Sat 21 Apr 2012
Docked at Jekyll Harbor Marina, Jekyll Island, GA

[photo: Red Bug scooters used to get around the island in the old days.]

We had a few rain showers during the night, but no wind to speak of. Once again the dinghy and boat got a free wash down. The tides were such that leaving before 0700 made sense to have a high tide (greater water depth) and the least amount of foul current. There was absolutely no wind to sail with, as expected, and the overall run was just over 4 hours to Jekyll Island, where we topped off the fuel tank and got settled in along the W side of the long face dock.

Along the way, we learned why many cruisers elect to "go outside" (take an offshore route) to avoid the many miles of twists and turns that thwart any decent progress in this section of Georgia, and perhaps another reason - nasty flies. We started swatting them early on and counted well over 100 killed before we realized we couldn't keep up. Although we had as many as 20 on the underside of the Bimini cover at one time, they were not nearly as aggressive about biting as we feared, so we just left them be. During our all-out attack phase, I remarked that this is a real good way to run aground outside the channel or worse, hit a navigation marker, because you are preoccupied with the flies.

At first glance, Jekyll Harbor is a decent marina, with Wi-Fi, pool, spa, nice showers, a restaurant with a decent reputation for good food, and a very friendly and helpful staff. Shortly after checking in, we got a short visit from Greg and Kate aboard Grianon, now trawler folks whose previous boat was the same as ours only a year older. We have been traveling at roughly the same pace for over a week now.

After a nice shower ashore, we had a quick lunch and then met Edie Bjorn, a school friend of Diane's sister who has stayed in touch all these years. She graciously picked us up to show us around the beautiful island and then gave us complimentary passes for the tram tour through the old Jekyll Club. Back in the beginning of the 1900s, this was a very exclusive club with members of the US who controlled an incredible percentage of the wealth in this country during the "gilded age." Their "cottages" were nothing like the opulent ones they had built in Newport and other locations, but still very impressive and large.

Despite the dire weather forecast, the rain held off all day and the temperature was delightful. On the way home from the tour, we stopped to get some provisions and then had cocktails and a wonderful dinner at Edie's, with her son Kenny. We just beat the heavy rain to the boat and got our stuff aboard. So far, the weather was nothing that we couldn't have handled easily at anchor, but I guess the news and weather forecasters needed to sensationalize a bit.