Tag Archives: Jekyll Island

Changes in Jekyll!

Posted on April 18, 2021 | Comments Off

Jekyll Island, FL – Saturday, 4/17

Despite the forecast for lots of rain to come in during the night, it continued to be delayed. We did get a few sprinkles here and there, but not the downpour we were expecting. The wind completely died down and when we awoke there was a coolness in the air. With overcast skies and a slight drop in temperature, heat was required. So Denise cranked up the generator, put on the heat and settled in for a nice cup of coffee and some quiet time before Mark woke up.

Sadly, this morning we needed to leave Cumberland Island and make some progress north, although not too much. Our next destination would be Jekyll Island; a fun and familiar place to stop. It was not going to be a far or a difficult cruise with less than 30 miles to cover. Our biggest challenge would be crossing St. Andrews Sound with its constant shoals and wide exposure to the open Atlantic Ocean.

Shortly after 9:00 we pulled up the anchor and headed out so we could spend more time at Jekyll Island. We left a peaceful and calm anchorage and pulled back into the ICW where it too was peaceful and calm. We made our way past the submarine degaussing station and base at St. Mary’s, and cruised through the low-country marshes of Georgia.

Just north of the sub base there is a large patch of land known as Cabin Bluff that is the oldest hunting club in Georgia. The property houses an Orvis®-endorsed fly fishing lodge and Beretta wing shooting lodge. Over the years it has been used as a fishing and hunting club, as well as a location for corporate meetings and retreats. We have always cruised through this area knowing it is in a beautiful but remote spot.

Today we discovered it was sold in 2018 by its owner, Westrock (a paper and packaging company). The land was purchased by the Nature Conservatory to protect the site’s endangered, threatened and rare plants and animals, and to ensure long-term conservation of the property. Of the nearly 11,000 acres, 7,000 of it was deeded to the GA Department of Natural Resources. In addition to preservation of the property, the US military had a vested interest in ensuring the land would not be developed into a resort, as it is a strategic location for protecting the submarine base to its south.

In 2020, the Nature Conservatory sold 3200 acres of the camp to a mega-church in Jacksonville, FL (“Church Eleven22“) where they will use it as a retreat center. It will not be open to the public, and the sale makes the creation of a wildlife management area possible. Potential uses include wildlife viewing, fishing, hunting, kayaking and nature photography. The state of GA, and the US Navy co-hold a conservation and restrictive easement over the now privately owned portion of Cabin Bluff, and the state is expected to take owner of the remaining land in 2021.

We meandered up the ICW through the marshlands and got to see some great birds, including a bald eagle (sorry no picture). There was almost no boat traffic and we did not have to worry about passing any of the slower fishing boats, sail boats or cruisers. Eventually we approached St. Andrews Sound and had to make a decision which route to take. There are two ways to get through the sound: the western route that goes around a series of low barrier islands, or the route directly across the sound. Since there was little wind and an incoming tide, we decided to cross the sound and did so without any issue. In fact it was quite calm and in less than 15 minutes we entered the Jekyll River and approached Jekyll Island.

It does not take long to go from St. Andrews Sound to the Jekyll Island marina and soon we were docking on the very long dock they put all transient boaters. Their very knowledgeable dockmaster Chris, and helper Devon, assisted with our tie-up and had power connected in no time. In the process we learned from these guys that the marina had been sold last fall and that a couple had purchased it from the previous owners; a group of men, one of whom we knew (Dave Blue) from our Jacksonville days. He also owned and still owns the marina where we kept our sailboat.

One of the reasons we made the stop in Jekyll was to be able to go to mass. We knew that the church in Brunswick, GA had a mission on the island with a Saturday evening vigil. However, the information we had regarding whether or not this was still available was conflicting. Due to COVID, it appeared services were no longer offered on the island, but other information indicated there was a 7 pm Sat. evening vigil. Denise decided she would go to the location of the church itself and see if there was any information physically posted. So, she grabbed a loaner bike from the marina, rode the 3 miles to the church and 3 miles back, talking to her sister Claire the entire time on the cell phone. It made for an easy ride and some welcomed exercise. From the posting at the church there was a phone number to call for information and once back at the marina, Denise confirmed that there would in fact be a Catholic mass at 7:00 pm.

Meanwhile, back at the boat, Mark filled the water tanks and washed down the outside that somehow got filthy during our 2 nights at anchor. He met and talked to several people along the docks as this is a very friendly place. We then settled in to eat lunch; all this occurred before noon!

In the afternoon several Looper boats came into the marina and we spoke with them, exchanging boat cards and talking about future destinations. Denise worked on the blog and Mark handled some financial transactions for our business. We wanted to spend more time talking to the other boaters, but the gnats and no-see-ums were so bad we could not stand to be outside the boat. Because of this, and the need to keep the boat sealed up, we ended up putting on the air conditioner despite otherwise a very comfortable temperature. We have encountered the bugs here in the past, but usually only around sunset; it has never been this bad during the day.

Later we went on a short outing into the village as we needed milk for breakfast. We knew we could find it at the Jekyll Market so we used the marina golf cart (available for the guests) and drove towards the village. As we were leaving the marina property we were stunned to see a condominium and townhouse complex being built at the edge of the property. This area is very low-lying and the wetland and marshes run right up to the road, causing flooding in some situations already. It is also why the marina has such an abundance of the aforementioned bugs. We could not believe they would actually build something on this piece of land, but they have.

