Crustacean Travels

 Pulling up anchor, we headed out of Big Tom Creek where we stayed overnight and headed north again.  Passing Ossabaw Island, we crossed the Ogeechee River, having to really slow down to go through Hells Gate channel as the waters were shallow. We then crossed the Vernon River and entered the Skidaway River to wind between Skidaway Island and Isle of Hope.  Now we are back in civilization with homes and docks all along the waterway.  Our destination tonight is a marina in Isle of Hope. Isle of Hope is an island community southeast of Savannah.  Isle of Hope began as a summer retreat for the people of Savannah.  They came here to escape yellow fever outbreaks.  Many of the antebellum cottages are still on the island. The area is also known for the Wormsloe Plantation.  Built in 1737 by Noble Jones family, the plantation grew cotton and indigo. The family was one of the 41 original families who first came to Georgia colony in 1733 with James Ogletho...

 We continued north on a windy morning winding our way up the Intracoastal past miles of tidal marsh filled with cordgrass.  Your fact for the day- Cordgrass provides protection from erosion, serves as a water filtering system, and shelter for the wildlife.  We saw gulls, herons, bank swallows, plovers, black ducks, rails and marsh hens, white pelicans and the common cormorant.  Four dolphin also swam by the boat fishing along the bank. Cruising past St Simon and Little St Simon Islands we crossed the Altamaha River to travel behind three more barriers island- Wolf, Queen and Sapelo.  Behind Sapelo Island, we began to see fish camps amongst the oak hammocks and further up we passed a number of shrimp boats. We anchored up the Crescent River along with two other boats and spent the afternoon doing a few chores, napping and even tried the drone. This is a beautiful spot.  The pictures do not do it justice.  At sunset, large flocks of birds flew in format...

 Leaving Cumberland Island, we headed south to regain the Intracoastal, then turned north going right past King’s Bay Naval Station- a nuclear submarine base. The landscape is 17 miles of Cumberland Island to the east and wide salt marshes to the west.  The Intracoastal really winds around in this stretch.  The old light house on Cumberland is barely visible for the dunes. As we cruise past Cumberland Island, we crossed the Satillo River and behind Jekyll Island. In the 1880’s, the wealthy built cottages that served as their winter homes. Names like Vanderbilt, Pulitzer, Astor, Goodyear, and Morgan were common.  The centerpiece of the winter resort is the Jekyll Island Club Lodge The cottages are really large bungalows or two story homes with no kitchens- to “increase social interaction “ all the cottage owners dined together at the lodge. We anchored and took the dinghy ashore and enjoyed exploring the cottages and lodge which were built from the year 1896 to 1906. ...