The next morning we were able to sleep in a little as we waited for high tide to leave the marina. We draw 4 feet 8 inches below the boat and at this marina we saw 4 feet right before low tide so we were in no hurry to leave. At 9:45 we made our way to our final Florida stop - Fernandina Beach. Our first cruise with mom would take us 32.5 miles and a little over 4 hours. It was hot and humid as it always is in Florida. We stayed at a marina a little way out of town because the city marina downtown is still not put back together after Hurricane Matthew. This was a rustic place with a boat yard and we appeared to be the only transients. The dock hand and man who was having work done helped tie us up and got us checked in. When we inquired about going to town the same man who helped us tie up offered to drive us in his car. We were thrilled and quickly changed and hopped into his convertible. He dropped us downtown where we proceeded to window shop and explore. We wondered over to "Florida's Oldest Bar" but when we went in for a drink people were smoking and it was incredibly hot due to lack of air conditioning. We sat down for all of two minutes before deciding to leave. We instead had a drink at The Salty Pelican which came highly recommended. The air conditioning was cranked and the beer was cold. We were quiet happy. From there we made our way to the distillery. Yes our third distillery since Nassau. The server was super nice and fun and even had a few shots with us. We tried rum, gin, vodka and whiskey. I left with rosy cheeks and a smile. We walked through town a bit more in the heat and decided to get a margarita while we waited for our cab to take us back to the boat.
The next morning we would finally be out of Florida. Yay!!!!!!!! We travel a short 6.6miles to Cumberland Island, Georgia where we anchored in front of the island with several other boats. I was really looking forward to this stop for several reasons - 1. no more Florida, 2. anchoring out after being at several marinas in a row and 3. there are wild horse that run free on the island. After arriving we quickly launched the dinghy and the three of us set out to explore the island and find the horses. We didn't really know much else about the island just that it was supposed to be pretty. And pretty it was. We found the river trail and started walking. We found the ruins of an old Carnegie house where the family used to vacation, we found an small museum and the wild horses. Little did we know how long we would be walking but 5 miles and two and a half hours later we were pooped. Our last leg of the walk took us all along the beach which was very pretty but we were all very happy to get back to the dinghy and the boat.
Our second stop in Georgia would take us to Jekyll Island where we rented a golf cart and explored the area. They have a historic town center which has brick streets and old time buildings and very beautiful grass and trees. There are great bike paths all around the city but after our long hike the day before Jeff wasn't interested. We cruised the golf cart all around the island and saw the beach and walked around the the shopping area where we found a great market where we got shrimp, pimento dip (a staple in the south) and an excellent chocolate carmel toffee cake. Yum! Back at the boat we just relaxed and had happy hour and played our first round of gin rummy. Jeff while whinny through the entire game that he was tired and it was taking too long won.
I was looking forward to the next stop - Brunswick, Georgia because my dad was meeting us there. He was driving from Ohio. We arrived at 9:45 in the morning and the wind was howling - 22-25 mph. We needed a pump out (sucking out our holding tanks) and requested this from the marina before going into our slip. Fortunately the pump out slip was right on the first dock and a straight shot in. With the high winds and the racing current we had a very hard time getting tied up. It took three dock hands and myself in order to get us tied up securely to the dock. The wind was blowing us all over and the current was slamming us into the dock. It was wild but finally after about 15 minutes we were secure. Fortunately the dock master told us we didn't have to move and could stay here for the night. I was relieved. At one point we watched rollers coming into the slips next to us. Brunswick Marina was a very unique place because they offered their tenants free beer every day of the week and free wine Monday, Wednesdays and Fridays. We couldn't quiet understand this and thought it was a hoax. Nope. They have a great boaters lounge where they keep endless kegs of beer. Boater heaven. After a few glasses of wine we decided to hit the town. It was a good thing for the free booze because the "town" wasn't much to see. A lot of it was run down or the few places that were opened weren't places you would even want to go into. Our walk was quick and returned to the boat and waited for my dad. Around 4:30 he arrived. After driving for 13 hours from Ohio he was here. We were so excited and relieved that he made it. We sat around the boat catching up and then went to this really good African place for dinner. Jeff and I had super spicy dishes so much so that I drank three glasses of water, blew my nose several times and my whole face was red. Very good though.
Unfortunately the next day was going to be a long one so at 6:30a.m. we said goodbye to my dad and headed out. Dad would drive to our next stop Kilkenny but wasn't interested in the 9 hour boat trip. The day was long but uneventful. When we arrived we were one of three boats on the dock and the dock itself wasn't in the best shape. All of the boards moved as you walked on them. But after the long day we didn't care we were ready for a walk. There wasn't much around us to walk to we just stretched our legs a bit and waited for my dad to meet us.