Apparently building on this parcel had been part of the plans for the marina when it was originally built, but it was never developed. Prior to the recent marina sale, the land was sold for such development, skirting the “no more development on the island” rules because of its previous pre-approval. We learned this from the new owner whom we met on our way to get milk. We knew immediately that he was the new owner as he was getting off of his boat, a large “Ocean Yacht” that now resides in the #1 slip space on the dock.

We took the golf cart into the village and found it difficult to park. The place was swarming with people and they were busier than we have ever seen. We finally secured a parking spot, walked into the market, got our milk and left right away. With all the people all about, and with mask-wearing not required, we did not want hang around very long. We were back at the marina in 15 minutes with the golf cart parked in its shed.

Back at the boat we decided on an early dinner at Zachry’s Riverhouse, the restaurant at the marina. We knew with a 7:00 pm mass we needed to eat early and to allow time to get to church. Mark had arranged for a hired driver as the Uber cars were not available, and it was too far to walk. We could have used the loaner bicycles, but with the coming rain and that it would be dark when we left, we did not think this would be a good idea. So we went to dinner and sat at the bar so we would not have to wait for a table. We had simple salads with tuna (Mark) and grilled shrimp (Denise) and left feeling satisfied with our meal.

Later we met our driver at the marina office and she took us to the church. St. Francis Xavier Catholic church is located in Brunswick; a short 8 miles away. But the parish has services on the island and calls it a mission. Since it does not have its own physical location, it “rents” space at the Methodist church. The Episcopalians do as well. So there are 3 different Christian denominations that hold services in the same building.

It was pouring raining by the time we arrived, and managed to get inside before getting too soaked. We made plans with our driver to pick us up in an hour, figuring the usual mass takes approximately that long. We were greeted by a very nice woman and realized we had forgotten our masks back on the boat. Gratefully, the church had some disposable ones at the entrance and we graciously accepted them. There was a very light crowd in attendance, so social distancing was not an issue. One thing we did not count on was that there was no singing and with a small crowd for communion the mass was only 35 minutes. This meant we would have to wait nearly 25 minutes for our ride to pick us up, and since it was still raining outside we weren’t too thrilled.

While Mark called our driver, Denise spoke with the woman who greeted us when we arrived. She offered to return us to the marina, but we advised that we had someone picking us up. She and her husband were like the “super couple” of the mass: he did the readings and the ushering, she did the greetings, and they both took up the offertory during the mass. They were also responsible for locking everything up and they graciously waited with us until our driver arrived, so as not to put us out in the rain. We asked about the attendance and the shortness of the mass. They advised that they used to have singing, but the women who played the organ and was the cantor was elderly and died of Covid. Many of the usual parishioners have not returned yet, and no one is there to lead them in song. Our driver arrived and we thanked them for their patience and generosity. Truly these were Christians looking to help their neighbor.

When we returned to the marina the rain had stopped for a bit. Walking down the dock to the boat we had a chance to meet another cruisier (non-Looper) on a large Endeavor Cat (catamaran) that were full-time live-boards. They were from Annapolis area and we spoke about their boat and cruising areas in the Chesapeake. We exchanged boat cards and agreed to look them up if time permitted when we are up their way. By this time the bugs were eating us alive so we bolted back to our boat and stayed in for the rest of the night. Denise worked on the blog and Mark read a book until finally around 10 pm we crawled into bed with the once again pitter-pattering of the rain.

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Posted in Maine 2021

Tagged Jekyll Island

Two States to Home!

Posted on November 15, 2019 | 1 comment

Two States to Home!
We are now home in Winter Park, and this will be the last entry for the adventures on our Down East Loop trip of 2019. Here is how we spent the last week on this journey:

Jekyll Island, GA – Tuesday, 11/5
Early in the morning the forecasted rain came through Hilton Head, but was light in the marina. When Denise got up she witnessed some spectacular lightning offshore and to the east of where we were. Before we could get under way, we had to wait for Denise to have a client conference call at 9:30, so we took to a few minor chores on the boat.

While waiting for the call, we saw our friends Vicki & Mac (“Confetti”) who were out for a morning walk. We had discovered they were in the marina last night when we arrived as they showed up on “Marine Traffic” (an app that uses AIS to track the movement of vessels on the water). We had considered going over to see them in the evening last night, but due to our delayed dinner we thought it would be too late for a visit. We chatted for a while before Denise had to jump on her call and they continued with their walk around the complex.

Once the call was complete, we headed out of the slip and through the lock, once again saying goodbye to Harbor Town Marina. The skies were cloudy as we headed down the ICW and through Calibogue Sound. We turned right and followed the ICW in a narrow, but somewhat protected channel in the Cooper River, and around Daufuskie Island.

Calibogue Sound

Freeport Marina – Daufuskie Island

Eventually we came to “Fields Cut”, an area just north of the Savannah River and known for shoaling to near impassable depths. However, they are dredging the area and we had to negotiate around two dredges and a few other boats. At the same time we had visibility to two large container ships coming up the Savannah River. Once past the dredge we came to an area where they were dumping the dredge and building up the island right at the mouth of the river.

