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| Cumberland Island Broadhead Skink |
May 18, 2020. Anchorage at Little Tom Creek,
east of the ICW, Georgia
About fifteen miles south of St. Augustine, Florida is Fort Matanzas on the Matanzas Inlet. It flows around Anastasia Island, with an impressively strong current, into the Atlantic. The Atlantic beach from the Inlet north is known as the St. Augustine Beach or Anastasia Island Beach. We walked miles and miles of it each morning at sunrise for eight days. It was an excellent way to spend time. Upon return to the inlet we often found our dinghy on dry ground, no matter how we tied it to accommodate the ebbing tide. When moving it was a struggle for the two of us there was always a local fisherman eager to help, eager to talk (at the required distance) and to share the area customs and history. We all craved society! Florida beaches opened with no limits by May 3rd and the inlet was soon crowded with jet skies and slick power boats, driven by people who were desperate for noise and speed. We left May 4th after exploring the low tide shore and a wonderfully memorable sunrise hike.
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| Anastasia Island Beach |
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| Anastasia Island Beach |
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| Annie in the rain at Anastasia Island Beach |
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| Pre-dawn at Anastasia Island Beach |
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| Low Tide |
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| Great Egret on the hunt |
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| Great Egret on the wing |
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| Great house on the shore |
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| Fort Matanzas |
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| Great Egret again |
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| Matanzas Inlet at Low Tide |
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| Great Egret |
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| Fort George River |
We spent three nights on mooring #3 south of the Bridge of Lions in St. Augustine. The fuel dock crew were friendly and helpful except they worked with no masks, gloves or effort to keep any distance. The marina facilities were excellent but we stayed out of the RR and laundry since they were crowded with unprotected parents and children. We had our first experience with having groceries ordered on line and delivered to the dinghy dock. It began with at least an hour perusing the product list and completing the form, great fun since we hadn't seen much more than little neighborhood markets since early December. Dietrich had to make three trips to the dock before our order was complete. On the second try we received most of someone else's order tucked into ours. Insta-Cart handled the shopping, calling us from the aisles to confirm or ask about substituting then calling again to let us know when to meet at the dock. Upon advice from several knowledgable friends, we accepted and unpacked everything while wearing masks and gloves. We filled the cockpit as we discarded boxes and bags in a container that went back to shore. Every item was wiped and sun dried, then stored for five days. The day we freed the food was quite exciting! We provisioned well enough to avoid having to go ashore for two weeks.
On May 7th we put two anchors down in the strong currents of Ft. George River, close to Jacksonville, Florida. We were near the Kingsley Plantation, a National Park, closed but a good view from the shore. We hiked nearby trails and had a circuitous two mile dinghy ride to the Atlantic beach. Walking at the water line was Ok, but the crowds were rowdy, large groups gathered for partying, pick up trucks packed in two rows and infants racing unattended into the water. There was no interest in keeping a distance. The Blue Angels did a Thank-You fly over for the first responders in the northeast Florida area. Low tide made our return dinghy ride an interesting challenge, kind of a puzzle of sand bars, pools and deep streams with strong currents.
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| Fort George River Wildlife |
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| Fort George River Inlet |
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| Fort George River Inlet |
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Fort George River Inlet Tide Dropping FastWe anchored in Cumberland Sound for seven days at Cumberland Island National Seashore. Every day we hiked the wide beach, the tropical forests, through the dunes on the boardwalks, the meadows, under the live oaks that cover much of the island and around the ruins of various former Carnegie structures. The Park facilities were closed, except for the dinghy docks, and only a few Rangers and caretakers remained. We carried small packs and hiked 4-5 hours each day, seeing few people and always in the distance. Our collection of shells grew. We admired the campgrounds and hope there will be a future opportunity to spend time in one of those sites. What a beautiful place. |
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| Cumberland Island trail |
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| Cumberland Island Live Oaks |
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| Wild Horses on Cumberland Island |
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| Wild Horses on Cumberland Island |
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| Lucy Carnegie's Mercury |
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| The Carnegie's Magnolia |
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| Live Oaks Spreading Out |
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Too Big to Take HomeHeading north, the Degaussing Station caught Dietrich's attention again. It looks like a huge work of art, a sculpture! We sailed quite close for the photograph but no security boats cared. There was a huge submarine tucked next to one of the docks with crew members stretched along the deck. They handed supplies in a human chain from truck to hatch. Neither held my attention as well as sea birds and wild horses. However, I admit that a submarine and a degaussing station are impressive, certainly reasons to take pride in our military technology. |
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| Degaussing Station at Kings Bay Naval Base |
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| US Navy Submarine being Re-provisioned the old fashioned way |
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| Brown Pelicans with Brunswick Cable-Stayed Bridge |
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| The Golden Ray Rolled Over and Salvaging |
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| The Golden Ray Rolled Over and Salvaging |
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| Brown Pelicans |
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| Shrimp Boat in Sapelo Sound |
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| Another Brown Pelican |
We have spent a catch-up day here in Little Tom Creek, 30 miles SE of Savannah. Anchored in about 16 ft. of strong currents, we can see mud banks with grassy tops at low tide (7 ft. tides). At high tide, the river nearly disappears and we seem to be in a huge inlet edging the sea. When we leave in the morning, it will be about half tide so there will be some visual indication of where we should sail to avoid running aground.
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| Little Tom Creek, GA |
