11/25/15
To 30 45.979N, 81
28.284W Cumberland Island Sea Camp
Anchorage 37.1NM
Going down the Brunswick River with the current was easier than going up the day before, even if it wasn't flowing any where near as fast. With the tide up, there was plenty of water behind Jekyll Island, however, having gone through at low tide, we were well aware of how little depth there would be if we strayed too far out of the channel. Running aground at high tide would make for a very bad day! As suspected, it was up hill until we reached the little jog in the channel - it's almost like there is a magical place where it becomes suddenly downhill.
With a stiff NE wind, going through Jekyll Sound and
around the shoal in St. Andrews Sound was interesting -
3-4' standing waves thanks to the wind against the
current. Looking at the knot meter, we were barely
moving, but were actually doing 7kts over the ground
thanks to the current. Round the shoal and the
opposite was true, but it was somewhat less lumpy with the
wind and boat going the same direction. We ran
the jib out and sailed. Our course had the wind
switching sides across the stern, and jibing the jib while
staying off the shoals was a bit tricky at times in 25 kts
of wind.
We had 2 sail boats ahead of us and heard on the VHF that
several were behind us. I wondered why we didn't see
anyone else as we made the turn, and then heard the others
decided the Sound looked too rough to cross and had
stopped at the conveniently located marina on the S end of
Jekyll Island ($2.25/ft). It appeared we would be
the last boat to cross for the day. Although the
forecast was for the wind to continue to blow hard through
the weekend, St. Andrews Sound would be easier to run at
slack water. We were glad to have it behind us.
The plan was to go up the Brickhill River and spend some time at Plum Orchard, but a check on Active Captain warning of severe shoaling at the S end of the river scotched that plan. We should have been able to cross after high tide (8.7' thanks to the spring tide) when we wanted to leave but it would be a real problem if we ran aground, so Leonard vetoed the idea.Instead we headed for our usual anchorage by the Sea Camp dock and set the anchor at 2000 rpm. Given the NE wind, the anchorage was lumpy, especially when the current held us stern to the wind. With the big Thanksgiving Party at St. Marys, there weren't a lot of boats in the anchorage, sparing us the concern of someone dragging during the night.
Going down the Brunswick River with the current was easier than going up the day before, even if it wasn't flowing any where near as fast. With the tide up, there was plenty of water behind Jekyll Island, however, having gone through at low tide, we were well aware of how little depth there would be if we strayed too far out of the channel. Running aground at high tide would make for a very bad day! As suspected, it was up hill until we reached the little jog in the channel - it's almost like there is a magical place where it becomes suddenly downhill.
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| Wind 24.2kts, Speed (thru the water) 3.5kts. Speed over the ground 7.2kts thru 3-4' standing seas! |
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| Looking at the N end of Cumberland Island - Green mark off station - this was the 'smooth' side of St Andrews Sound |
The plan was to go up the Brickhill River and spend some time at Plum Orchard, but a check on Active Captain warning of severe shoaling at the S end of the river scotched that plan. We should have been able to cross after high tide (8.7' thanks to the spring tide) when we wanted to leave but it would be a real problem if we ran aground, so Leonard vetoed the idea.Instead we headed for our usual anchorage by the Sea Camp dock and set the anchor at 2000 rpm. Given the NE wind, the anchorage was lumpy, especially when the current held us stern to the wind. With the big Thanksgiving Party at St. Marys, there weren't a lot of boats in the anchorage, sparing us the concern of someone dragging during the night.
The anchorages in the St Mary river are very crowded on Thanksgiving and there are generally problems with boats dragging. We listened to one unfortunate boater who'd run aground. It wasn't clear where he was, but it took several hours for the tow boat to get him afloat again. Given the windy conditions, it wasn't a good day to go aground, especially with a -0.8' low tide making for even skinnier water than normal.
We plan to stay at Cumberland until Sunday, giving us ample time to tour the island. If the NE wind persists, the anchorage and moorings at Fernandina Beach will be lumpy too, with the promise if a wet dinghy ride to shore. Tiger Point is expecting us on Monday and should hopefully have a space on the dock for us before hauling us in Tuesday.
