelievable. The main house was originally 37,000 square feet with several outbuildings on the estate including the recreation building that included an indoor heated pool, gymnasium, billiards, and gun room. Had it not burned in 1959, we might have another Biltmore House to enjoy! The ruins are also where the wild horses like to congregate; there must have been 2 dozen or more here. We also saw deer and wild turkey on the island. We completed our hike along the river trail ending back at the Sea Camp Dock where our dinghy awaited. Just as I found my favorite place in South Carolina (Edisto Island), I have found my favorite Georgia spot in the Cumberland Island National Seashore. Back at the boat, we weathered quite a storm squall before dinner, followed by a peaceful night at anchor.
Next stop was Brunswick Landing where we laid over 2 nights to let tropical storm Claudette play through. The forecast indicated lighter winds on day 3, so we departed Brunswick at 7:00 a.m. We traveled through the boring Marshes of Glynn with our buddy boat, Claire. We tiptoed through the Little Mud River (too close to low tide), plowing through the pluff mud most of the way. So excited to see 20’ on our depth sounder, the captain looked back to see how Claire (with one-foot deeper draft) was faring, and BUMP, BUMP…we were on a 1 ½ foot sandbar! We could not back off or plow forward. Jim put up the staysail to give us more forward momentum and Claire did a few passes to create a wake. The right combination! After about an hour, we were underway again. The wind picked up off our beam in the afternoon making for a very rolly ride. We dropped anchor in the Wahoo River in 20+ mph winds and opposing current. We spun like a top for a few hours before the wind settled down, thrilled that our anchor held.
Our last Georgia stop was Thunderbolt Marina just south of Savannah. We drove through heavy rain most of the way there. After recovering from the journey, we had dinner at nearby Tubby’s with Ed & Judi aboard m/v Claire, excellent seafood!
The next morning, Krispy Kreme doughnuts were delivered to our boat. We could get used to that! Later that morning, Jim and I ubered into Savannah and had brunch at Huey’s on the riverfront. YUM! Omelets, Mimosa, and the best beignets I’ve ever had (and that includes New Orleans)! We walked the riverfront then toured the Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum. Incredible model ships and maritime history. We returned to Thunderbolt for café au lait, conversation, and trip planning aboard Claire, the Kady Krogen. So much fun traveling with a buddy boat, Georgia didn’t seem so bad! Tomorrow we leave the peach state in our wake.