Dredge at Fields Cut

Approaching container ship

Dredge at end of Fields Cut

As we came to where the ICW crosses the Savannah River we had to slow to allow the first container ship to pass, then negotiate around a northbound fuel barge at the ICW entrance south of the Savannah River. It made for some interesting boating, but Captain Mark handled it all perfectly. And as we did so, we entered the state of Georgia; Denise was elated that we were only one state away from home.

“OOCL Berlin”

Behind the “OOCL Berlin”

Behind Container and approaching Fuel barge

After this excitement and once in less trafficked waters, we prepared and ate lunch while underway. We finished just in time to go through the Bluff-Varnedoe bascule bridge, soon to be replaced by a new fixed bridge now under construction. Then on our right we passed the Bonaventure Cemetery, made famous in the book/movie “Midnight in the Garden of Good & Evil”.

at Bonaventure Cemetery

Shortly thereafter we approached the area where the Savannah marinas are all aligned on both sides of the river. We stopped for fuel at Savannah Bend Marina on the eastern shore, across from the Hinkley marina. The pump was very slow and it took a long time to fill our tank, which was very frustrating. We knew today would be a long day and we had a very limited amount of daylight to get to Jekyll Island.

Savannah Bend Marina

Hinkley Savannah – across from SBM

Finally, we finished fueling and were able to push off the dock and continue south. We passed a few more marinas, including Morningstar Marina and the famous Thunderbolt Marina; known for “big yachts”, great service, and donuts at your boat every morning. Here we also saw the barge the “RL Enterkin” whom we passed twice in the Carolinas.

Thunderbolt Marina

RL Enterkin at Thunderbolt Marina

We headed south through the no-wake zones of Skidaway Island, then Isle of Hope, and Burnside Island. Finally, we were able to open up the throttle and speed up. We still had a long way to go and feared arriving at Jekyll Island in the dark.

Skidaway Island Houses

Isle of Hope Marina

We continued in the Georgia ICW passing through the Ossabaw, St. Catherine’s, Sapelo, Doboy, and Altamaha Sounds without issue. It stayed mostly cloudy all day, but we were treated to dolphins as we came up and went through all these outlets to the Atlantic Ocean.

Soon we approached St. Simons Island and could see the Sydney Lanier Bridge in the distance. This is the bridge we would go under if going to Brunswick, GA where we stayed in 2017. However, we opted for staying in Jekyll Island this trip instead as it is on the ICW and they are only 8 miles apart.

Sidney Lanier Bridge at a distance

We cruised around St. Simons Island and came upon St. Simon’s Sound; a major entrance for container ships and other freight carriers. Here we could see the salvage operations of the car-carrier ship “Golden Ray”, which wrecked here in September. You may recall this as it was in all the news when it happened. The carrier was intentionally grounded by the port pilot as the ship was listing and would have been a major disaster if it sunk out at sea. Now the salvage operations are underway as they try to cut up the ship and remove the more than 4200 cars that also sank with the vessel. You can learn more about this incident here.

“Golden Ray” run aground

St. Simons Island Lighthouse

It was right after 6 pm when we cleared the sound and entered Jekyll Creek and into the Jekyll Island Marina. We were grateful for the extra 20 minutes of daylight and due to the late hour the marina put us on the fuel dock for the night. Since we intended to stay two days, they would be moving us to another spot in the morning after other boats pulled out. That was ok by us as we were happy to finally be tied to a dock and ready for a happy hour drink.

Jekyll Island Club Resort

The Wharf at Jekyll Island

IO at JI Marina – first dock

After getting the boat settled and checking in at the marina office, we ate dinner aboard our Island Office. As much as we didn’t want to, we were forced to keep the back door closed and turn on the air conditioners; the bugs came out after dark and we were infested. This was our Georgia welcome: heat and bugs! We finished up the evening watching a little tv and then called it a day; exhausted but pleased with our 106 mile trek through a slow-going route on the ICW.

Jekyll Island, GA – Wednesday, 11/6
We slept in a bit this morning, but that didn’t stop Denise from going for a long walk (and some running) to the village downtown to see what had changed since April. As expected construction of the “Homes2” hotel has been completed and is now available for guests. She walked around and took some pictures, including of the fog out on the Atlantic Ocean.

Jekyll Island Beach Village

Westin Hotel

Jekyll Island Beach Village

New Hotel – “Home2”

Morning fog on the Atlantic

Shortly after returning back to the boat the marina office had opened and the dockmaster (Terry) wanted to move our boat back to one of the many slips that had opened up. With little fanfare we were repositioned without having to turn on the engine. It helped that the tide was coming in and the fast current helped to push our boat along.

IO in 2nd spot at JI Marina

After this, we spent the morning doing work for clients, client calls, cataloging pictures and starting the last blog update. We also captured some pictures of the marina, so you can see why we really like it here:

JI Marina office

At JI Marina – see the squirrel

JI Marina pool & barbeque area

JI Marina facilities & restaurant

After lunch we noticed boats had started coming into the marina and were tying up behind and in front of us. We were not really paying much attention to any of them, but did notice one that appeared to be flying a Gold Looper burgee. Later in the afternoon Denise went for a walk up to the marina office and saw this boat which had been positioned on the fuel dock in the very spot we were last night. As she approached the boat and saw its name (“Velomer”), she immediately knew who it was. On board were Bob and PM Amidon whom we had met in 2015 in Port Orillo, Ontario on the Great Loop, and who also were gracious hosts to us in Portland, Maine in 2017 (see post from 2017 here). Denise text Mark to come join her and he did. We then spent a bit of time talking with Bob & PM, then agreed to get together for dinner in town later that evening.

