Week 30 Jekyll Island GA to Beaufort SC

Sunday - Happy Mothers Day Celebration
Jekyll Island Marina and Jekyll Island Club and Resort

This was possibly one of the best Mother's Days I've ever had in terms of what we did. Of course, not being able to celebrate with my Mom or my daughter and son-in-law was the only negative.  We started the day on Jekyll with the trolley ride through the historic district.  The museum along with an excellent guide gave us the back story of how this incredible club was created and enjoyed by wealthy families in America's history. Built-in the late 1800's as a hunting club for select wealthy business men it quickly became a favorite winter resort.  Within the first couple of years, the families began building 'cottages' to include wives, staff, and children to join the fun. 

Less than 15 were built, with 9 still standing and looking as though they are lived in today.  These 'cottages' are about 8,000 to 12,000 square feet.  Georgia has done an incredible job of restoring this beautiful club and turning it into a fantastic location for family events and getaways.  After the trolley tour, we used our complimentary bikes from the marina and enjoyed miles of bike paths that meander throughout the club and cottages. 

I would encourage anyone interested to take a minute and learn the long and very interesting story of this special place. There are so many historical events that took place here, including the conceptualization of the Federal Reserve and the first transcontinental telephone call!

https://www.jekyllclub.com/about/jekyll-island-history/

Monday, May 15, 2023
Walburg Creek Anchorage

This oxbow off the AICW promised to be a great anchorage.  Unfortunately, strong east wind and a rising king tide of about 8' every 12 hours lead to a very rolly anchorage.  The propane tank also chose this exact time to run low so we improvised a dinner from the 'can'.  It was smoked oysters, sardines in hot sauce with crackers a cold beer, and a glass of red for me!

Tuesday
Isle of Hope Marina Savanah Georgia

This is such a cute marina and has several amenities including a free shuttle car. We used the car to drive into Savanahh and re-provision.  Of course, the streets are lined with those amazing oaks dripping with Spanish moss and also with endless examples of colonial, Georgian, or federal-style homes.

Wednesday - Friday
Thunderbolt Marina Savannah Marina

Savannah is one of the most beautiful and architecturally rich cities in the United States.  We meandered along cobblestone streets and through the historic 'squares' laid out by the founder Oglethorpe during the early 1700s. 

The square is essentially a park with a monument or fountain in the center and surrounded by huge Georgia live oaks dripping with Spanish moss.  Each has a unique story and mansions line all four sides of the park. These mansions were homes to many famous people like Juliet Lowe Homes, founder of the Girl Scouts. The city is also proud of the many movies filmed here including Forest Gump and Glory.

To get an overview of the city we booked the 15-stop hop-on-hop-off trolley. The trolley crisscrosses through the historic district highlighting notable points as well as tidbits of history. 

With a good overview, we began our discovery with the Prohibition Museum. At first, we were skeptical but so much of our daily lives are still being impacted by the decisions made in regard to the regulation of liquor. The self-guided tour meanders through a large home with wax figures and relics from this era. They even built a speakeasy accessible by password only. We highly recommend it!

Dining - Southern cuisine is one of my favorites and Savannah is packed with choices. We decided to try Mrs. Wilkes for lunch. This iconic daily lunch spot located in Mrs. Wilkes's original home is served family style with fried chicken as the star and over 20 sides including fried okra, butter beans, and collard greens. No reservations and we stood in line for over an hour.  We dined with the people we stood in line with at a family-style table.  The food was delicious and the history was also!

Next up we scheduled a walking tour. Our tour guide gave us an excellent history of Savannah from its creation and design, through the American Revolution, the Civil War, the decay of mansions, and then the rebirth in the 1970s.  Savannah was one of the first 'planned' cities and many of the squares still exist today.  During the Civil War, William Sherman decided not to burn the city and instead 'gifted' it President Lincoln as a Christmas gift.

 

During the 1970s a group of concerned citizens started a movement to save these historic mansions and now many of them gleam like they were just constructed.  Another highlight was the creation of the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). Do not miss this free tour conducted by students that walked us through a 3D experience of the creation and impact SCAD has had. 

Saturday - May 20, 2023
Savannah GA to Beaufort SC 

A forty-mile cruise through the low country and grasslands began as a beautiful day.  Shortly before arriving the starboard engine started smoking and shut down. After everything we've put into this engine and the multiple delays, thousands of dollars in parts we were very discouraged. 

In addition to the problems with the engine, a huge sub-tropical storm is developing off the coast with a forecast of 50 miles per hour winds and 5 to 9-foot swells.