Traveling Companions

Cumberland Island is the largest and last barrier island along the Georgia coast. Although it was once owned by wealthy land owners including Carnegie, (here are the ruins of the Carnegie Dungenous mansion), today it is part of the US National Seashore. Since it is largely uninhabited, wildlife has flourished. As we approached the island by boat, we saw horses running along the shore - what a beautiful and exciting sight! Then, as I took a hike later on, I saw an armadillo, a group of turkeys, and horses grazing on the grounds. What a thrill to walk among them knowing they were wild and free. Later on, during the walk back to Lou who was waiting for me at the park rangers' hut, I stopped short when a beautiful pony was standing right on he path. He wasn't moving, so I had to - through the brambles. He looked gentle, but I wasn't taking any chances. I've mentioned the dolphins (some call them porpoises - what's the difference?) that we spy almost everywhere, but we have other temporary companions while traveling. The pelicans have kept us company since the Chesapeake. They are my favorite bird, so clumsy and comical, but graceful when they fly a few inches above the water. And you should see them dive for fish! They're like dive bombers crashing into the water head first. Grebes, a cormorant type bird, have also been diving and emerging for several states now; but they dive from the water, not the sky. Of course, the ever present egrets, herons and other shore birds continue to follow us. While we were out in the ocean off the Jersey coast back in late September, one day we were visited by Monarch butterflies following us almost the entire day, but curiously, they never landed on the boat to rest! Our smallest companions came in the guise of an infestation of fruit flies; we finally eliminated them by following up on a sailor's suggestion to put out apple cider vinegar. It attracted them and solved the problem. Who knows what's next... PS. It's hard to take close ups of animals, especially birds, so don't forget you can click on the pictures to see them better.

Giving Thanks Away from Home

We might have been lonely and sad this Thanksgiving if it hadn't been for 270 other southbound cruisers meeting at St. Mary's, Georgia.

Several years ago, a few sail boats took refuge from a storm in St. Mary's a few days before Thanksgiving, and asked where they could get a holiday meal. Several townspeople offered to cook a turkey and ham if the cruisers brought the fixin's. And so, a yearly event was established at Seagal's, the local hotel restuarant. Each year the number of boats has grown, and this year topped 100.

What a feast we had; We started off with roasted oysters provided by the restaurant. Here are pictures of Gerry, former mayor of St. Mary's and owner of the hotel, cleaning, steaming and serving the oysters for hungry cruisers. The whole in the middle of the table is for the oyster shells after we opened them. Three rows of tables were laden with every imaginable dish for the holiday. What was more surprising, was the quality of the food. I'm realizing more and more that cruisers really care about food and know how to cook. Some cruisers even brought their own holiday tablecloths, placemats, napkins and decorations.

The event was planned by a small group of cruisers and townies; to make things operate smoothly, every morning at 9:00 a.m. a few days before the holiday, we listened to a broadcast of the 'Turkey Net' (for network) over our VHF radios. Announcements were made followed by questions and then we signed up for such things as a ride to the supermarket, laundry, or West Marine store. Two days before Thanksgiving, and again on Saturday night, a happy hour was planned on the restaurant patio with cruisers bringing appetizers thus giving us all an opportunity to meet and network with people we had already met along the way as well as new friends. It's all part of the adventure of cruising!And I thought I would be bored...

The day we left, we headed for Florida, only five miles away.

Celebrating my Birthday on Jekyll Island

About a month ago, I asked Lou to connect the electric head (toilet) for my birthday. He had turned it off because it drew too much battery power, but I had never gotten a chance to use it. By today, I had forgotten my request. In the morning, after having tea served to me in bed, I went to wash up and discovered, much to my surprise, the lever for the head was missing. Lou had hooked up the electric connection! I don't ask for much, but this was a delightful present.

By the way, an interesting fact: the term 'head' comes from the old days when sailors would have to go over the side to relieve themselves. They would go to the bow of the boat where the figurehead and headsails were. Thus the phrase"going to the head" was coined.

To celebrate my birthday, we anchored at Jekyll Island, Georgia, which is one of the barrier islands close to the Florida border. The island is so flat that many use bikes to explore the island, and we were no different. Our cloudy, chilly day turned bright, warm and sunny, lighting up this Golden Isle, named for the beautiful yellow color of the salt marsh reeds. The ride, along paved bike paths, was spectacular as we passed woodlands as beautiful as a botanical garden, inland salt marshes and marsh hammocks, beaches and the ocean. We stopped twice; once to walk along the white sand beach to dramatically snarled tree trunks and limbs of upturned trees partially buried in the sand. So, sorry - I forgot my camera and don't have a picture. While we walked along the beach, dolphins were playing (or feeding?) about 20 feet off the beach, and one sped towards me so fast I thought it would land on the beach. "He did that for my birthday", I told Lou.

On the way back to our anchorage, we stopped along the Atlantic side to see the surf and tide breaking along the bottom of the steps and the sand dunes above. It was late in the day, dusk beginning, and the light took on its crepuscular glow.

Later, after showers, we biked back to a grand mansion once the largest home on the island called Crane "Cottage" which was built for Crane of plumbing supplies fame. We had dinner by the light of a fireplace. Biking there and back in the dark, we rode along brightly lit displays of holiday decorations making it appear like a fantasyland. The most spectacular were the white lights strung up and along the trunks and limbs of the live oak trees embracing the road from both sides.