We returned to Florida to continue our Great Loop Adventure on November 14. After meeting with Customs and Border Protection Services in Palm Beach to complete our documentation for cruising in U.S. waters, we arrived in Stuart and began preparations for Leg 2, with the sole aim of beating it out of Florida before the end of the year, to avoid the Florida sales tax. We made our preparations at the Hinckley Yard. Before leaving for Georgia, however, we returned to Sunset Bay Marina for a few days, during which we enjoyed a "last supper" at our favourite restaurant, Riverwalk Cafe.
We finally headed out on November 19. Along the way, we continued to pass the many dream waterfront properties along the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW or "The Ditch"), with stops at Vero Beach (where we had also stopped in TOSCA on our return from the Bahamas in 1978), and Cocoa Village, before reaching our first layover at New Smyrna Beach on Wednesday, November 21.
We were welcomed at New Smyrna Beach by our friends from Bahamas days of 35 years ago, Patsy and Bill Bolling. Although they are now retired from cruising, Patsy and Bill are endless sources of information on cruising the entire east coast and The Bahamas. They generously shared their knowledge of the ICW and gave us the names of many contacts and marinas for our journey north. Patsy's Dad was the legendary Captain Lou Kenedy, who was admiringly profiled in The Last Schoonerman, by Joe Russell (www.NauticalPublishing.com). Captain Lou was our mentor when we started out owning boats together in Nova Scotia in 1972 and when we cruised the Exumas in TOSCA I.
As well as enjoying our first American Thanksgiving (hosted by ex-pat Canadians!), we were also introduced to the beautiful custom of dressing the boats with Christmas lighting, seen here at the New Smyrna Beach Marina.
Next stop was St. Augustine, which is full of history. We would have liked a couple more days to explore, but only managed a quick tour of the highlights, including Ponce de Leon's Fountain of Eternal Youth. We tend to forget that the early history of the western occupation of North America was driven by Spanish-French-British rivalries that were often fought out on these shores far from Europe. This history is everywhere evident in St. Augustine.
From New Smyrna Beach, we hightailed it for the Georgia border, with overnight stops in Palm Coast (where we had another amazing restaurant experience at La Piazza Cafe), Jacksonville Beach and Fernandina Beach, which was our last port in Florida. As we moved north, we encountered more of the man-made canals that are part of the ICW, and also a wider variety in the waterfront homes.
As the only boat heading north, we were the subject of much curiosity, with more than one crew waving frantically that we were headed in the wrong direction! We were amazed at the number of Canadian boats heading south and they, in turn, seemed perplexed that we were heading north.
As we left Florida on Wednesday, November 28, the landscape changed to the low marshes of the Georgia coastline and its barrier islands, with winding, shoaling rivers and cuts - and unpredictable currents - that demanded constant attention to the depth sounder. There is a unique beauty and serenity to this remote stretch, which is much as we remembered it from 35 years ago. The gulls loved our Canadian flag!
And, along the way, Alex managed some running repairs!
Our first stop in Georgia was beautiful Jekyll Island. We biked over to the historic Jekyll Island Club Hotel for lunch. From Jekyll Island, we moved to Brunswick, passing under the stunning Sidney Lanier Bridge, and tied up at the Brunswick Landing Marina, at 1600 on Thursday, November 29, 2012. We were out of Florida: MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!
The setting of the Brunswick Landing Marina is wonderful - off the ICW and quiet. In unseasonably warm weather, we were again treated to spectacular sunsets. On Saturday night, after a great meal at Indigo Coastal Shanty (http://www.indigocoastalshanty.com/ - we're going to nominate it to the Food Network's Diners Driveins and Dives), we took in the local amateur theatre company's production of Neil Simon's play The Gingerbread Woman - a wonderful evening all round.
Checked out our inflatable while we were there too and found everything to be in great order. Maybe we'll try anchoring out for a night or two on the next leg!
We also toured the surrounding Golden Isles, here seen after lunch at the Coastal Kitchen at Morningstar Marinas on St. Simons Island. However, we were turned back at the gate to the exclusive Sea Island - if you don't have a place there, the only way onto the Island is to show the guards at the gate that you already have a reservation at the luxury five-star resort The Cloister (http://www.seaisland.com/accommodations/)!
We were, however, received warmly when we returned by car to the Jekyll Island Club Hotel, where we enjoyed a last night of self-indulgence before heading back to winter and Christmas in Calgary. The Jekyll Island Club (www.jekyllclub.com), founded in 1886, was one of the most exclusive clubs in American history, including among its members Rockefellers, Goodyears, J.P. Morgan, Joseph Pulitzer, etc. It was at the Club that the establishment of the U.S. Federal Reserve was proposed in 1910.
Unfortunately, on our last morning in Brunswick, as we were undertaking our final checks, Alex stepped backwards into an open engine compartment and badly bruised her left side. A week later, she has almost fully recovered and is looking forward to the next leg of our adventure.
We drove to Savannah, where we checked out the Hinckley Yard and Thunderbolt Marine as candidates for our next layover to get some work done. Leg 2 ended with a fabulous meal at Sam Snead's Oak Grill & Tavern - the perfect setting for our last night. We flew home to Calgary on Thursday, December 6, via Washington D.C. and Chicago. What a three weeks!
We've now covered approximately 450 miles since leaving Gasparilla Marina on September 19, 2012.
We drove to Savannah, where we checked out the Hinckley Yard and Thunderbolt Marine as candidates for our next layover to get some work done. Leg 2 ended with a fabulous meal at Sam Snead's Oak Grill & Tavern - the perfect setting for our last night. We flew home to Calgary on Thursday, December 6, via Washington D.C. and Chicago. What a three weeks!
We've now covered approximately 450 miles since leaving Gasparilla Marina on September 19, 2012.
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