Day 201: Crossing into Georgia

Day 201: May 3, 2024 We pulled up anchor and smiled at the sunrise. Another glorious day filled with promise and opportunities. We trolled by Jonathan's boat hoping to say bye but no one appeared to be stirring. Late sleepers they are! Left Florida behind, crossing into Georgia in about 5 miles. 

We anchored just off of Cumberland Island, planning on visiting Cumberland Island National Seashore. I wanted to see the Dungeness Ruins and John hoped to get a national park stamp to add to his collection. The dinghy engine continued to give us trouble despite John having secured the fuel filter and changing the gas tank fitting. We managed to get to the dock before floating out to be lost forever. 

The island is Georgia's largest and southernmost barrier island hosting maritime forests, undeveloped beaches, conservation efforts and wide marshes. On shore, research was being conducted on two manatees. We noted the research vessel, loaded with nets, getting ready to head back out. 


There happened to be a guided walking tour just starting so we joined in, wanting to visit the Dungeness Ruins. It was a lovely walk, the best part being the stroll along the path lined by "live oak" covered in moss. 


Dungeness has an interesting history. It was first built by James Oglethorpe in 1736, starting as a hunting lodge he named Dungeness. During the War of 1812, the island was occupied by the British who used the house as a headquarter. In 1880 the property was purchased by Thomas Carnegie who built a mansion on the site. The mansion was destroyed by fire (suspected arson) in 1959. The ruins are now preserved by the National Park Service as part of Cumberland Island National Seashore. They were acquired by the Park Service in 1972. 

After the tour we visited the ranger station where John got his stamp. We then limped our way back to the boat where MacGyver struck again. He took another look at the fuel filter on the Yamaha, concluding a new O ring was needed. Hunting around the boat, he located a bag of various size O rings where he found one that was the right size. As luck would have it, it did work and the dinghy ran well the rest of the day. Time will tell! 


We left the island and continued on the ICW, heading toward Jekyll Island. The Georgia coast along the ICW is not the prettiest. Twisting back and forth along the waterway, we saw nothing but marshes for miles, all the while being inundated by green head flies! Georgia produces large populations of these annoying creatures due to the availability of suitable habitat throughout the state. We also passed by a large dredging operations, resulting in us decreasing speed once again. 


We ended our day anchored in Jekyll Island. Perfect spot minus the giant horseflies. 

























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