“Velomer”

At 6:00 we met on the dock and walked together into the Village of Jekyll Island and to the Wee Pub for dinner. We have never eaten at this Irish pub/sports bar, and found the food quite good and very reasonably priced. We talked for a long time with Bob & PM, getting caught up and learning of their plans to cruise to Jacksonville this winter, then put their boat on the hard for a year. They wish to spend time visiting their kids in Colorado this spring, and then they are going to walk the Camino de Santiago (de Compostela); the way of St. James through France and on to Galicia, North-West of Spain next year. This is something Denise would like to do some day, and has a friend (Doreen) who completed it this past April.

We stayed in the restaurant talking for a long time since it was not crowded and they did not need the table. We walked back to the marina and said “good-bye”, promising to keep in touch – and forgetting to take their picture. They are staying on the island a few days, but we are headed south in the morning, trying to beat bad weather expected to hit on Friday.

Wee Pub

Sunset from marina

St. Augustine, FL – Thursday, 11/7
Compared to some prior days, we did not have a long way to go, but it would still take us at least 4 hours to get to St. Augustine. We left the docks at Jekyll Island at 7:35 am with excitement knowing that we would be spending tonight in a Florida marina; the first time since April.

We entered St. Andrews Sound and only half paying attention to where we were headed, we mistook one set of channel marks for the ICW when in fact it was for a different channel. Right away we realized we had made a wrong turn and were able to reverse course and locate the proper set of marks. Back out on the sound we found the waves a bit bouncy, but it only lasted about 10 minutes. We entered the ICW where we should have originally, losing only a little time and a little pride. Even with all our experience, it is easy to get confused as the channels off of the ICW in Georgia are like a maze; when complacency sets in it is easy to make a mistake.

We rounded the northern tip of Cumberland Island, wishing we could again anchor here like we did in 2017. We were hoping to see the park and go on the tour; it was closed due to damage by the hurricanes at our last visit. But now this will have to wait for another adventure as the weather has not been cooperating again and we need to get to St. Augustine today. As if a consolation, we were able to spot a few wild horses on the north beach.

Cumberland Is Lighthouse

Horses on Cumberland Island

We continued on the ICW, paralleling Cumberland Island and eventually turning into St. Mary’s Inlet. Here we saw the familiar sight of the USCG Station with a few boats in port, and the familiar US Navy degaussing structure. And right after that at 8:55 am, we crossed the state line into Florida.

Degaussing station – Kings Bay Sub Base

Kings Bay Naval Sub Base – USCG Station

St. Mary’s Inlet

Denise was still smiling as we passed along the WestRock paper mill and downtown Fernandina Beach, where they were actively doing repair work on the marina. Hopefully they will open soon and the town can once again benefit from all the cruisers who usually stop there.

WestRock Paper mill

Fernandina Beach Marina – under repair

South of town we saw the Rayonier paper mill in full production, and continued as the ICW begins its narrow winding path southward, happy to not have any boats to pass in this area. We did get to see workman doing work on the railroad bridge near the Amelia Island Bridge and the Downunder restaurant. This is right at the entrance to the Amelia Island Marina where we stayed on our way north in the spring.

Rayonier Paper Mill

Railroad bridge repair work

Amelia Island Marina

Down Under Restaurant

Eventually, we came to the St. Johns River and cruised across it without issue, seeing lots of dredge activity east of us in the river. We hugged the westbound side of the ICW channel as instructed in the warnings on Active Captain and had no issues with shoaling. And it was here that the clouds seemed to disappear and it turned into a beautiful day.

St John’s River Dredge operations

Wake barrier – south entrance to ICW

Continuing south we passed many boats all the way until we went under the J Turner Butler Bridge; always a landmark as we used to live not far off of this highway during our Jacksonville days. Next were the luxurious houses of Ponte Vedra Beach and the not quite as luxurious, but still nice homes of Palm Valley. Although not posted as a “no-wake” zone, there are numerous docks behind all the houses, and a USCG boat held us to 9kts. We took advantage of the slow down and ate our lunch while underway, but things had turned really hot in this narrow area, and we actually turned on the air conditioners while under way. This was a first since July on Lake Champlain.

Ponte Vedra Homes

Leaving PV

Homes near Palm Valley Bridge

Palm Valley home

Finally we arrived at the Palm Valley Bridge and entered the Tolomato River. For the next hour we cruised through the Guana River Wildlife Management Area until we came to Vilano Beach and the bridge that connects this area with St. Augustine.

A1A – Vilano Beach Bridge

Vilano Beach Pier

Just after this we crossed the St. Augustine inlet, and entered the Matanzas River. Up ahead we could see the cross at Our Lady of La Leche, the fort (Castillo de San Marcos), and the skyline of downtown St. Augustine. We cruised under the Bridge of Lions and continued south until we reached the San Sebastian River, where we turned and headed to the Rivers Edge marina; our home for the next 3.5 days. It had taken us 6 hours to complete the 84 miles, but we were happy to be in St. Augustine. We have a fun weekend planned (again) with Claire & John as they are driving over from Tallahassee so Claire can run in a half marathon on Sunday. Unlike in Bar Harbor, Denise will not be joining her for this race.