11/26/15 HAPPY THANKSGIVING from
Cumberland Island
On Thanksgiving Day we went ashore when the current switched, giving us a drier dinghy ride. With the full moon last night, the morning high tide really was high.
The volunteer at the ranger's station warned us that 2 of the board
walks were closed for repairs, including the one to the beach.
Since we had to climb over the dunes (usually frowned upon) we were
able to take a picture looking across the dunes to the
Atlantic. She also mentioned the swallows were migrating and
that we might see them swooping down for a drink by the ruins at
Dungeness.
The weather was iffy, windy with the possibility of showers throughout the day, so we decided to walk downwind along the beach to the Dungeness Trail. The showers caught up with us when we reached the marsh boardwalk, so we didn't spend much time checking out the creek area choosing to wait ut the showers under some of the big live oaks beyond the boardwalk. We wandered back, through the ruins at Dungeness taking the river walk back to the park dock.
They say a picture is worth a 1000 words, so I'll include some of the interesting highlights we saw on our Thanksgiving day walk.
As we headed across the island we met a lot of day trippers - I don't ever remember seeing as many visitors in the past! At the Dungeness dock, a Ranger was leading a large group on a tour of the ruins. Having just come from there, we didn't join them. While it was great to see the park so busy, I was glad we'd been able to enjoy the quiet of several less crowded days to explore the island
A Grizzled Mantid on the handrail by the marsh boardwalk
On Thanksgiving Day we went ashore when the current switched, giving us a drier dinghy ride. With the full moon last night, the morning high tide really was high.
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| High tide at the Sea Camp dock Thanksgiving morning |
The weather was iffy, windy with the possibility of showers throughout the day, so we decided to walk downwind along the beach to the Dungeness Trail. The showers caught up with us when we reached the marsh boardwalk, so we didn't spend much time checking out the creek area choosing to wait ut the showers under some of the big live oaks beyond the boardwalk. We wandered back, through the ruins at Dungeness taking the river walk back to the park dock.
They say a picture is worth a 1000 words, so I'll include some of the interesting highlights we saw on our Thanksgiving day walk.
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| Panorama looking toward the ocean from the top of a dune (the boardwalk was being repaired) |
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| A cloud of swallows catching bugs in the lee of the island - it was too windy at the beach |
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| Panorama of the Ruins at Dungeness |
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| Some of Cumberland's wild horses |
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A live oak entwined around a palm tree
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1/27/15 - 11/28/15 Cumberland Island Anchorage Lay Days
The NE wind continued to blow, but we must have adapted to the waves slapping on the stern when the current flowed against the wind, as it wasn't as noticeable. The wind was sufficient to keep the batteries charged, but unfortunately they don't generate hot water, and with the skies gray much of the time, the solar shower wasn't a viable option either. Rather than turning on the engine, we either heated water on the stove or did without, a minor inconvenience.
In spite of the less than stellar weather, it was nice to have time to enjoy the park at our leisure. A few boats had joined us at the anchorage, but fewer than I'd expected. Most of the visitors to the park were day trippers, arriving via the ferry from St. Mary's, so we pretty much had the place to ourselves, taking long walks over various trails. With the possibility of a passing shower at any time, we packed our jackets when we went to shore Friday. Like carrying an umbrella, it seemed to work and we didn't need them. With daytime highs in the low 70's, it was comfortable for walking, even in the wind.
Friday, to avoid waking into the wind on the beach, we took the
Parallel Trail through the woods and out to Stafford Beach.
It was an interesting hike, and with the recent showers, a lot of
mushrooms had appeared, tucked into the leaf litter from the live
oaks. We read that most of the live oak forest is second
growth, as they were heavily harvested back in the era of wooden
boats since the twists and turns of the trees were easily turned
in to knees and beams. As Leonard noted, one would be hard
pressed to find a long straight plank in the forest. At one
point, much of the island had been cleared for farming, but has
gradually reverted to forest.
