June 6 – Jekyll Island, GA

Day 92 – Travel and Chores

Jekyll Harbor Marina

We left our peaceful anchorage at Cumberland Island after breakfast and had an easy run to Jekyll Island. There are quite a few wildfires west of the ICW, so it was a little hazy today. We went past the Naval Submarine Base at Kings Bay, if they are moving a sub, all traffic has to wait. We saw a few large Coast Guard boats that escort the subs through the ICW, but no subs. We arrived at Jekyll Island around 11:30, had lunch and then we both got busy…I did laundry and Stan washed the boat. The marina is very nice; it has a pool, so I got to go for a swim while I waited for the wash. We used the courtesy car this afternoon to go to the store for a few items and then drove around the north end of the island. We wanted to ride our bikes to the historic district for dinner; but there was a little thunder and a chance of rain so we ate dinner on the boat. We walked up to the restaurant at the marina for dessert...we enjoyed a very good piece of chocolate cake. We'll wait until tomorrow to explore the island.

SeaJay's Waterfront Cafe and the pool area

Marina office

My view over the pool to the laundry room

June 5 - Cumberland Island, GA

Day 91 - Wild Houses

Cumberland Island National Seashore - Anchorage

Right after breakfast we loaded our bikes on the dinghy and went ashore. Cumberland Island is beautiful. The island is covered with saltwater marshes, forests and beaches, and is home to bands of feral horses. Within the first thirty minutes on the island we had seen deer, turkeys and horses. Our first destination was the beach on the south end of the island. To get to the beach we had to cross some of the biggest sand dunes I've even seen. The beaches here are very wide; I guess the seven foot tide swing is the reason. We found a few nice shells and some sand dollars. Our next stop was the ruins of the Dungeness mansion.

Here's a little history of this part of the island: Revolutionary General Nathanael Greene purchased land on Cumberland in 1783 and his wife had a 4-story tabby (tabby is a type of concrete made from oyster shells, lime and sand) home built that she named Dungeness. In 1884, Thomas Carnegie (brother of Andrew Carnegie) and his wife Lucy built a home on Dungeness’s foundations and also called their home Dungeness. It was a grand place where tycoons, senators and statesmen gathered for all kinds of events. However after Lucy’s death in 1916 and with the onslaught of the great depression, the home was abandoned and fell into ruin. In the 1970’s the ruins and land were donated to the National Park Foundation and it became Cumberland Island National Seashore. Even in ruins you can imagine what a grand place this once was, with every need met from one of the 300 people the Carnegie's employed. We really enjoyed watching the horses in this area. We went through a small museum near the ferry dock that gave a little history of the island and the people who have called it home for the past 400 years.

We went back to the boat for lunch and then to the beach near the Sea Camp dock. This area is used for camping and is amazingly pretty. Large oak trees and palmetto everywhere. Our big find this afternoon was three starfish. By five o'clock we were exhausted from riding our bikes on the soft sand roads and walking on the beach. We're definitely in better shape now than we were three months ago. We both agreed this is one of the best parks we have been to.

One of the roads on the island

Sites on the way to the beach

Boardwalk over the dunes

Huge dunes on the Atlantic side of the island

The Beach

The entrance to Dungeness

Ruins of the main house

Horses around the grounds of the mansion

Turkeys on the grounds of the mansion

Our new bikes (Sun Drifter 3)

June 4 - Cumberland Island, GA

Day 90 - Welcome to Georgia

Cumberland Island National Seashore - Anchorage

Our first stop this morning was the Fernandina Beach farmer's market. We picked up blueberries, onions, tomatoes and a loaf of cinnamon bread. We crossed into Georgia shortly after we left Fernandina Beach. We spent 72 wonderful days in Florida, but we are excited about moving north. Our next stop was St. Mary's to visit the Cumberland Island National Seashore Visitors Center. We looked at the displays about the island, picked up some information and a map, and then spent a little time walking around town. 

Our final destination for today was Cumberland Island. We are anchored close to one of the ferry docks and will dinghy in tomorrow to explore the island. This evening we got to see one of the wild horses and her colt grazing along the shoreline at low tide. Our other entertainment this evening was watching a beautiful sunset and fish jumping all around us. It's very quiet and peaceful here; we can even hear the waves crashing ashore on the other side of the island.

Farmer's Market

Our first mooring ball

St. Mary's

Ferry dock at Cumberland Island National Seashore

Wild horses

Another beautiful sunset