St Augustine Inlet

Cross at Our Lady of La Leche National Shrine at Mission Nombre de Dios

Castillo de San Marcos

Anchorage and skyline of St. Augustine

Approaching the Bridge of Lions

St Augustine Lighthouse

IO at Rivers Edge Marina

After checking in at the marina office, we went back to the boat and spent the afternoon doing work for clients and working on the last blog update. We ate dinner on the boat and spent the evening watching tv. We tried to have a quiet evening, but we were put on a dock right by Hurricane Patty’s restaurant and the musician playing in the bar was a bit loud. Since he was a solo guitarist, it was tolerable, but it had us wondering what it was going to be like on Friday & Saturday nights.

St. Augustine, FL – Friday, 11/8
Today was a day to hunker down in the boat, at least for a good bit of the day. The wind picked up and it was stormy. We were happy to do client work and a few boat chores while waiting for Claire and John to arrive, which they did around 5:30 pm. We visited for a while on the boat, then we went to dinner at one of our old time favorite St. Augustine restaurants, the Gypsy Cab Company. Getting there was a challenge as it is on Anastasia Island and required us to navigate through downtown rush hour/tourist traffic and over the Bridge of Lions (BOL). However, we had a great meal and a terrific time and planned out the rest of the weekend.

Gypsy Cab Company

Claire & Denise at Gypsy Cab Company

John & Claire At Gypsy Cab Company

After dinner, they took us back to our boat and called it a day. Once again there was entertainment at Hurricane Patty’s but it was much better than last night, and with the inclement weather the windows & doors were closed up, so it was not as loud for us. We got a good night’s rest as the wind continued to blow.

St. Augustine, FL – Saturday, 11/9
In the morning, we ventured off the boat and found the entire parking lot at Hurricane Patty’s was under water and the route to the marina office required us to walk through the restaurant’s porch. The winds had blown all the water from the northeastern side of the river to the marina and the fixed docks were only a few inches from being flooded. Fortunately, the boat was tied to a floating dock but the gangplank now required us to walk up it to get back to our boat.

Flooded Marina

High water on fixed dock

Denise had plans to meet up with Claire at the race expo so she headed out for a walk to do so. However, Claire did not stay at the expo very long and before Denise could reach the venue, she and John picked her up in route. Together the three of them headed back over the BOL to the farmer’s market located at the St. Augustine Amphitheatre. Meanwhile, Mark stayed behind to wash the boat.

The farmer’s market was getting crowded and we could understand why once we arrived. There was a large variety of vendors selling produce, cheeses, beef & beef jerky, pottery, candles, maple syrup, jewelry, crafted clothing and baked goods. We spent a good hour there walking around, buying a few things and talking with some of the entrepreneurs about their businesses.

After the market we went to Claire & John’s hotel and then back to pick up Mark so we all could go to lunch. We opted for Sonny’s near our marina so Mark could enjoy some much-missed barbeque and so we didn’t have to get caught up in all the craziness of downtown tourism.

After lunch Mark helped Claire with a technical issue on her computer as she was trying to get an iPhone video transferred to her notebook computer. They were able to get it resolved in a short period of time and she was very happy for his assistance.

Solving techie issues

After this, we visited the St. Augustine Distillery, located about a half a mile from the marina. We had seen it when we were all here in May of 2018, but ran out of time then to visit it. Additionally, Denise had read an article about the business and was now really interested in checking it out. When we arrived, we were told that there would be a 45 minute wait for the next tour (free). While we were trying to decide if we wanted to wait, one of the guides came up with 4 tickets that someone had just turned in for the next tour, starting in 10 minutes. We were delighted that we would not have to wait and spent time reading about the history of the old building in which the distillery is housed.

Once the tour started, we got an education about how their whiskey, gin and vodka are made, and how the business utilizes every byproduct of their production to be a truly sustainable enterprise. In addition to the distillery (production room) and the labeling room, we were taken to a special tasting room where we were offered 3 different products to taste. From there, in very “Disneyesque” fashion, we were escorted to the gift shop and bar where we were afforded unlimited small tastings of any of their other products. It was really a lot of fun, and even though we all purchased something, it was a very reasonable fun afternoon adventure. We even got to meet the CEO (Philip McDaniel) and get our picture taken with him. You can learn more about the St. Augustine Distillery here and here.

St. Augustine Distillery

At St. Augustine Distillery

With Philip McDaniel (CEO)

After the distillery tour John and Claire took us back to our boat so we could shower and get ready for the evening. Later they picked us up to attend the 5:00 mass at the St. Augustine Cathedral, and from there our plans were to dinner together. Here are some of the pictures of the church.

Cathedral of St. Augustine

Inside Cathedral of St. Augustine

Our dinner was two blocks away from the Cathedral at Old City House Inn & Restaurant, right across from the Lightner Museum. We arrived early and had a drink in their bar area, then were seated at a table outside in the courtyard. While the weather had turned cool, the heater kept us warm…that was until it ran out of gas and none was replaced during our visit. Our food was delicious, but our server was young and inexperienced and made our visit less than stellar. However, being together was the primary purpose of our visit, so we focused in on that.

