Hello Georgia!

Ahoy Virtual Cruisers,

We are now out of 'Frigid Florida' and into Georgia, as of Thursday, the 18th. :) But first, a bit about our journey since St. Augustine.

We moved on to Jacksonville and stayed there for 3 nights, one a delay because of the weather. (cool, cloudy, rainy, and windy). While there, we were able to visit our friends Charlie and Maggie Huggins and enjoy lunch at their home. From Jax, we intended to spend one night on a mooring ball at Fernandina Beach, but changed our minds and went on to St Mary's (into GA) because the mooring balls were across a busy channel from the marina, making it difficult to take Dinah to their dinghy dock and to access the town. Also there was a strong wind (again).

St Mary's (the river divides FL and GA) is a small historic town, somewhat overshadowed by St Simons and Jekyll to the north, but known for lots of history and as the ferry departure site for Cumberland Island. We stayed in St Mary's 2 nights, enjoying the town, the riverside park, the seafood, and especially the day spent on Cumberland Island, which is managed by the National Park Service. We took the noon ferry, enjoyed the ranger's presentation about the history of the island, the now-wild horses, the mansion ruins, the wildlife and plant life. Then we went on to the beach for a picnic lunch, walked a loop back through paths overhung with Live Oaks and Spanish Moss (which, we find out, isn't Spanish and isn't moss). We ended the day with shrimp and oysters at the restaurant right at the end of our dock. Yes!
In the picts, along with the Cumb Island picts, you'll see a sailing yacht (much more than a boat) that was at anchor nearby.

On Saturday morning we cruised north, running alongside Cumberland Island, across St. Andrew's Sound and began to see the familiar landmarks of Jekyll Island. (We've been taking mini-vacations at Jekyll for 25 years and have dreamed of coming to Jekyll from TN by boat with every visit.) About 12:30 we pulled up at Jekyll Harbor marina, headed for SeaJay's restaurant for lunch, finally accomplishing that dream. (See picts of the marina pier as we approached.) Nan headed for SeaJay's while Jack returned Dinah to the boat after a quick walk. As she walked up the stairs, she saw--just as they saw her-- Ann and Dave Tapp from Winchester. After exclamations and hugs, we enjoyed lunch together and heard all about their Elderhostel plans on nearby St. Simon's Island. It was so great to spend time with friends and be with folks we knew from our TN life! Ann and Dave took a short ride with us on the Eschaton before resuming their biking on Jekyll. What a great surprise!

From Jekyll we came across St Simon's Sound and on to Brunswick Landing Marina, where we are now. You can see picts of the Sidney Lanier bridge (new in the last several years replacing an older lift bridge that used to get stuck in the up position), of the large cargo ships that come in the Brunswick River, and maybe some of the local fishing fleet. You'll also see some of the marina here, and some local picts). On Sunday we attended First UMC, about a 1/2 m walk (unfortunately in the rain on the return), which had a really nice Passion service in music. Today we rode our bikes around

Tonight we are preparing to leave on Thursday for Nashville so we can celebrate 2 grandchild birthdays (Caitlyn is 5 and Ian will be 3) plus son Craig (44!) and Nan's too. Plus visit with a few friends. The boat and the cats will stay here awaiting our return.

Then we'll be back to resume our adventure, and hopefully by that time spring weather and temps will be firmly in place. Then it's on to Savannah, Charleston, and points north!

Share the sunlight's warmth!
nan and jack