After a couple of days of travel on the ICW with nightly anchorages, we arrived at St Simon’s Island (outside Brunswick, GA), Wednesday evening. We opted for a marina, since on Thursday morning, we had a serendipitous visit from Anne’s brother, Tom. He was en route back to New Hampshire (home) from visiting his daughter and her fiancé on their catamaran in the Bahamas! What a delight to have him as our first visitor. After a brief visit for breakfast, he headed back out on his travels north.
After two nights at the marina, the weather and route lined up, and we were able to go outside for a great downwind sail to Fernandina Beach, a quaint historic town on Amelia Island. We were able to use our screecher, a light wind headsail, that we hadn’t shook out until now. Lots to learn! It was a fabulous day.
We will be on Amelia Island for about a week, awaiting friends who will be joining us for the Amelia Island to Savannah leg as we head back north. Rather than staying at the marina the whole week, we rented a mooring ball. This way, we can dinghy to shore when need be and still have access to all the marina amenities such as showers, laundry, and mail service. At about $25 per night, it’s much more reasonable than a dock. Mooring balls have the additional benefits of being more private and more picturesque as well.
Finally getting the taste of the cruising life — lazy days “on the ball” in a warm(ish) spot. We’ll use this time to explore the town, work on some boat projects and Anne will master the dinghy.
