Jekyll Island to Fernandina Beach, FL

Wednesday we woke up to thick fog.  We were anchored about 150 feet behind another boat and could not see it. The plan was to head for Cumberland Island.  We had to wait until 10:30 for the fog to lift, which turned out to be good timing as we had the tide with us all day for a change.  We had a peaceful, calm, fast run to Cumberland Island. 

One of the prettiest boats we have seen.  Whenever FREEDOM is underway there is a lot of radio chatter by boats complimenting her.

Submarine pens.  There were dozens of dolphins in this area, but they are very hard to photograph with a digital camera.  Since this is a military area maybe they are stealth dolphins.

We pulled into Cumberland in the early afternoon and walked over to the beach with Tom, Chris, and Randy.  This is the first time we have been to a beach on this trip. 

Thursday we spent the whole day Cumberland Island.  We walked through the woods to the dock where the ferry comes in and looked through the small museum.  The ranger invited us to join her tour at 12:30 so we had a picnic and watched the wild horses until the tour started. 

Bill, Tom, Randy, Jeannie, and Chris waiting for the tour. Notice the size of the live oak behind them.

The ruins of Dungenes.  Dungenes was built in the 1880s by Thomas and Lucy Carnegie. After Thomas died in 1886 Lucy and her nine children moved to the island full time. Whenever one of the children married Lucy would build them a house on the island.  By the 1920s the "Gilded Age" lifestyle was on the way out and the house was not used as often. Sometime in the late 20s or 30s it was closed up, except for one wedding (I think the spouse was a Rockefeller).  The mansion burned in 1959.

Bill and Tom in the Pergola.  This is where the ladies would sit to watch the polo matches.  A few minutes after I took this picture a colt that had misplaced his mother and was upset about being alone galloped by and started into the pergola, but stopped at the last possible second when he saw us. 

The armidillos are fun to watch.  They mostly scurry around in the underbrush.  I think they are cute even if they are armored rats.

Friday morning we left Cumberland Island and headed over to Fernandina Beach.  Most of Friday afternoon was spent doing laundry. Fernandina is an interesting town.  From the water it looks very industrial - the towers from the mills can be seen from miles.  Even approaching the town it does not look promising as the main street ends at the water, instead of paralleling the harbor.  Once you walk into town, though, it is very picturesque and seems prosperous.  It is nice to see a town with a variety of businesses and some actual industry.   In the evening we had drinks at the marina bar with Tom, Chris, Randy, and Jeannie.