Month: May 2020

The trip from Brunswick to St. Simon was only about ten miles. We left just as the rain was starting. I was driving from the inside lower helm today due to the weather. As soon as we were clear of the dock the rain started coming down harder. I was glad to be inside and the windshield wipers were doing their job. At one point we couldn’t see too far in front of us, so I had all the running lights on and we were second guessing our decision to leave. Soon the rain started to lighten up, then stop. We were also getting close to our destination, so I went upstairs to dock from there where I am more comfortable and have much better views. We called the dockmaster and told him where we were and he said he would meet us at the slip he directed us to. We pulled in without incident and he secured our front line. He then told me from ten feet away he would just take all our info here so we do not have to have any contact. At least they were taking it seriously. Once the information exchange was complete he retreated to the office and sent me a text of the receipt, again so there was no actual close contact. Nice. Most marinas (not all) we have found will let us dock, but there are no facilities or amenities available which is okay with us.

We took the bikes off and rode across the bridge to St. Simons Island. We rode to the end of the island to see the St. Simons Lighthouse (museum). The museum was closed, but we got some pictures. We continued around the island and circled back to the marina. We were hanging out on the boat when Lauren discovered there are ‘Tree Spirits‘ on the island, so we hopped back on the bikes and took off to find them before it got dark. From the visitors guide: “If you look closely at certain majestic oak trees that cover St. Simons Island, it’s possible to find one gazing back at you. Either peering out from the trunk (in-between two huge branches) or from the stub of a long-vanished branch, you may see the unmistakable image of a weathered face. These are the Tree Spirits of St. Simons Island…In the 1980’s, artist Keith Jennings decided to make his mark on St. Simons Island, carving about 20 faces from the island’s famous oak trees. Each unique face is hand-carved, taking the artist between two and four days to complete. It’s not surprising that they each have a unique personality and look!…Legend has it, the images immortalize the countless sailors who lost their lives at sea aboard the mighty sailing ships that were once made from St. Simons Island oak. Their sad, sorrowful expressions seem to reflect the grieving appearance of the trees themselves with their drooping branches and moss.But if you look a little closer, you can see that there are more than just sailors amongst these tree faces. Artist Keith Jennings attributes the artwork to the spirit of the tree. He carefully carves the faces from the wood, but his artwork simply reveals each tree’s soul.”

We returned to the boat for the second time in the dark. Frank got another walk in and we looked for our next destination. We decided we would head to an anchorage off Sapelo Island, in the Duplin River. It looked promising with plenty of depth and easy shore access to walk the dog…

Morning came and we took the bikes back to shore for another tour of Jekyll Island. We explored, stopping by the small airport to watch a plane take off, then on to the Horton House and other ruins nearby. In 1735, William Horton was granted Jekyll Island by the trustees of the colony of Georgia. Following a Spanish attack that destroyed his first house on the island, Horton rebuilt the home that still stands today with the help of indentured servants in 1743. Horton distinguished himself through his leadership in the fledgling colony. As one of Gen. Oglethorpe’s top military aides, Horton was in charge of troops garrisoned at Fort Frederica on nearby St. Simons Island. Horton “found the land exceeding rich” on his Jekyll Island property, and grew a variety of crops to supply the nearby Frederica Settlement. Horton also brewed Georgia’s first beer at his plantation on Jekyll Island. The site also includes the cemetery of the DuBignon Family, which owned Jekyll from 1790 to 1886 and occupied the house as their home from 1790 until sometime in the mid-1800s. The Horton House is one of the oldest tabby buildings in Georgia, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. After our tour of the ruins, we got some lunch at The Love Shack in Jekyll Market and and ate it in the sun, in a courtyard close to the beach. We rode around a bit longer then headed back to the boat to load the bikes and take Frank for a walk before pulling up our anchor.

We were only going about ten miles from Jekyll Island to Brunswick, so we didn’t have to leave until later in the day. We had made a reservation at a marina in Brunswick due to the upcoming storms that were forecast for the next couple of days. The marina is well known and quite large. Its website says “Brunswick Landing Marina is a 101-acre marina with approximately 347 wet slips plus 100 dry slips and is able to accommodate vessels up to 250-ft in length. Our floating concrete docks are built tough and secured by 14″ x 14″ reinforced concrete piles. Used by the US Navy until recently as a hurricane hole, we are surrounded by land on three sides which protects the docks and customers boats from hurricanes. This unique geographic quality is why during hurricanes every one of the 347 slips at the marina are occupied.” It is not the cheapest place to stay, but it does have some amenities such as a dog park on site, normally they have weekly parties for boaters- but not now due to Corona, but they do have FREE BEER! They have a keg in their clubhouse that boaters can enjoy at anytime. Obviously they frown upon taking pitchers of beer away, but you can fill your mug as much as you want. We were approaching the marina and I had made radio contact with the dockmaster about where we would be docking. I saw that the slip was next to another trawler and there were a couple of empty slips next to us. I called on the radio and asked if we could be one slip over? He didn’t hesitate and said no. He then called back and asked why did I not want to be next to the other boat? I replied due to the current ‘social distancing’ guidelines- we would prefer not to be right next to another boat if possible. He told me ‘no’ again and made a lame joke about the other boat being a ‘partier’. I also noticed the other boat owner was standing there listening- Oh well- nothing I could do about it so we made our way in to the slip. As a side note: the empty slips next to us were never occupied during our time there, so there was no good reason to deny our request. Obviously they were not too worried about the current virus situation around here, which did not make us feel too safe. Once the lines were secure and Frank was walked, we retreated to the boat and ordered a pizza.

Day 2- We took the bikes and rode around town. I am looking for shaft packing- it is special rope-like weave that winds around the shaft internally that allows the shaft to spin and water to drip to keep it cool, but expands to minimize the dripping. Lately it has been dripping more than I like, so I am trying to find the replacement so I can attempt to change it out. We rode to a West Marine store which I had called and they assured me they have the packing. When I showed them what I am looking for (I have a small left over piece from the previous owner) they looked shocked and said they don’t carry anything in that size. Damn. The search will go on. We then stopped at a grocery store next door and stocked up on some supplies. We can only buy as much as we can carry on our bikes and backpack. We got our supplies and made it back to the boat. I then went to the clubhouse for the free beer. There was a table of boaters hanging out inside, so I grabbed a beer and went outside so I could stay socially distanced. At least they had hand sanitizer right next to the tap handle so I could sanitize before and after pouring the beer. Lauren eventually joined me for a couple of beers before we went back to the boat for dinner and a series of Zoom meetings with friends and family to finish the day.

Day 3- The rain was continuing on and off the last few days and today was more of the same. Lauren did laundry (it too was free) and we went for another bike ride. We stopped at a cupcake shop and got some cupcakes. I found my way back to the clubhouse for more free beer, and the rest of the day was uneventful. We looked at our next destination- St. Simon Island. Lauren really wanted to check this island out, but we couldn’t find a good anchorage on our charts and the rain was to continue, so we called a marina and made another reservation. Again it was not cheap- $2.50/ ft, but they do offer a ten percent discount for BoatUS members, which we are. We only wanted to stay one night so it wouldn’t be too bad…