Jekyll Island

On Wed 11/7 we left Sudbury Crab House marina and headed to Belle Bluff Marina and Campground, yes campground. This was about 8 miles off of the ICW, calm and peaceful. Off the beaten ICW track. Unfortunately, within an hour of us docking, it started to rain and did not stop until after dark. We hunkered down, read books, watched TV and ate!

When we realized the rain stopped and I could see a sliver of the moon, we put on our sneakers, grabbed a flashlight and took a walk. As it was dark and wet, we could not really tell what the area was like. We found a paved road and walked for a bit. The next morning, when we walked again, we were pleasantly surprised at the area. Small campground with a decent neighborhood.

After the fog lifted, we left Belle Bluff and with a referral from Dan Stantlander, a fellow boat traveler and someone Gerry has competed with (against? )in the Bermuda 1-2 Race, we headed to Brunswick Landing Marina. This was not on our radar, and we were pleasantly surprised with the town, restaurants and vibe, it is a twon that is being revitalized and seems on the upswing. Lots within walking distance and they offer free beer and wine Mon/Wed/Fri 5-7 pm and free Laundry! What more could we ask for!! 😀

We went to https://indigoshanty.com/ Indigo Coastal Shanty for dinner was good. The bugs were pretty bad so we ate inside and talked with other folks from the marina, one couple in particular, left California and is here via the Panama Canal.

On Saturday 11/9 Gerry went to the hardware store and I went to a farmers market to grab some fresh veggies and pepper jelly before we took off.

During many of our legs traveling we have seen dolphin, typically they are afraid of my camera and I can’t get pictures, I got lucky! But they are in abundance, the squirrels of the sea!

We left the dock and had a very short 8 mile ride to Jekyll Harbor Marina. We fell in love with Jekyll Island! The marina allows you use of a golf cart for 1.5 hours so we were able to get a lay of the island. On the north end of the island is Driftwood Beach, very pretty and a popular wedding spot.

The weather was questionable so we stayed and had dinner at https://maps.app.goo.gl/Bi9NjWTV24VoHQDb6?g_st=com.google.maps.preview.copy Zackry’s Riverhouse. Food and atmosphere were good but our waitress was terrible!

Sun 11/10 started slow. Around 11 am the rain passed and we jumped on beach cruiser bicycles the marina has for guests. We rode around the Historic District and took a trolly tour of Old Jekyll Island Club and the Moss Cottage. This area was the winter playground of the wealthy in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. There is lots of history here. Worth doing!

We were going to play mini-golf, but the course seemed pretty lame so we grabbed a light lunch at Tortuga Jack’s Mexican and Tiki Bar. There was a band playing so we hung out for a while. We biked back, cleaned up and enjoyed happy hour drinks with new friends Ed and Karen on their 48 ft Sabre Oasis. They are traveling to the same destination over the next week, so we plan to catch up with them again.

The blue tags on trees are replaced annually to keep track of how old the trees are.

Around 7 pm with took the bicycles to The Wharf Restaurant. It was really cool to ride the bikes at night. The great thing about Jekyll Island is the entire island has bike/walking paths. It is easy and safe to get anywhere on the island.

We departed Jekyll Island around 9 am and headed to Fernandina Beach to grab a mooring. We left early as they are first come first serve. During this leg, we crossed into Florida!

Unfortunately, the little fly/noseam bugs were so awful we grabbed a dock. The YACHT in front of us, Bella Vita is 196’ built for a mere 58 million with a crew of 15.

In 2021 Gerry did a huge project with Noank Electric at Kings Bay Navel Base in Georgia. At that time, we drove down and spend a few days. We ate at Sliders Seaside Grill and had a seafood boil that we replicated and home and talk about all the time. As soon as we were settled in, we jumped on our scooters and went back. So good!

It was nice to pull into a harbor and actually know the area a little bit.

Last night, in Fernandina Beach we walked around and saw this cool chalkboard on the wall of a building.

Oh and a poop project…. We (aka Gerry) had to replace a joker valve as our goodeness was coming back up into the toilet when our holding tank was more than 50% full. I don’t know why they call it a joker valve. It’s no joke. Glad that job is over!

So today, we drafted this blog, and my DAD checked on our condo! Thanks DAD!!

We had pizza for lunch and finally played minigolf. Happy Hour on AdventureUS tonight!

Guess who won?

Until next time!