We had a beautiful, peaceful night at anchor at Cumberland Island. The stars were everywhere and you felt like you could reach out and touch them.
King’s Bay Naval Base is in this area and early this morning they must have been going out on a mission. It was quite an odd feeling…like you are in the middle of nowhere and then a navy ship goes by.
We went right by the submarine base on our way through. The security was tight and they hailed another boater on the radio and cautioned him to change his course as he was getting too close.
If you look closely, a submarine is in the background and the security boat is guarding it. Salvage Crew managed to pass through right behind us.
The navigation is really tight and the shoaling is big in this area. Andy did a masterful job getting us through. The entire area is salt marshes and the introduction of large, biting bugs has begun.
Today’s destination is historic Jekyll Island and Jekyll Harbor Marina. We arrived at 11:30 and traveled 28.3 miles.
Jekyll Island is located off the Georgia coast, midway between Savannah, Georgia and Jacksonville, Florida. Situated between St. Simons Island and Cumberland Island, Jekyll is the smallest of Georgia’s barrier islands. It was purchased by the state of Georgia in 1947. The island measures about 7 miles long by 1.5 miles wide, has 8 miles of wide, flat beaches on its east shore and boasts 20 miles of hiking trails.
After we rinsed the boat and got settled we borrowed the courtesy van from the marina and went exploring. Our first stop was the historic Jeykll Island Club. For a little history, their site states, “At the turn of the century, tycoons, politicians, and socialites flocked to Jekyll Island to revel in their own luxury and America’s burgeoning wealth. The historic club was described in the February 1904 issue of Munsey’s Magazine as ‘the richest, the most exclusive, the most inaccessible club in the world.’ Its impressive members included such luminaries as J.P. Morgan, William Rockefeller, Vincent Astor, Joseph Pulitzer, William K. Vanderbilt, and other recognizable names on the roster were Macy, Goodyear, and Gould.’ ” It is now the Jekyll Island Club Hotel and is rated among the top 500 resorts in the world by Travel & Leisure Magazine.
When we arrived they were enjoying a game of croquet on the front lawn. Brad was sorry he had forgotten his “dress whites.”
The Great Loop 