Dad decided to leave his car in Savannah (our next stop) and took an Uber to meet us in Kilkenny. Finally he would get to take a ride on the Tidings and experience what its like to loop. That night we made dinner on the boat and crashed early. We were all pooped.
Again we needed to wait on the tides so we got to sleep in and departed Kilkenny at 9:45a.m. It was really hot that day with little to no breeze and the horse flies were out in masses. So much so that we had to close the entire boat up while we cruised just to keep them out. It was kinda gross. Around 3:30p.m we pulled into the River Street Docks in the heart of downtown Savannah. They tucked us in behind a 150 foot sailboat and a 90 foot powerboat. We were thrilled to be there. After a welcome drink and some snacks we got changed and hit the town. We took a leisurely stroll around and ended up at The Lady and Son's (Paula Deen's Restaurant) for dinner. This was a place I wanted to go since we decided to come to Savannah. I used to watch Paula Deen for years on the Food Network. She always made me laugh with her southern twang and calling everyone, "y'all." We walked around the gift shop and waited for a table in her three story restaurant. My dad had friend chicken on the brain and I was hoping there was be something vegetarian for me. We all found something and the food was great. We left feeling so full and so sick we thought we would burst. We strolled a bit more and listened to some street musicians before retiring to the boat and going to bed.
After a fun week sadly mom and dad left the next day. Dad had to get back to go to volleyball and their drive would be 13 hours. We said goodbye to them and started our discovery of Savannah. The first thing we did was take a trolley ride all around the city so we could get an idea of what we might want to do. The first day we went to an old Jewish Synagogue were we listened to a man give a talk all about the history of the synagogue. It was interesting but told in a long boring way. We walked around and saw the museum that was on the second floor. Later that day we toured an old church. It was beautiful with stained glass windows, a pretty alter and an old organ which the organist was practicing on when we arrived. We had a quiet night on the boat and watched all the action on the river. Another great thing about being on the downtown docks in addition to the proximity to the city is to watch all of the freighters and massive barges go by. We were really excited to be here.
The next day was a real highlight for me we went to the train museum. Jeff always makes fun of me and calls me an adolescent boy when it comes to my loves of trains but what can I say, trains are cool. At the train museum we were given a tour of two old executive trains which were privately owned and given to the museum. We got to ride on an old steam train and told the history of the Savannah train lines. I think we were the only two people at the museum that weren't there with little kids. Next we got to try this old hand car where we stood across from each other and pumped the handle up and down and make it move. A good workout and fun. We explored the rest of the grounds seeing the old machine shop and boiler rooms. I found it all so interesting and was really glad we went.
After the train museum we rode our bikes all around town. We saw the beautiful squares that we saw from the trolley and old historic homes which line the streets. That day also happened to be Cinco De Mayo which reminded me of home and our Mexican friends and neighbors so we took an uber to the local Mexican bar/restaurant and had a couple margaritas and chips and salsa to celebrate.
The next day would be my favorite and most interesting stop in Savannah - The First African Church. We knew nothing about it and Jeff thought the whole tour would take 5 minutes. When we entered the guide told us to plan for at least an hour and that 200 years of history takes some time. As we walked into the church and down the isle I could just feel the history and significance of the place. I kept thinking to myself if these walls could talk. The first African Church was built for and owned by slaves. It was also part of the underground railroad. In the basement there is a place under the floor with four feet of space where people could hide. The church history and significance has drawn several civil rights activists such as Martin Luther King, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, Cornel West and many many more. Active members include John Melencamp and Bruce Willis. It's an incredible story of perseverance and determination and we were so glad we got to see it.
Sadly the next day we had to leave Savannah. What a great stop. Jeff even said he thought he could live there. He never says things like that. Such a lush, old, beautiful city with so much history and charm. One of our favorite stops.
The next day we would cruise north to Hilton Head Island. Talk about a complete and total contrast from Savannah which was established in the 1700s, Hilton Head was contrived in the 1980s and it feels that way. We called it a manufactured town to give tourist a place to come and golf and go to the beach. The thing about Hilton Head is there is no center. Its just golf courses, hotels and strip centers. There is no charming downtown or old city center just golf courses and hotels. We found a marina that had several shops and restaurants right on it's property. We took our bikes off the boat and rode all around just to find lots of hotels. When we got to the beach we had to walk though a hotel property in order to access the beach and it was just lounge chairs for miles. There was no boardwalk or shops or restaurants on the water, no bike riders, skate boarders or roller bladers enjoying the seaside just people laying on the beach in front of their hotels that ran for miles. One night was more then enough for us in Hilton Head and we were looking forward to our first stop in South Carolina - Beaufort (pronounced Bew-Fort).
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