Day 274 – Cumberland Island to Jekyll Harbor Marina, Jekyll Island, GA - April 5, 2012

I failed to mention yesterday that we have finally left Florida – Cumberland Island is in Georgia.  Just for reference, we arrived in Florida on November 20, 2011 on day 137 which means we have spent half of our time on the Loop in the state of Florida.  Not that we’re complaining – we enjoyed every minute we spent in Florida and we stayed at some incredible places.

The Atlantic ICW in Georgia is notorious for its shallow areas.  Apparently the state does not spend much (if any) money on dredging.  As a result, there are sections of the intercoastal where it is advisable to travel at mid to high tide only.  With the way the tides are falling right now, our plan is to travel early in the morning and arrive at a marina or anchorage before noon.

So, we departed Cumberland Island at 7:15am (just after sunrise) and arrived at Jekyll Island by 10:30am.  The great thing about traveling short distances and arriving early is that you get plenty of time to explore the town you’ve just arrived in.  And explore we did.  We took what felt like a VERY long walk (in very high heat and humidity) to the historic district on the island and took in a tram tour offered by the Jekyll Island Museum.

The historic district encompasses 240 acres of the island and includes the former Jekyll Island Club, considered to be the most exclusive social club in the Unites States, and the cottages built by club members.  The 60-room clubhouse was officially opened in January 1888.  Many of these extremely wealthy club members decided they wanted their own space and more privacy than offered by the clubhouse so they built their own “cottages”.  However, they were hardly cottages by the standard definition – these enormous residences were designed to house the entire family along with their staff.   Our tram tour gave us the chance to check out the inside of two cottages, including Indian Mound (all the cottages had names) the twenty-five room home of the Rockefeller family.

We got back to the boat and spent some time with Frank and Carrie discussing our next few weeks of travel.  While we were talking, the wind came up and we added more fenders and extra lines to keep both Boreas and Once Around safe and secure.
 
            Miles: 24.4      Bridges: 0        Locks: 0

once again we are on our way just after sunrise

two ships at the King's Bay Naval Submarine Base

the King's Bay Naval Submarine Base is the home for six Trident
submarines - if you look closely, can see one in front of the
two yellow cranes

we are traveling at high tide today, so instead of seeing sandbars
and muddy shorelines, we see water and marsh grasses

a very different look when you travel at high tide

the navigation marks aren't always in the right spot as demonstrated by this
green buoy on the beach at the north end of  Cumberland Island

lighthouse at the north end of Cumberland Island

one of the cottages in the Jekyll Island Historic District

the Rockefeller's cottage on Jekyll Island

the Jekyll Island Club (now the Jekyll Island Club Hotel)

the Jekyll Island Club

another of the island's cottages