Georgia on my mind...

After the storms parked us on the free dock in Jacksonville, we were joined by several more boats.  We spend two nights on the Jacksonville free dock at Sister’s Creek and meet some great new friends some that we will cross paths with again and again.  One of the first we met was Stella who I really think believed she as a little lap dog.  She sat in everyone’s lap.  But this was her mom Michelle on Agape.

We enjoyed cocktails after the storms past north of us and met Mark and Cheryl on Experiencing Liberte, Paul and Michelle on Agape, and David and Amy on Selah Way.  They each left the next morning, but Dee and I grabbed our bikes and took bike ride across the bridge over the ICW and ran into the A1A ferry crossing.  Bikes were free so why not.  We crossed the St. Johns River and rode our bikes around Mayport and then out to North Beach.  We stopped for Ice Cream before heading back to Journey.  That evening an Endeavor joined us on the free dock, Gypsies Palace and we enjoyed seeing their beautiful 48’ boat.  The next morning we waved good bye to the dock and headed to Georgia and Cumberland Island.
We caught another great shot of a Bald Eagle before passing thru Fernandina Beach and Amelia Island .  We knew were in Georgia when we say Fort Clinch and crossed St. Mary’s Inlet.

https://www.floridastateparks.org/learn/history-fort-clinch - According to the Florida State Parks website The entrance to the Cumberland Sound and the St Mary’s River has been of vital importance to the people of Florida for close to 300 years.  Construction of Fort Clinch began in 1847, by civilians and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to protect the coast of southern Georgia. However, by the outbreak of hostilities at the start of the Civil War, only about two-thirds of the fort had been completed and cannons had yet to be mounted on the walls.  The years of neglect began to tell on the old brick walls, as pieces crumbled and sand began to pile inside thanks to Atlantic storms.  Fortunately, a few people recognized the significance of this historic site, and Fort Clinch became one of the Florida’s first state parks in 1935.
We were welcomed to Cumberland Island by Agape giving us some much needed advice about anchoring and the crazy tides in Georgia!  We dinghy ashore to get the lay of the land and ran into Mark and Cheryl who were headed back to Experiencing LIberte.  They said just take our bikes, so off we went to explore Cumberland Island  find the wild horses and see the ruins of Dungeness.
https://cumberlandisland.com/ - The history of people on Cumberland Island is rich, varied and linked to the Island’s complex natural habitat. No one really knows how long human beings have used its resources for survival, or been inspired to create art, or simply taken solace in its awesome beauty. We know people populated the coastal region of what we call Georgia as early as 2000 B.C. and that they enjoyed its diverse and delectable food sources, including oysters, crabs, fish, deer, and bear.  History that has a more specific record starts with the early Spanish missions in the 16th century. In the 1730s, James Edward Oglethorpe laid out two forts, one on each end of the Island. In the 1750s, aspiring planters came to the Island once slavery was allowed on its shores. After the American Revolution, prestigious families, such as that of Nathaniel Greene, became interested in Cumberland’s natural resources; the first mansion was built on the site we now know as Dungeness.  The Civil War had a profound effect on the Island’s human history, and Reconstruction saw both speculators and freed slaves trying to wrest a living out of the chaotic devastation the war had caused.  In the early 1880s, Thomas Carnegie and his wife, Lucy Coleman Carnegie, came to the Island and established the family’s presence, which exists to the present day.
Back on board in time for happy hour aboard Selah Way before we all head out the next morning further north.  Selah Way joined us in the ocean.  It was a beautiful day on the water as we cruised up the Georgia coastline.  Enjoying this beautiful day and singing a tune or two.  On our trip up We saw Turtles, dolphins, jelly fish, pelicans, and an osprey with its catch.  We will not take it from you I promise.  We made our way into Kilkenney  Creek to anchor putting us some 30 miles south of Savannah where we would stop and catch up with good friends we met in Key West, Inkie and Gernot.  The dolphins were excited to see us.  Selah Way had cut into an earlier inlet but as the sun began to set I got a call from Amy on Selah Way. They had hit bottom in the inlet and had some issues with one engine or shaft.  Running on only one and wanted to know how our anchorage was because they needed a spot.  So as the sun went down they putted on in to join us.  They pulled out early and we were right behind them.  We found a leak in our shaft seal overnight and wanted to get to the marina to better access our issue.  So off we went.  Here is the beginning of miles and miles of military activity along the Eastern coastline from Georgia to North Carolina.  
Of course we can’t forget all the shrimp boats and then this story:  We came across this crew flagging us down wanted us to pull them off the bank.  They had no idea the depths along the shoreline.  Obviously they were not watching the extreme tides of Georgia.  I offered to make a phone call and they said that had been done so we wished them well but of course I needed a picture.
Amy and David are safely hauled out and heading North for a few weeks while the boat is worked on but stopped by to share little beers with us before heading off.  The next day we headed off to explore Savannah and found a mixologist and enjoyed some of the sites of Savannah.  We spotted Experiencing Liberte the next morning finally catching up after following the ICW all the way through Georgia. We are in Savannah to see Inkie and Gernot who is joining us on board for a night on Journey..  So much fun and so many laughs.  While hanging on the boat we spotted Carolina girl, another Endeavour.  The next morning we headed into Savannah with Inkie and Gernot and met their daughter, Ilke who is studying culinary in Savannah.  Some more good times and laughs before they headed back to Dublin, Ga and we head further north into South Carolina.  The cargo ships were pretty active for a Sunday morning which we did not expect but finally out in the blue ocean and headed up towards Parris Island and Beaufort, SC.