Day 404
4,238 Loop miles
We've covered a lot of water since the last post - 299 miles of it to be exact.
On Monday we traveled 89 miles on the intracoastal waterway from Ft. Pierce to Titusville. We stayed at the City Marina for one night.
Tuesday was a long day. We left Titusville at 6:45 am and 11 hours later pulled into St. Augustine City Marina. Several things were responsible for it taking us that long to go 102 miles. This stretch is filled with slow, no wake manatee zones. Looking over the bow, we were on manatee watch. We saw lots of them. Then there are small fishing boats everywhere that we would swamp with our wake if running fast. We are courteous boaters! It just wasn't worth it to speed up and slow down and speed up and slow down constantly.
And finally the ICW is lined with residential areas. Not all have seawalls and wave action erodes the land the houses sit on. The majority of the houses on this stretch were more modest, but we did still see some eye poppers.
We usually take sunset pictures but our early departure out of Titusville gave us this beautiful sunrise picture.
This bridge operator said she would open the west section only. As we went through it, we could see why. We were up close and personal with a man hanging under the right side, doing maintenance work!
St. Augustine would normally be a several day stay as there is much to see and do in this historic city. But all of us had been there before, so didn't feel the need to do any of the touristy things. It was a one night stay. If you are new to the blog since our Loop adventure, and really want to know about St. Augustine, and are REALLY bored with nothing else to do, you can click on the right side of this post on "2013" and then "November" and then "St. Augustine" to read all about our trip there in our RV!
My one picture of St. Augustine. This is the shortest walk I've ever had to a marina office to check in. We are usually as far away as possible.
The ICW was filled with dolphins and sometimes they would stay alongside True North for a distance.
I spy with my little eye an osprey nest!
Art work on a bridge support
Wednesday was a short run of 31 miles to Jacksonville. Weather was still telling us to stay off the ocean, so we got a little farther north on the ICW. We arrived at Palm Cove Marina by noon. I'm always the one who goes into a marina office to register and pay. Knowing that there was a grocery store close, and knowing that we wanted to buy more than what we could comfortably carry back (like a case of bottled water, 12-packs of pop, etc.) I asked the office person if we could take one of the hand carts to the Publix store. He said no problem. In a classic example of miscommunication, I told Mike the office said we could take a cart to the grocery store. He said great, he would stay with it while Karen and I were in the store. He was quite surprised when we walked off the dock and I got a hand cart. He thought I meant a golf cart! He was a trooper and still went with us and lugged a heavy cart back to the boat.
It is critical to stay in the marked channel of the ICW. See how shallow it is just off to the left
Or how about this sunken obstacle so close to the green marker. Being off just a little can be costly.
With Greg's expert driving and Mike's faithful navigating, we arrive safely each time.
Ever since True North hit Florida, tides have been a concern for us. Tide swings in Georgia can be eight feet or more and we were headed there on Thursday. Feeling the need for speed, we were finally able to run outside the 77 miles from Jacksonville to Jekyll Island. When we crossed into Georgian waters, it felt like True North is truly heading north. Other than the Bahamas trip, the boat had been in Florida since early November, 2016.
To get to Jekyll Island Harbor Marina, we came into St. Simons Sound and turned into Jekyll Creek, which is notoriously shallow and only to be traversed at mid to high tide. Mike does the planning and navigation so we go when he says and at what speed. So we waited to leave Jacksonville until 10:15 in the morning to time our arrival at the creek for high tide.
Because we have AIS, this barge saw us on its electronics and hailed us on the radio. It was inbound from the ocean and we were headed out to the ocean. The tow captain asked us to hold steady where we were until the barge cleared the green marker before making our right hand turn at the marker.
A screen shot of our chart plotter while running to Jekyll. The boat icon is True North. We kept looking but didn't see any whales.
Another screen shot we don't often see: Restricted Area. Danger Explosives.
As you can see, we stayed to the left of that circle!
Lighthouse on St. Simons Island
Entering Jekyll Creek. We are always happy to follow another boat into unknown areas.
We are taking a breather here at Jekyll and are actually staying 2 nights! None of us have been here before, so we wanted to explore and enjoy. The marina has bikes for boaters to use and Karen and I took full advantage of them and the wonderful bike paths on the island.
A section of the paved, level bike path. Huge trees loaded with spanish moss provided shade along much of the path. You have to be thankful for the little things . . .
Jekyll Island has a rich history - in the sense of both substance and money. In 1886, the island was purchased to be used as an exclusive winter retreat known as The Jekyll Island Club. It soon became known as the richest, most inaccessible club in the world, with a roster filled with names like J.P. Morgan, Marshall Field, Vanderbilt, Pulitzer, and Rockefeller. They would travel by train from New York to Brunswick, Georgia. From there, a 100 foot steamship transported them to the island.The main recreation at the beginning was hunting and fishing. Golf and tennis eventually took over as the dominant sports and Jekyll Island today is a destination for many golfers. It is easily accessible by car using the M.E. Thompson Bridge.
The Jekyll Island Club Hotel. The age of the hotel and the grounds reminded us of the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island
Membership in the club dropped slowly during the Great Depression years and World War II was the final blow to its existence. The 1942 season was the last for the Jekyll Island Club. The state of Georgia purchased the island in 1947. The Georgia government has done a good job in preservation as there is a historical district which includes the original club (hotel) and the winter homes of the those wealthy businessmen.
Karen in front of the Moss Cottage
Indian Mound Cottage - home to William Rockefeller, co-founder of Standard Oil with his younger brother John D. Rockefeller
Goodyear Cottage
Another historical aspect of Jekyll Island is near and dear to Mike's heart. In November of 1910, under the guise of going on a duck hunting trip, seven gentlemen using aliases or code names, representing one fourth of the world's wealth at that time, gathered at the island in total secrecy and drafted documents that led to the creation of the Federal Reserve.
During our Friday morning bike ride, Karen and I learned that the Georgia Sea Turtle Center located on the island was going to release some turtles back into the ocean at 4 pm. Along with bikes, the marina also provides the use of a golf cart with a time limit of 1 and 1/2 hours. That was perfect as the 4 of us climbed on and did a scenic tour around the island, hitting the beach at 3:55 to watch the release.
A huge crowd watching the turtle release. Karen is on the left.
Before release, the Turtle Center workers gave everyone a chance to see the turtles
The workers had to walk out shoulder deep before releasing to get past the waves that would carry the turtles right back to shore
Jekyll Island provided a little something for each of us - history, nature, exercise, and Mike got his golf cart!
Unique and Random Photos of the Day:
We found our street on the island of the rich and famous!
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