Wednesday, November 11, 2020
It continued to rain off and on Wednesday but we rose before dawn to take advantage of the tide we would need to get through Jekyll Cut without going aground.
Unfortunately, the MV Golden Ray, a cargo ship carrying 4200 motor vehicles did go aground in St. Simon Sound about a year ago when its load of Kia and Hyundai cars apparently slid, causing the 656’ ship to list and eventually capsize.
All aboard were rescued and most of the fuel recovered but the ship has been declared a loss and is being cut up into pieces and scrapped. We saw the operation underway as we exited St. Simon’s sound, bound for the infamous shoaling cut. A sobering reminder in the early morning sunlight.
Like yesterday, we passed behind Jekyll Island, described in our Waterway Guide as “beautiful blend of serenity and discovery...majestic forests, saltwater marsh, wide-open beaches, historic ruins and opulent cottages.” Here was our view:
We’re thinking it might be more fun to visit Jekyll Island in non-Covid times.
The closer we got to St. Andrew Sound, the more familiar it felt. “I can smell the ocean!” I cried out. I must admit, there is something infinitely more appealing about sand dunes and waves rather than brown water and muck. Guess I am more of a Saltwater Yankee than a Swamp Yankee. We were able to motor sail for hours across the Sound and along the inland-facing shore of Cumberland Island, a designated National Seashore administered by the National Park Service.
Off in the distance I thought I saw two huge container ships. Even with the binoculars, I could not tell what they were.
The closer we got, I realized it was the Navy’s Kings Bay Submarine Base, home to six Trident-class subs. Sure enough, the warnings about patrol boats were accurate as we saw a pleasure boat approached by a Navy patrol and asked to slow down and steer far from the docks—and for good reason!
This enormous structure jutted out into the channel. I think it is a degaussing station which de-magnetizes the subs but I’m not sure. Or it could be like a Naval car wash???? At any rate, it was ginormous!
Not far from Kings Bay, we turned up into Cumberland Sound where we’d be for two nights. Thankfully, the rain abated, we lowered the dinghy, and headed for shore. So far today we had seen dolphins, hundreds of shore birds, white pelicans, and even a pair of swans. But Cumberland is famous for its wild horses so we were hoping to see them, and maybe some deer and armadillos.
As a National Seashore, Cumberland Island is almost entirely undeveloped even though it is the largest of the Golden Isles. There are 50 miles of maritime forest trails, unspoiled beaches, wide marshes, ruins of the Carnegie’s Dungeness Estate, and rudimentary campsites for overnight visitors. Almost 10,000 acres of the island is Congressionally designated Wilderness that is not usually open to the public. Except while we were there—because they were having a controlled “hunt.” For hog and deer. Last month the hunt only allowed bows and arrows and today it only allowed “Primitive Weapons.” I’m thinking: slingshot? spears?swords? blunderbusses? No, they meant “archery equipment and muzzle loading firearms.” I’m fine just walking on the beach, thank you very much.
We hiked for five miles and reveled in the pristine beauty of this untouched isle.
The headquarters for Sea Camp:
who knew that your adventure would take place in a year that the hurricanes would go on and on and on. Glad you are safe!
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