Our Great Loop Adventure

On Sunday, April 6, we bid a sad adieu to our looper friends at Ortega Landing. We traveled back on the St. John's River. As we were motoring along minding our own business, a U.S. Coast Guard boat came along side of us. They boarded our boat and did a safety inspection making sure we had items like life jackets, fire extinguishers, and proper boat registrations. We passed with flying colors. We reentered the AICW around noon at Sisters Creek, which flowed into the Amelia River. Our next port of call was Fernandina Beach on Ameilia Island. After docking the boat, we decided to have a beverage at the Palace Saloon, the oldest tavern in Florida. However, we were disappointed because it was very loud and smoky. We were the only non-smokers in the bar and we have forgotten how noxious second hand smoke has become. Tony was especially upset because the only hard cider they served was raspberry Woodchuck.Needless to say this was not Tony's favorite establishment on the loop. April 6th was a day of two milestones. It was the 200th day of our loop adventure and we have traveled more than 2000 miles. The following day we stayed anticipating a storm front to coming through. We walked into town to see the historical buildings and houses. We found Amelia Island Coffee and, of course, I had to try their mocha. It was only adequate. The front finally came around 5 o'clock. Tuesday, it was raining but the winds were light. With the expert help of the dock master, we safely left the dock. (We are slowly realizing tides and currents dictate how you come into and out of a dock. We will rely on the local expertise of the dock masters as we continue.) We continued on the Amelia River and crossed Cumberland Sound ( A sound is an inlet open to the Atlantic.) We were now in Georgia. We passed the Kings Bay Submarine Base. Pleasure craft must stay in the channel or you could get boarded by the navy. We saw a small boarding vessel guarding the entrance to the base. We did not see any submarines. We docked at Jekyll Island. We decided to use the marina's bikes to see the Island. Sharon was not happy about riding bikes but Tony for once prevailed. Jekyll Island was once the playground of the Rockerfellers, Morgans, Goodyears, and Vanderbuilts. It is now a state park with an historic district and 65% of the land must remain undeveloped. In 1885 the island was sold to a group of wealthy northerners for a hunting resort for mere $125,000. They built a 60 room clubhouse, tennis courts, a yacht marina as well as individual mansion-sized "cottages." After World War II the club was offically closed and the state of Georgia bought it in 1947. The historic district contains the "cottages" as well as the Jekyll Island Club Hotel. We had a beverage there. It was quite posh. We left Jekyll Island on Wednesday in breezy conditions. We travelled through four sounds which were connected by winding rivers. We had to watch depth because tides can change the water level up to eight feet. We anchored on the Wahoo River, which was peaceful once the winds died down. We were joined by two sailboats. Thursday's journey took us through several rivers and creeks with our destination being Thunderbolt, GA. The city got its name from a legend that lightning struck the bluff and created a freshwater spring. We decided to split the assigned tasks. Tony took his bike and went grocery shopping and I did the wash.All we wanted to do when all the tasks were completed were have a glass of wine and dinner. We slept well Thursday night. Friday we crossed the Savannah River into South Carolina. We passed Hilton Head Island, with its many mansions along the coast. We passed Parrish Island, which is where the U.S. Marines have their boot camp and docked in very windy conditions at Beaufort. The Nina and Pinta are here. This is the third time we have come across these to replica ships. There is a steady stream of visitors, who have to pass the Summer Recess to get to the ships. We have had several conversations with them. A couple of people are amazed that we are able to travel from Michigan to here by boat. There are many loopers here. Friday night we were invited to docktails on Quimby, a boat from Massachusetts. We were joined by Alex and Andre on the Allison Leigh. On Saturday we were tourists. Beaufort is a historical city that has been occupied by the Spanish, the French and the English. They also played a role in the Civil War. There are many restored historic homes. The mansions were built by the wealthy plantation owners, who planted sea island cotton. We walked the downtown which is mostly shops and restaurants. We found the Common Ground Cafe for coffee. We then took a carriage tour with Bev and Emmy from Quimby and saw the beautiful ante and post bellum homes surround by lush gardens. Tonight we are going to dinner with them. Tomorrow we hope for calm winds because it will be tricky leaving the dock and we will be entering Ashepoo Coosaw Cutoff. It is notorious for the "low water at low tide". We are hoping to reach this spot at mid tide when we hopefully will have a couple of feet under our keel. We hope to arrive in Charleston, SC on Monday afternoon.