At Old City House Restaurant

After dinner we were taken back to the boat and retired for the evening, not even aware of any music coming from Hurricane Patty’s. It had been a fun-filled and full day of activities, and we were tired.

St. Augustine, FL – Sunday, 11/10
Denise got up very early and walked to downtown so she could cheer Claire during her race. Since she had run this race before, she knew the course and knew that after the BOL there was less than a mile left in the race. Strategically placed for maximum viewing, she was able to catch Claire after she came down the BOL and made a turn towards the fort. She jumped in and ran most of the way to the finish line with her.

Claire running the St. Augustine Half

After the race and rendezvousing with John in the car, they dropped Denise off at the marina. Here Mark was waiting in the parking lot and we were able to say our goodbyes. We were headed south in our Island Office and they were going to head back to Tallahassee as soon as they checked out of their hotel.

Here are some other pictures we took of the marina and St. Augustine:

RIvers Edge Marina

Flagler College

It took us no time to ready the boat and we left the dock at 10:15 am. We headed out of the San Sebastian River and back into the ICW for the 60 mile cruise to New Smyrna Beach. Almost immediately we passed by the Trumpy Yacht “Angelus”. Denise is such a fan of these boats and loves to learn about them.

Tumpy "Angelus"

It was a mostly uneventful day for most of the trip, with the biggest excitement coming when we had to negotiate a very close passing around the dredge and shoals at Matanzas Inlet.

Dredge at Matanzas Inlet

We made our way through the narrows at Palm Coast and got through the Knox Bridge without incident, and then the ICW opened up around Ormond Beach.

Palm Coast Golf Resort Marina

Palm Coast Bridge

Marina at Hammock Beach Resort

LB Knox Bridge

Along the way we did encounter a large number of pleasure boaters of all types (it was the weekend after all) and had to negotiate around each of them.

Slow boat traffic

Fishing boats – slowing our progress

Jet Skiers – slowing our progress

Kayakers – slowing our progress

Although we probably could have made it safely all the way to our home port on the fuel we had, we decided not to cut it so close and stopped for fuel at Halifax Marina in Daytona Beach. We added the bare minimum of diesel as the boat is going to be hauled and put on the hard for maintenance in 2 weeks, and we didn’t need the extra weight on board.

At Halifax Harbor Marina

Finally, we made our way past Ponce Inlet, went under the North Causeway Bridge and into the slip at the New Smyrna Marina. We had stayed here before with friends in their boat, but have never brought Island Office here. We tried to get into the New Smyrna City Marina where we usually stay and is closer to the downtown and area restaurants, but we were not able to get in there. This marina is slightly more expensive (comparatively), but is set in a very nice complex of townhomes, a restaurant (Outrigger’s) and close to the home of our family friends who will be meeting us.

Ponce Lighthouse from ICW

North Causeway Bridge

Outriggers

We finished settling the boat and took quick showers in time to meet our friends (Pat & “Skirt” Skrtic) who came to the marina to pick us up. We headed over to see the renovations of their “beach house”. This is not their primary residence, but rather a rental property that Denise and her family would sometimes stay at when at NSB with this family. The house was a “kit” home (aka “Montgomery Wards”, “Sears” catalog order) and was built in 1909. It has been in their family for 50 years and their 3 sons want it kept it that way. So they have undertaken a major renovation to replace windows, update the kitchen, redesign/remodel the bathroom and a second bedroom, among other things. But mostly they had to level the floor and that required pilings and leveling jacks; not an easy task. But the inside has beadboard walls that are all original wood and the memories shared in the house makes it a special place. Here are some pictures:

Main living room

Skrtics Pine St Cottage

Kitchen – plastic protects white cabinets

New Bathroom

Back door with deck

After the “tour” we went to dinner at the “Gill at the Riverview”; a restaurant that is attached to the old Riverview Inn and overlooks the New Smyrna Harbor. The food was excellent and we were treated to a wonderful sunset.

Mr & Mrs Skrtic

The Grill at Riverview Restaurant

Sunset from Riverview Restaurant

Of course the time together flew by and before long it was time to take us back to the marina. We said goodnight and made a promise to get back over to the beach before long. We then readied the boat for tomorrow’s departure and went to bed.

Here are some other pictures of the buildings around the marina:

At New Smyrna Marina & Outriggers

New Smyrna Marina – Outriggers Restaurant

At New Smyrna Marina & Outriggers

At New Smyrna Marina

At New Smyrna Marina & Outriggers

Harbortown Marina, Merritt Island – Monday, 11/11
The day started early with a bright and beautiful sunrise. We both were up early and although we didn’t have far to go and were not going to leave until 8:00 am, by 7:30 we had already finished breakfast so we untied from the dock and left New Smyrna Beach.

Sunrise over NSB

IO at New Smryna Marina

It was slow going at the start as there were many boats in the anchorages and at the New Smyrna Yacht Club, but we were able to pick up speed for a little while. We made our way through Edgewater, passing the Boston Whaler boat manufacturing plant and the Lathrom’s Landing RV Park as we headed through Mosquito Lagoon.