Needless to say, the wind was still blowing when we reached Stafford Beach, and we were thankful to be walking the 3 miles with the wind at our backs. Our walk coincided with low tide, providing a long sloping beach with small banks trapping the water in places. At one point we had a shore bird joining us as we walked - usually the birds fly a short distance ahead as you approach - this one just kept walking along the waves with us. I think it might have been a willet, but once again our photos don't quite match the pictures in my bird book, perhaps in part due to birds changing into winter plumage.
It was a long hike, around 7 miles, by the time we got back to the
boat. I'd started a batch of bread before we'd gone ashore,
but hadn't heated the liquids before mixing the dough (trying the
slow rise method) and was happy to find all the dough needed was
to be punched down, shaped and baked when we got back.
Perfect! Exercise and fresh bread.
Leonard was in favor of moving down to Fernandina Beach Saturday morning, but after checking at the current charts, agreed to go ashore for another beach walk in the morning. We beat the 1000 ferry ashore, arriving ahead of the day trippers. Since rain showers weren't in the forecast and the sun was promising a beautiful day, once the morning haze burned off, there would likely be more visitors.
Opting to walk the beach at high tide, we had it almost to
ourselves. While there wasn't as much beach, there was more
to see on our walk. Shells that had been few and far between
on our other walks were more numerous as were flocks of shore
birds waiting for the water to recede. We've not seen
as many birds as in the past on our walks this year, and I haven't
been sure if the numbers are down or our timing off. With
the wind not blowing quite so hard, we walked about a mile past
the turnoff for the Dungeness trail before heading back.
The NE wind continued to blow, but we must have adapted to the waves slapping on the stern when the current flowed against the wind, as it wasn't as noticeable. The wind was sufficient to keep the batteries charged, but unfortunately they don't generate hot water, and with the skies gray much of the time, the solar shower wasn't a viable option either. Rather than turning on the engine, we either heated water on the stove or did without, a minor inconvenience.
In spite of the less than stellar weather, it was nice to have time to enjoy the park at our leisure. A few boats had joined us at the anchorage, but fewer than I'd expected. Most of the visitors to the park were day trippers, arriving via the ferry from St. Mary's, so we pretty much had the place to ourselves, taking long walks over various trails. With the possibility of a passing shower at any time, we packed our jackets when we went to shore Friday. Like carrying an umbrella, it seemed to work and we didn't need them. With daytime highs in the low 70's, it was comfortable for walking, even in the wind.
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| A colorful salmon colored mushroom - some of these showed evidence of being part of some critter's diet |
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| Old Man in the Woods black mushroom |
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| Lion's main mushroom |
Needless to say, the wind was still blowing when we reached Stafford Beach, and we were thankful to be walking the 3 miles with the wind at our backs. Our walk coincided with low tide, providing a long sloping beach with small banks trapping the water in places. At one point we had a shore bird joining us as we walked - usually the birds fly a short distance ahead as you approach - this one just kept walking along the waves with us. I think it might have been a willet, but once again our photos don't quite match the pictures in my bird book, perhaps in part due to birds changing into winter plumage.
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| Friendly bird walking the shoreline with us - possibly a willet |
Leonard was in favor of moving down to Fernandina Beach Saturday morning, but after checking at the current charts, agreed to go ashore for another beach walk in the morning. We beat the 1000 ferry ashore, arriving ahead of the day trippers. Since rain showers weren't in the forecast and the sun was promising a beautiful day, once the morning haze burned off, there would likely be more visitors.
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A colorful starfish - much as I'd have loved to picked him up, I know how stinky they get!
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| I ID'ed this as a Wilson's Plover |
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| Waiting for the tide to recede - Wilsons Plovers and Dunlins perched on 1 leg |
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| Terns - Royal (orange beak) and Sandwich (black beak) with a couple of gulls |
I trust the bird experts will correct any misidentified birds!
As we headed across the island we met a lot of day trippers - I don't ever remember seeing as many visitors in the past! At the Dungeness dock, a Ranger was leading a large group on a tour of the ruins. Having just come from there, we didn't join them. While it was great to see the park so busy, I was glad we'd been able to enjoy the quiet of several less crowded days to explore the island
A Grizzled Mantid on the handrail by the marsh boardwalk
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