Anchored last night next to dock for one of the Carnegie mansions on Cumberland Island, Plum Orchard. Very pleasant anchorage in the Brickhill River except for the no-see-ums, which were thick as thieves. (Only on the water, not ashore.) Fortunately it was the first time this trip. Worth a trip ashore however, preferably with a good breeze.

Then this morning on to the anchorage next to the two national park service docks on the southern end of the island. The Dungeness dock provided access to the ruins of Carnegie Dungeness mansion. A remarkable story of Lucy Carnegie, whose husband Thomas (brother of Andrew) died at 43 in the late 1800s, one year after the house was built. For the next thirty years she raised nine children, employed 300 people, and built mansions for each of her children who remained on the island when they became adults.

After lunch we went to the dock that gives the most direct access to the beach. And oh what a beach! Fifteen miles from one end to the other, pristine fine fine sand, backed by beautiful dunes with wild ponies roaming about, being shared by perhaps a couple dozen people camping at the park campsites or day tripping. This is one of the top ten reasons to have a boat: to be able to access these treasures that few get to see.

Cruisers note:
Seeing a road all the way up Cumberland Island, I had been hoping for a bike ride. Turns out it is sandy and somewhat rutted. The place for a bike ride is on the hard sand on the ocean side at something other than high tide.
Also, I am not a sheller yet, but it looked like a great beach for shelling.