Leaving NSB

Boston Whaler Boats

Lathrom’s Landing – Edgewater

This is one of the prettiest parts of the ICW in Florida. It is part of Canaveral National Seashore and is a year round “no-wake” zone due to the manatees. And we spotted a few in the water, but there are far less this time of year than in the spring where they are plentiful. We also had dolphins around us all over the place, which added to the beauty of the place.

Manatee in water

Beauty of Mosquito Lagoon

ICW through Mosquito Lagoon

The channel stays narrow through most of the lagoon, but the small islands give way to the east opening up the view so as to clearly see the Kennedy Space Center in the distance. It was a beautiful day and we had good visibility on the VAB (vehicle assembly building) and the launch pads. We were trying to time our arrival for a Delta Rocket Launch scheduled for the morning, but because we left so early, we were through this area sooner than expected. We confirmed with a friend that the launch was still a “go” but had time to make it to the Indian River, where viewing would be good there as well.

So we followed the right turn of the ICW, through the Haulover Canal and out into the Indian River, negotiating the small fishing boats along the way. Here we were delighted with the number of dolphins frolicking all around us. We were able to capture a few of them running in the bow of the boat for a good way, before they broke off.

Entering Haulover Canal

Dolphins in our bow

Cruising south on the Indian River was a pleasure as the weather was great and the water very pretty. It was a perfect day on the water and the best way to end our adventure.

We passed through the NASA railroad bridge, and the town of Titusville, where there were lots of cruising boats at the anchorage outside the marina. As we passed under the Max Brewer Bridge we had a good view of the launch pads and calculated our time with respect to the launch. We slowed our progress so we could stay in this part of the river in order to see the launch. But we were not sure which of the launch pads the rocket would hoist from, and we had visibility to several. So we waited patiently until 9:51 when we saw the smoke and the rocket launch. It was very fast moving off the pad, but we had a terrific view and caught these pictures over the next few minutes:

Falcon 9 Rocket lift off

And just like that it was all over; the launch, and soon thereafter our 2019 Down East Loop. Within 15 minutes we turned left and headed up the Barge Canal, returning to our homeport marina “Harbortown” in Merritt Island. Along the way we noticed more cleanup of the old marina and final construction of the Cape Cove Resort & Marina complex, and happily cruised under the SR 3 Bridge.

Cape Crossing Cove Marina

Cape Crossing Resort & Marina

SR 3 Bridge

We turned into Harbortown and parked our boat in the assigned slip on E dock.

Approaching Harbortown Marina

In 117 days we cruised over 4200 nautical miles. We saw all types of wildlife: eagles, osprey, gannets, porpoises, dolphins, fish, seals, & whales. We encountered people and places of many different origins and nationalities, and learned a lot about each. But most of all we met new cruising friends, connected with old friends and had a wonderful adventure.

Who knows when and where our next one will take place as we have none planned right now. You will just have to stay tuned for more of our adventures on Island Office.

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Posted in Down East Loop

Tagged Jekyll Island

Just Jekyll!

Posted on April 12, 2019 | Comments Off

melia Island, FL (Thursday 4/11)
It was a nice day to be leaving Amelia Island, with beautiful sunny skies, but a bit of wind. We wanted to leave as late as possible to give the wind a chance to die down, but before the very shallow tide would make the channel from the marina a bit dicey. So at 9:15 we left our slip, went and got a pump-out and were on our way.

It was a short run up to Jekyll Island and a beautiful day with many familiar sites. When we left Amelia Island we were followed by a fleet of Personal Water Craft (PWCs) rentals who chased us up through the downtown Fernandina Beach area.

PWC s following us from AIM canal

We passed by the municipal marina docks which were (finally) undergoing repair from storms Matthew and Irma, and the harbor was being dredged.

Fernandina Beach Marina – Docks being repaired

We passed through St. Mary’s inlet without issue and rounded Cumberland Island. In no time we passed along the St. Mary’s submarine base with their degaussing structure. This structure is so large it is visible for miles and is heavily patrolled by the USCG, who since 911 has made this part of the ICW a controlled area; they can restrict transit (and they do) when a sub is entering or leaving St. Mary’s inlet.

St Mary’s submarine degaussing structure

The rest of the day was uneventful. The most challenging part was crossing the St. Andrews Sound; an exposed area between Cumberland Island and Jekyll Island. There are now 2 routes to take: one directly across the sound, and another that goes behind a shoaled area known as Horseshoe Shoals. Having always taken the direct route, we opted for the trek that was slightly longer, but protected from the swells off the Atlantic Ocean. We did not notice that big of a difference, but the waves weren’t that bad in the sound, and in 15 minutes we were back on the usual ICW route. We tied up to the long face dock at Jekyll Island Harbor Marina at noon and settled into eating lunch before checking in at the marina office.

Jekyll Island Harbor Marina

Along the way we had been discussing our planned itinerary and how we were going to lose so much time in South Carolina. We planned slow-going to Charleston so as not to arrive too early, then spending a full week in Charleston. Once done we still had to get through most of SC and all of NC before getting to the Chesapeake Bay. All of that would take us into the first week of May with good weather, limiting our time to explore new places in VA and MD. After challenging our paradigm of Mark flying to the client in NC from Charleston, we opted to have the boat positioned in NC for him to drive to the client. After reviewing numerous options in NC, we determined the best spot was back to New Bern where we stayed in October of 2017 for the same client. Because of that, we decided to only stay two nights (instead of three) at Jekyll Island Marina, and planned out the next two weeks. We called the appropriate marinas and secured dockage for the requisite nights, coordinating with need for attending mass on Palm and Easter Sundays.

