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| These birds follow us throughout the day. We figured that it was due to the small fish that we stir to the surface. When Connor came out we asked him what he thought....he said, 'Because they want to go south!' |
The wind was howling last night in the anchorage. Kerry got up a few times to make sure we still had a lot of room around us, and all was well. As soon as day broke, the engines started and we were off again. We had a long day ahead of us, so we wanted to ensure lots of time. Kerry was at the helm all day and the wind and currents were strong, but in our favour all day. We zig-zagged across the Georgian 'wilderness' (nothing but Georgian marshes the whole way). But, with a north wind all day, and sails up, we did 57 miles in 7 hours. (an hour less than expected). Georgia is notorious about not upkeeping the ICW. It was shallow in areas, but we kept to the charts and off of the bottom. An hour and a half into the day, we went through Hell Gate. This is one of the most shoaled area that you need to watch where you are. We looked up the entries on 'Active Captain'. None of the entries claimed less than 7 feet of water. We showed 6.9, but we only take up to 3 feet, so we weren't as nervous about it. I just read out the depths to Kerry as he kept in the channel. No problem. The only messy moment, was when 6 sport fish boats went streaming by in a tight procession. This rocked us good, just as we were heading out St. Simons sound where the waves were already starting to pick up. We had to round a marker to head back into the channel and a large wave came across our port stern. I had hung out a bit of wash on our safety lines and, needless to say, we need to redo a few items! All in all it was an intense day. We pulled into Jekyll Island anchorage at 3:00. We wanted to get into the marina so we can enjoy Jekyll Island. (here's a bit of history) Jekyll has a fascinating history dating back to the end of the nineteenth century. The island was purchased1886 for $125,000 by some of the wealthiest men in America as a hunting resort: J.P. Morgan, Joseph Pulitzer, Marshall Field, John J. Hill, Everett Macy, William Rockefeller, Cornelius Vanderbilt, and Richard Teller Crane. The club members commissioned a sixty room Clubhouse. The owners would usually spend a couple of winter months at Jekyll Island, arriving by yacht from New York. The Jekyll Wharf where they tied their yachts is still used by boaters, sailors, and small ship cruise lines today. Between 1886 and 1928, the owners built "cottages" along the marshy side of the island where they would be protected from the ocean. Many of these beautiful cottages (mansions) have been restored or are currently a work in progress. The largest "cottage" is almost 8,000 square feet. The Jekyll Island Clubhouse is now a romantic Victorian hotel. With the onset of the Great Depression, the Jekyll Island Club members became disenchanted with the island. They began traveling to European spas and elsewhere for their entertainment. After the 1942 season, the U. S. government asked the members not to use the island for the duration of World War II due to concerns for the security of the powerful owners. They never went back. The island was sold to the State of Georgia in 1947. The state attempted, until 1972, to operate as a hotel complex, but its efforts were unsuccessful and the buildings were closed. Today the 240 acre National Historic Landmark is often called "Millionaire's Village." We are considering getting over there tomorrow to have a quick look.
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