We checked into the marina office and then went back to the boat for chores (Mark washed the outside, Denise cleaned the inside), showers and an afternoon of watching boats come into the marina. Included in the fleet arriving were “Corkscrew”, “Compass Rose” and “Lady Catherine” – all of whom were at Amelia Island. We also had work to do and future events to schedule with clients, so we ended the afternoon taking care of these tasks.

Originally, we intended to take the loaner bikes into town for a dinner at The Love Shack in the Jekyll Market. We love their pulled-pork and the barbeque shrimp, and it’s a quick and inexpensive meal in a very casual setting. As luck would have it, Mark was able to convince a marina employee (who shall go unnamed) to let us take the golf cart into town; something that is not usually granted after hours. In 5 minutes we were at the Love Shack and ordering our dinners. We learned on this visit that Love Shack cups are no longer offered and the ones we have on the boat are now collector’s items.

: Love Shack collectors item

We also wanted to try and see the SpaceX Falcon Heavy launch at KSC from the beach boardwalk, but got delayed just long enough to miss it. Others on the boardwalk told us that you still couldn’t see it, despite best efforts; it was just too far away. So we took the golf cart for a quick tour around town and saw the development of a “Home2Suites” by Hilton now being built.

We got back to the boat as the sun was setting, and the bugs coming out.

Sunset over marshes near Jekyll Marina

Even though we have great Wi-Fi here, neither of us was interested in streaming any movies or watching TV. Mark did some work and Denise read a book until bedtime.

Jekyll Island, (Friday, 4/12)
It was a very warm and muggy morning (70 degrees at 6:30) when Denise went out for a run. Loving this area and knowing the now-familiar route she was excited to get out and move her legs. Within the first quarter mile she game across a few deer, still working on their breakfast. Later she ran along the beach route and back to the marina, struggling with painful back and leg issues that pop up on occasion.

Deer spotted on morning run Morning running path along beach Sand dunes on beach before sunrise

After breakfast, we settled into a boat repair project: the switch in a reading light above the bed was not working. First we made sure it was not a bulb issue (it wasn’t), we then dismounted the fixture from the wall and discovered a plastic housing had broken. This should have been a quick fix, but we discovered our super glue was totally dried up so an alternative plan had to be devised. Thirty-minutes later with some duct tape and a broken Popsicle stick, we were able to rig a fixture that enabled the switch to work again.

Broken light switch

Repaired light

Unfortunately, last night the hand-held shower coil separated from the head and now we have that to fix. But the hose underneath is intact so not impacting the ability to shower on the boat. However, we now must add this to our ever-increasing list of things to do, fix, or replace on the boat.

For the remainder of the morning there were boat chores to do, work for clients, and plenty of boaters in the marina to talk to. Mark did manage to speak with Richard and Catherine (“Lady Catherine”) about their planned itinerary. Denise spent some time talking to a local who was fishing from the dock using a cast net; he caught a bunch of sea trout and some shrimp. It is always about the people you meet along the journey.

After lunch Mark spent some time resolving issues with a client while Denise cataloged pictures and worked on this blog. We then tried to get a golf cart to go adventuring, but someone took it without checking it out because they saw it in the parking spot. These people didn’t know that we were waiting for the charging to be done as the previous users went longer than planned and the battery died. So we opted for the bikes and went on a 6 mile bike ride into Historic Jekyll Island and around the grand hotel. On our route back we passed the couple in the golf cart which had stopped due to a dead battery. KARMA!

Bike Path through Historic District

Bike Path through marsh near Historic District

Bike Path thru marsh near Historic District

When we returned to the boat we had one last chore; put water in our tanks. Even though we have an inline water system that we use via hook when at a marina, we like to make sure we have sufficient water for when we anchor out. We also like to be prepared in case the marina does not have potable water at their docks. Although we rarely encounter this, it did happen at Dog River Marina in Mobile in 2015, after the remnants of Pacific hurricane Patricia had crossed land and the Gulf of Mexico and caused so much water in Dog River that we had 6 inches of it above the fixed docks. The marina shut down the water and electric due to flooding. You can find that story here.

We spent more time doing work on the boat, then got cleaned up for drinks aboard “Lady Catherine”. Richard (Captain) had come down earlier in the day to invite us aboard. Their charter guests had left and they were alone for a few days before picking up their next client. They gave us a tour of this 1947 Trumpy Yacht that Richard had almost single-handedly restored, and graciously shared some wine and some of their life’s stories. They were awesome hosts and we loved learning more about them and their charter business. As they had dinner plans ashore, we bid our farewell and made plans to stay in touch for a possible reconnection in the fall.

Afterwards we walked up to the onsite restaurant (Zachary’s River house) for a fish dinner. It was packed and it took us awhile to get seated. Finally, we got our meals and headed back to the boat to prepare it for tomorrow morning’s early departure.

We always have a great time in this place and love stopping here. We continue to see new things and then there are things we can count on seeing; like the AirBNB houseboat that has not moved in all the years we have stopped here. We hope to return again on our way south this fall.